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Pervasive urban violence has taken its toll on daily life in the northern part of Recife. Taking an ethnographic approach, and tracing recent developments of violent crime and homicide in Recife, this article explores the implications of the normalisation of violence. By thinking through how residents tried to protect themselves and endure the violence in practical and moral terms, the article seeks to elucidate why some members of the community – victims of violent crime and their mothers – were not deemed worthy of grief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2003, the Government of El Salvador launched Plan Mano Dura to curb urban violence and homicides, most of which had been attributed to street gangs. Domestic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) criticised the measure for its repressive nature and the neglect of the wider policies for prevention and rehabilitation, and sought to promote the implementation of alternative gang control. Drawing on ethnographic research in Homies Unidos-El Salvador - founded and organised by pandilleros calmados (retired gang members) - the article considers how both the socio-political context and organisational characteristics shaped the agency's advocacy strategy and why its efforts remained largely ineffective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]