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Byline: Christofer Machniak Journal Staff Writer
Church Campaign Eyes Awareness for Youths
For most of her teen-age years, Nichole Montano was in a gang and hooked on drugs. She said she carried a gun for protection. It was her way of life in Albuquerque for seven years.
"I had the mentality of a murderer, and it didn't bother me at all," Montano said. "(But) I was tired of the party life, always having to watch your back."
Three years after leaving gangs, Montano, now 22, was performing in a play that mimicked her past life before more than 6,500 people Saturday evening at University Stadium.
The performance, "Image of the Neighborhood," was part of Stop the Violence '97, Victory Outreach Church's annual campaign to unify the community to fight youth violence.
For five months more than 40 local young people rehearsed the 75-minute play, a story of gangs, teen-age pregnancy, murder and survival.