In July 2022, the authors had the opportunity to facilitate, observe and participate in a community colloquium of civic organisations based in the Northern Areas of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa. The main purpose of the colloquium was to bring together civic organisations to discuss the challenge of gang subcultures in the Northern Areas, and how to address it. This article is a reflection on the colloquium, and the insights gained. As well as being the first time that a colloquium of this nature had taken place in the Northern Areas, it was the result of the authors’ ongoing research on gang subcultures in the community since 2013. Using participant observation, an engaged participatory action research (PAR) approach, and focus group discussions, the article provides some of the results that the colloquium contributed to the study. The results revealed that community-based strategies to address gangsterism would be more sustainable and effective in the long term.