Shooting Prompts A Truce -- Chicago Projects Safer 2 Years After Boy's Death

CHICAGO - The brown "Dantrell Davis Way" sign still hangs in the middle of the Cabrini-Green public-housing development - a reminder of the 7-year-old boy whose death by a sniper's bullet stunned the city and the nation.

But Dantrell, who was shot two years ago this month as he and his mother started their short morning walk to Jenner Elementary School, left much more of a legacy than a simple street sign. Many Cabrini-Green residents say his death brought them a measure of peace.

"Before, I prayed going to the store, and I prayed on the way back, ducking and dodging," said Janice Freeman, 43, Dantrell's grandmother, who still lives in the building where her daughter and grandson had lived.

"You don't have to do that anymore. Look at the kids," Freeman said, pointing to a column of youngsters laughing as they walked home from Jenner.

Police and many residents differ over the reasons for the new atmosphere. Police credit increased patrols and help from community residents. The residents point to an apparent 2-year-old gang truce.

In any case, one thing remains certain: Cabrini-Green is a far safer place since Dantrell was killed.

Although two men were fatally shot at Cabrini-Green in June 1993, police say there have been no other serious shootings since Dantrell became the third Jenner pupil in eight months to be killed in gang cross-fire.

"We can sleep at night without jumping up and hearing gunshots," said Marshane Williams, 30, who also lives in Dantrell's old building.

Remembering Dantrell, Williams said, "He just brought joy, and he's still bringing joy now that he's gone - the peace, the way the kids can come out and play now."

That same sense of hope runs through a study issued this month by Cook County Hospital. The study showed that the number of gunshot victims dropped precipitously after Dantrell's shooting.

The authors of the study, which cataloged every shooting victim brought to the hospital from 1983 through mid-1993, credit increased police surveillance, Chicago Housing Authority sweeps and the apparent gang truce.

The study does not definitively connect Dantrell's death with any drop in gun violence at Cabrini-Green. For one thing, trauma victims from Cabrini-Green are first taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital; Cook County Hospital is the second option.

But combined with the experience of Cabrini-Green residents, the study suggests solutions are possible.

"Something happened after the shooting of that child that changed the pattern of gunshot wounds," said Dr. James Stone, chief of neurosurgery at Cook County Hospital. "We can do something."

Spurred by Dantrell's death, police increased patrols around Cabrini-Green. In warm weather, for instance, regular squad cars and officers doing vertical patrols of high-rises now get the help of all-terrain vehicles, said Deputy Chief Clem Ferguson of the Housing Authority police.

While police acknowledge the drop in shootings, they remain skeptical of the gangs' motivation.

"Yes, the violence has toned down," said Matthew Brandon, a police tactical-team sergeant. "But whether it's because the gangs have agreed to stop shooting one another or whether they've just become smart enough to realize there's enough territory for all of them to sell drugs, I can't say."

In any case, police Lt. Robert Hill said residents aren't crediting the right people.

"They should attribute it to themselves because they get involved," he said. "They've demanded better police service. They've taken part in their community."