one of the magic tricks, according to the article:

[....] As a result, the police said, the 75th precinct, as of Sunday, has also had only five shootings, half as many as last year. And robberies, which ticked up last year, are once again declining, with 144 through Sunday, compared to 169 at the same time last year, according to the Police Department.

“When you take the gang out of commission,” Inspector John Chell, the commander of the 75th Precinct, said on Thursday, “these are the residual effects.” Murders in the city overall continue to drop, down 10 percent from last year at this time.

Andre T. Mitchell, the founder of ManUp! Inc., an anti-violence group that sends workers into the streets to mediate conflicts before they erupt into violence, said the community also deserved credit for helping to reduce tensions, and that elected officials should be praised for providing financial and social resources.

“The work that we do breaks down gang networks,” said Mr. Mitchell, whose group also provides job training for local residents. “It happens organically because the more you get them involved in society, they’re not going to have time for that other stuff.” [....]