With all the talk lately about the menace of gangs, Alejandro Guzman, a colleague of mine, went out to David M. Gonzales Park in Pacoima on Saturday to bring back a different kind of gang story - one that ended on a more peaceful note. Two gangs clashed, but this time in a game of spirited flag football and, get this, they also had a picnic and barbecue. Alejandro reports that there was tension, and police were out in force, but in this one, no one went home on a gurney. Alejandro writes at Taking it out on the field at valleynews.com:

Members of the Langdon Street and Pacoima Flats gangs joined Victory Outreach Church and other youth groups Saturday for a series of football matches and a picnic at David M. Gonzales Park in Pacoima.

The event - held by Victory's Gang Intervention program - was just one part of Victory's ongoing effort to build relationships with gangs in the San Fernando Valley. By bringing the gangs together, there is a chance to bring peace between them, said Victory's Pastor David Martinez.

He pointed out that the events main organizer, Howard Loyd, a member of Victory's Gang Intervention team, also turned his life around after a life of gangs and drugs.

It was Loyd who had the idea to invite both gangs out to play football and enjoy the picnic.

Loyd, now 45, shows the physical markings of a man who has had one rough ride on the streets.

He served four years for burglary in a Kansas City state prison. He lost use of his left arm as a result of his lifestyle - a drug deal gone bad which ended with him being dragged down the street by a car. He was only 21 years old at the time.

Loyd lifted his shirt to unveil a four-inch scar on his stomach - a big reminder of the time he was shot.