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LOS ANGELES HAS BEEN CALLED THE UNITED STATES' "GANGS CAPITAL," WITH HUNDREDS OF ACTIVE CRIMINAL
GANGS. BUT THE CITY IS ALSO HOME
TO A PROGRAM THAT HAS HELPED THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE SAY NO TO GANG LIFE, AND CHOOSE
A BETTER PATH. AS VOA L-A REPORTER ELIZABETH LEE TOLD ME, "HOMEBOY
INDUSTRIES" IS SO SUCCESSFUL THAT OTHER COUNTRIES WITH GANG PROBLEMS ARE LOOKING TO IT FOR HELP.
LET'S START WITH A LOOK AT HER REPORT. IN WHAT IS CONSIDERED
NEUTRAL TERRITORY IN A CITY OF MORE THAN 450 GANGS, 19-YEAR-OLD KEVIN IS CHOOSING TO SPEND
HIS DAYS IN A KITCHEN INSTEAD OF THE GANG INFESTED STREETS OF EAST LOS
ANGELES. "SEEING MY BEST FRIEND DIE, SEEING OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS DYING BECAUSE OF THIS
GANG LIFE, THAT'S WHAT OPENED MY EYES." ELIZABETH WHAT STRUCK ME WAS IS THAT
AT THIS FACILITY THESE ARE BASICALLY GANG MEMBERS TRYING TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES BUT THEY
ARE ALL COMING FROM A DIFFERENT PLACE BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY WORKING
TOGETHER. SO, WHAT IS ACTUALLY MAKING THAT POSSIBLE? THE FOUNDER OF HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES,
GREGORY BOYLE EXPLAINS IT THIS WAY. HE SAYS IT'S HARD TO DEMONIZE SOMEONE
YOU KNOW. SO, BY PUTTING THESE FORMER RIVALS NEXT TO EACH OTHER, FORCING THEM TO WORK SIDE
BY SIDE EVENTUALLY THEY HAVE TO START TALKING AND COMMUNICATING WITH
EACH OTHER. MANY ARE WORKING WITH FORMER ENEMIES. "AS TIME KEEPS GOING YOU START SAYING 'HI'
TO THEM, 'HEY WHAT'S UP, YOU KNOW, HOW'S IT GOING', YOU KNOW AND AT
FIRST YOU KNOW, YOU WERE SHOOTING AT EACH OTHER, YOU WERE KILLING EACH OTHER, KILLING
EACH OTHER'S FRIENDS, JUST GOING AND BEING RIVALS, TO NOW LIKE TALKING TO
EACH OTHER, YOU KNOW." AND ONCE YOU START TALKING TO EACH OTHER THEN THAT'S WHEN THERE
IS HEALING. DOES IT TAKE A LONG TIME AND DOES IT ORIGINALLY START OUT SORT
OF RATHER STRESSFUL FOR THEM WHEN THEY GET THERE? THE PROGRAM THEY GO TO WHEN THEY GET
THERE IS 18 MONTHS SO IN THAT TIMEFRAME THEY START TO GET TO KNOW THESE
PEOPLE AND START TO BREAK DOWN A LOT OF BARRIERS. THE FOUNDER OF HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES -- CATHOLIC
PRIEST GREGORY BOYLE -- SAYS FORMER GANG MEMBERS CAN FIND COMMON
GROUND HERE. "EVERYBODY WANTS TO FEED THEIR KIDS AND PAY THEIR RENT HONESTLY AND NOBLY,
AND EVERYBODY JUST WANTS THEIR MOM TO BE PROUD OF THEM AND THEIR KIDS NOT
TO BE ASHAMED. WELL, WHAT SPECIFICALLY ARE THESE FOLKS LEARNING, WHAT TYPE OF SKILLS
ARE THEY ACQUIRING? FIRST THEY GET EDUCATION BECAUSE OF LOT OF THEM HAVE NOT
FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL. THEY ALSO GET ON THE JOB TRAINING SKILLS EITHER IN FOOD SERVICE
AS WE SAW WITH KEVIN IN A BAKERY, OR THEY ALSO HAVE A CAFÉ SO THEY LEARN
FOOD SERVICE. THEY ALSO LEARN OTHER SKILLS AND ALSO THERE IS A TATTOO REMOVAL SERVICE
SO THEY CAN REMOVE A LOT OF THEIR GANG AFFILIATED TATTOOS AND THAT WILL HELP
THEM GET A JOB IN THE REAL WORLD. WHAT IS THE GANG LIFE LIKE IN LOS ANGELES TODAY? THE
GANG LIFE IS A RESULT OF POVERTY AND THAT HASN'T CHANGED IN THE LAST 25
YEARS SINCE FATHER GREG FIRST STARTED THIS PROGRAM. AND, HE SAYS THERE ARE THREE MAIN
REASONS WHY A YOUTH WOULD WANT TO JOIN A GANG. FIRST, IT'S JUST AN UTTER
DESPAIR IN THEIR LIFE. THEY HAVE NO HOPE FOR THE FUTURE, THEY CAN'T EVEN SEE PAST THE NEXT
DAY AND AS A RESULT THEY JOIN A GANG. THE NEXT REASON WOULD BE
SOMEONE WHO WAS TRAUMATIZED WHETHER IT'S BECAUSE OF A DYSFUNCTIONAL HOME LIFE OR SOME OTHER
REASON, AND THIRDLY, A SMALLER GROUP ARE YOUTH WHO ARE MENTALLY ILL.
THE BASIS FOR ALL OF THIS IS EXTREME POVERTY AND THERE ARE MANY PARTS OF LOS ANGELES THAT
ARE STILL QUITE POOR. IS IT HARD FOR THEM TO LEAVE, IN OTHER WORDS IT CAN
SOMETIMES BE DANGEROUS FOR GANG MEMBERS TO LEAVE THE GANG. FATHER GREG SAYS ACTUALLY
MOST OF THE GANG MEMBERS HE HAS WORKED WITH WANT A REASON TO LEAVE THE GANG.
AND IT'S THE COMMUNITY THAT ORIGINALLY HAD A HARD TIME IN GIVING THEM A CHANCE. WELL,
WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU COVERING A STORY LIKE THIS BEING AROUND GANG
MEMBERS. WERE YOU SORT OF UNEASY, WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING AROUND THEM.IT WAS, IT WAS A
DIFFERENT FEELING WHEN I WALKED IN AND THE FIRST THING I SAW WERE TATTOOS.
AND NOT JUST TATTOOS ON THE ARMS AND LEGS BUT TATTOOS ON FACES AND ON NECKS SO IT DID
INITIALLY MAKE ME SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE AND REALIZED THAT THEY MAY HAVE THIS
KIND OF A SCARY IMAGE BUT ONCE YOU TALK TO THEM THEY SOUND, THEY ARE JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW,
REGULAR PEOPLE AND THEN THEY SMILE AND THEY'RE COURTEOUS AND POLITE.
KEVIN, THE FORMER GANG MEMBER, TOLD ME THAT HE FEELS MORE AT PEACE AND LESS STRESSED OUT
RIGHT NOW BECAUSE HE DOESN'T HAVE TO WATCH HIS BACK ALL THE TIME AND HE IS
REMOVING HIS TATTOOS JUST SO HE CAN START A NEW LIFE. AND ALEX, LAST YEAR, 8-THOUSAND
FORMER GANG MEMBERS WENT TO HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES AND AS ELIZABETH MENTIONED IN
HER REPORT MOST OF THEM DO NOT GO BACK TO PROISON. SO A VERY INFLUENTIAL PROGRAM - OUR
THANKS AGAIN TO REPORTER ELIZABETH LEE.