The theme of a national gang summit on the Far South Side — organized by a California pastor with Chicago roots — was “the village is here.” But the village wasn’t there Saturday at the sparsely attended National United Summit Review.
The Rev. Gregory Tatum had hoped hundreds of current and former gang members would fill the seats at the House of Hope, but he said squabbles about his street cred might have kept people away.
Tatum said he believes Chicago pastors didn’t support him because they didn’t know him.
“They kept saying, ‘Well, we don’t think it’s a good idea. It was done before. You’re from California. Even though you lived here many years ago, things have changed,’ ” Tatum said. “But overall, they didn’t know anything about me. I think that was the greatest fear, not knowing who I am.”. . .