Pulse of Go-Go, Promise of Peace Mingle at D.C. Dance Event for Youth

This was peace-go training, and it had the buzz of a classroom. Kids excitedly raised their hands, shouted out answers and waited for more questions. The right answers earned prizes: Peaceoholics T-shirts.

Constant chattering while Moten talked got some chastised. "I'm not going to disrespect you, and you're not going to disrespect me," he said, his voice rising. "This is for people who are trying to do the right thing. If you don't want to be here, you can leave right now."

Nobody moved. The main discussion resumed, about how to talk things out, how to go their own way and not with the crowd and how to dream about a better future.

Moten lectured them for posing as gangsters, glamorizing thuggish behavior and violence and not understanding where real power lies.

"George Bush is gangster, Bill Clinton is gangster," he said. "Real gangsters wear suits and settle their beefs at the table. What y'all doing in the streets is acting like fools."

Before receiving their cards, the students were warned: At the peace-gos, a special room would be set aside to resolve conflicts. Those who chose to fight instead were told they would lose their cards and possibly their freedom.

"I'll turn you over to the police myself," said Moten, an ex-offender who served time on drug charges a decade ago. "And I will come to see you in jail and say, 'I told you so.' "

'Life's Too Short for Games'

The go-go bands are getting a similar lecture: If you want to be a part, no cursing, no violent lyrics and go easy on the neighborhood shout-outs.

From the stage, Eric "E-Time" Coates, 21, sees trouble brewing all too often. The lead singer of CCB said some teenagers seem high or drunk, and others storm in with their crews, eyeballing everyone as an enemy. Crimes committed by his peers shock him.

"You can barely walk out your door with a clean pair of tennis shoes, without someone coming up on you funny or saying, 'I'm going to rob him,' " Coates said. "It's crazy."

Many youths said they are tired of the nonsense.

"Life's too short for games, and we just joking around," said Anita Nettles, 18, as she listened to the training before heading off to party. "We need to do something. This gives youth more opportunity to stay away from trouble."