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Understanding the Mindset of a Gang Member
By Jeremy | May 19, 2007
Panel
- Featuring Blinky Rodriguez (and 12! other ex-gang members and workers)Q: East LA church plant wants to reach gang members. "Church doesn't work for them," but they want God. How do we help them grow?A1: Find the leader. Train him. Blinky: Find a relevant point of contact. What does that individual need? Meet them there. That's the hook. Don't overcomplicate it. A3: Take the gospel to the streets. Just because they burn you, don't give up on them. A4: Cultivate indigenous leaders, not just people who move into the neighborhood. Invest in heart conditions. Where your money is, there your heart is also. A5: Lots of outreach. Show love, instead of past hate. Power of testimony. A6: Be prayed up. They depend on your truthfulness. Never promise something you're not going to do. Understand your calling. Is this really what God is calling you to do? Fast. And go in pairs (so one can talk and the other prays).
Q: How do you reach kids who are more fearful of gangs than prison so they align themselves to gangs for protection? Fence straddlers.A1: Help them to align with the Lord first. Many gangs will respect that. They power of testimony. A2: Expose them to the consequences of bad choices, like trip to skid row. Many addicts men are former gang members. A3: 31 yrs in prison -- convicted of murder twice. Lots of stories. Carries around a photo album of inmates and ex-offenders. Murdered in his past because he was afraid to die. No longer afraid. A4: Enagage family. What are they thinking -- their hopes and dreams for him? Outreach strategies. Car shows. BBQs. Use events to help expose kids to who they really are.
Q: Meeting with mayor of Pasadena re. Black/Brown violence. What's that all about?A1: There are some in "La Raza" that are racist against blacks. Real hatred, but without reason. They are taught hatred, even though its irrational and baseless. Create opportunities for them to interact and resolve conflict. Blinky: We are in the enemy's camp! We must bind the spirit of violence. Use your hook. For Blinky it was kick boxing. We have to stop being afraid of engaging the world. Get in their every day. We have to engage the public sectors. Overseas missions without revitalizing the barrios at home is hypocrisy. Some of us need to be covert. Get trained in the gym (church) to fight in the arena (street, public policy, etc). A3: Three factors contributing to Black/Brown. 1) Prison baggage gets carried over. 2) Drugs -- Whoever has the drugs has the power. 3) Neighborhood dynamics. Displacement and demographic changes. Be sensititive. Also, generational hatred passed down from fathers. One solution: POPS (Peacemakers of Pomona). Pops need to teach us over again. Need to get past the phony talk about hatred that doesn't really exist except for the facade. Help kids go deeper to see the person beneath the skin color.
Q: Drugs and gangs not limited to big cities. Spillover to suburbs and small towns. What programs are effective models for reaching kids in juvenile halls?A: Communities in School programs in juvenile halls. Need to expand the network of service providers. Partner with Catholics who are more entrenched in the prisons. Blinky: Need to cultivate relationships when kids are vulnerable in the jail. Meet them there and then keep them when they come out. Black/brown sports tournament and BBQs.
Q: Is there anything you miss about the gang life?A1: Nothing! A2: People on this panel were mortal enemies. Now brothers. Truly transformed. The panel itself is a testimony. Pepe's goal was to be Donald (founder of Mexican Mafia), in San Quentin, and Donald was mortal rival with Carlos, and now they are all ministering together. A3: I miss some of the homeboys with the Bulldogs and wish I could get them out. I was supposed to get a 12yr sentence, instead I'm here. A4: My homeboys from the Mongrels. My best friend wanted to kill me when I got out. But God was tugging at him, and he's saved now. Still praying for the others as well. They're coming one by one. A5: They gangs have implemented discipleship principles. They reach out and take in and disciple successors. We need more of that!
Q: Growing up in an insular Brown community, had few black friends, but lots of Brown racism. Living for God now, how do you resolve "old beef"?A1: "I'm from the neighborhood of Jesus Christ." The Cholo respected that and ministered during an entire bus ride. A2: If I don't humble myself, it's inevitable that I'm going to be humiliated. Need to keep the old identity and pride buried and find new identity in Christ. A3: Got jumped at a b-day party. Old beef needs to be trashed. Smells rancid and makes us sick. [My paraphrase.] A4: Prayer avails much. Protect your testimony. Blinky: Unconditional love. There's power in forgiveness. Reconcialition in forgiveness. Release from self-destructive hatred. A6: Be transformed by renewing mind. Bad memories and experiences don;t define you. You're no longer that person. Old is passed. All is new.
Q: How do you compete with drug money?A1: You don't. Sometimes people have to fall first. There must be a willingness to make a change.
Q: Gang awareness inside the juvenile detention. But what happens when I get released from jail?A1: Suburban Gangs: The Affluent Rebels. Good resource on how to disengage gangs. A2: Neighborhood Ministries is experimenting with transitional house models.
Q: One kid who got saved got killed by gang. Now widespread fear. How do we help?A1: Connect with the "main, main" guy and get his protection.
Blinky Rodriguez, Kickboxing World Champion
Blinky packs a punch. student privite loans consolidateconsolidate student legislation loanscollege consolidating loans 2007 inhome loan consolidation debtloan federal consolidation non studentchanges loan consolidation october 1 07tenants loans consolidation formanufactured loan home construction MapTopics: evangelism, UYWI, youth ministry | No Comments »
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