Los Angeles pastor visits Indy, talks youth and ending violence
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – As the 10 Point Coalition works to ‘break the silence’ in Indianapolis, Rev. Charles Harrison says the way a Los Angeles pastor is healing his community, might work here.
Father Greg Boyle spoke at the Indiana Youth Institute conference Wednesday about Homeboy Industries, and his work with gang members.
At one time, Father Greg Boyle’s parish was in one of the most dangerous areas in the country.
“Once I had 8 funerals in a 3 week period,” said Father Boyle. “So it was intense. Shootings morning noon and night in those days.”
Working in South Central L.A. during what was called the ‘decade of death’ from 1988 – 1998, Father Boyle started talking to gang members.
“The most damaged, traumatized, despondent, mentally ill people are the ones who are shooting, because they’re hoping to die, not hoping to kill,” said Boyle.
What he hoped was to find out, was what they wanted. And he wanted to help them get it. He found they wanted jobs and education, neither came easy.
“There were so many middle school, junior high-age gang members who were wreaking havoc and selling drugs,” said Boyle. “And we said let’s get them in school, no school wanted them.
We couldn’t find enough felony friendly employers, so then we started our own stuff, crews and graffiti removal crews, maintenance crews, landscaping crews and a crew to build a childcare center.”
It’s an idea that intrigued the head of our Ten Point Coalition, Rev. Harrison.
“We need something in place that everybody’s aware of,” said Harrison. “That helps young men and women get out of gang life so we can save them from this violence.”
And whether it’s in L.A. or Indianapolis, Father Boyle says in the last 27 years, he’s learned what works, and what doesn’t.
“Jobs help, anger management helps, tattoo removal helps, education helps, all those things help, but unless there’s some essential healing, this person is going to re-offend again,” said Boyle.
“We need to address a lot of the other systemic things for sure, like poverty and the great disparity between the haves and have-nots and the list is long there too. But at the micro level with this individual gang member who just walked through the door, that’s the task, is to really get to some healing.”
Harrison says his plan is to work with the Mayor-Elect to go to L.A. along with a coalition, and visit Homeboy Industries, and bring back some tenets of the program here to Indianapolis.
For more information on Homeboy Industries, click here.
