Peter Hermann had a front-page story today about James Ball Sr., the security guard killed downtown over the weekend. Ball's friends reunited after his death to talk about the pact they made as youngsters:

As a child, Ball had tapped into a close group of friends to survive growing up on Fulton Avenue in one of Baltimore's most depressed neighborhoods. Together, they escaped the drugs and the shootings that claimed many of their classmates, going on to college or to hold down jobs, and to raise families.

"We were all victims. I was robbed numerous times, I was shot at, I had guys pull guns on me," said 39-year-old Michael Taylor, who grew up with Ball. Taylor now works for the federal government and lives in suburban Washington. "We always knew that if we could make it through that, we could have a better life."

Some in the group grew up without fathers - Ball's died of a stroke when he was 8 - and they made a pact: They would be there for their children, and if something happened to any one of their group, they'd step in to help.