A Lonely Stand Against the Streets

"It's all so overwhelming," she said. "I can understand why there is so much burnout among social workers, teachers and principals. What I don't understand is why it's so difficult for those of us on the front lines to get the support we need." Her office telephone, for instance, doesn't have voice mail -- no messages, no returned calls unless she is standing by the phone and not using it, which is rare.

"Thank goodness for cellphones," she said.

Brogioli grew up in Wareham, Mass., and attended Catholic University, where she played on the women's basketball team. Before going to Hart, she worked five years in a family preservation program at D.C. Child and Family Services.

When a girl at the vigil showed Brogioli a T-shirt that she was planning to wear at DeOnté's funeral -- "[Expletive] Da Police," it read -- Brogioli stepped toward her with athletic swagger. "No, baby, don't wear this. It's not appropriate." And, sure enough, the girl obeyed. Several other youngsters did wear the shirt, however.

Night had fallen by the time the vigil ended. Young men disappeared into darkened alleys, while the elderly retreated behind locked doors. Gunfire had shattered many a window over the years; the brick walls of some apartments were pockmarked like backstops at a pistol range.

"Aren't you afraid to be out here alone?" a girl asked Brogioli. "No," she replied. "I'm with you."

And she meant it.

E-mail:milloyc@washpost.com