The violence continues in Boston. It started about two weeks ago, when a riot broke out in what was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration. At first it look as if there were seven or eight injured demonstrators, and a handful of injured Police. Daybreak on that riot revealed the true horror of what had happened. 34 youths, the oldest being seventeen killed, over one hundred with serious injuries. The Police fared no better, 13 officers were killed and a further 28 are still in the Hospital as a result of the nights violence.

But the story gets worse. Some people are calling this "the endless riot"; others, less cynical, see this as a clarion call for positive action. Most see downtown Boston, Copley through Chinatown as an urban war zone. Mostly quiet during the day, the tensions increase as the hated curfew approaches. Once the curfew is in place, the frustrated, the angry, those opposed to the curfew, and those just looking for a chance to act out make their feelings known.

"The curfew has had almost the exact opposite of its intended effect," complained a store owner with several thousands of dollars damage resulting from the riot. "Maybe it's time to get rid of the curfew... and the mayor."

"Wake up, Mr. Mayor and Mr. Governor!" says one man wounded in the fray while trying to get home from work. "It's time to stop attacking the people and to start attacking the problem. Stop fiddling in your offices while our city burns."

During the first week after the riot, the death toll doubled, bringing the total to 86 youths and Police. And then the Police effectively pulled out of downtown Boston at night. It was not so much of an active decision as a result of lack of personnel. "No one wants to take the night job. Their afraid they'll get into a gunfight with someone from their child's class. Most just don't think they can take it" Police Captain Brookes was reported as saying.

"Cowards," retorted an unidentified source in the Mayor's office. "We pay the cops damned good money to go out there and deal with these problems - and then they turn tail at the first sign of trouble." Many blame the police for much of the problem downtown. "Where have all our tax dollars gone?" asked an angry citizen. "Why aren't the cops out there when we need them?"

But, according to out research, the police have dome everything but turn tail. Dealing with massive financial and beuracratic problems, the Boston Police are hardly being paid good money. "It's not as if we aren't trying," Brookes said "most of the guys are working double shifts for no extra pay. In the mean time we are having problem getting the money to simply replace all the damaged and destroyed equipment."

In fact, 78% of the Boston Police have doubled up on shifts for nothing extra on the paycheck.

By day, Boston seems little changed by the war which ravages its streets, save for the charring from the fires. One thing has changed, though. In a poll of people working in downtown Boston, the majority say that they work less because of the danger. "I come in later than I used to and leave earlier, to be sure I'm safe in my house when it gets dark. Everyone does now," said one man. That means productivity in that hugely influential part of Boston is down.

That's not the only thing that's changed. Schools are emptier too. The average truancy rate for Middle and High Schools in the Greater Boston Area jumped from 6% to 38% in the past two weeks. That means that more that one in three children are skipping school on any given day. Truancy rates for Boston and South Boston are the highest, at 73%. Where are the kids going? No one knows. All the school system can do is watch them play hooky and try to teach those that remain. Schools, parents and police seem stuck as to how to reclaim the streets of night time Boston and return these children to their normal lives.

There are efforts to take back the children. Yuri Rodchenko, owner of the popular and trendy Seven Muses cafe, is working with his partner Matthias Peterson and their new theater Three of Seven. "What these children need," Mr. Rodchenko says, "is a creative way to express their feelings. If they are upset about the curfew, let's give them a safe activity to do after curfew." Mr. Rodchenko and Mr. Peterson are setting up free theater workshops for youths. Mr. Peterson, a popular professor of English at BU, has also been looking for new material to produce. "One way to channel this aggression is to put it into writing. We'll give a voice to those who don't have one, safely, on the stage." Several other businesses have followed these leads, in their own creative ways. Mr. Rodchenko put it best when he said "We can't save everyone, but if we can save one voice, it will be a victory. If we can save a few voices, maybe we can turn the tide."

Since the riot, the streets of Boston have quieted. Gunshots don't pierce the night anymore, or, at least not as often. There are efforts to make things better. But there is a still an uneasy tension as the people drive through. "It's pretty safe to drive through, but it's strange, there's no one on the streets except these occasional packs of kids. You drive away from them if you see them."