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:: Joe's Story ::
From Tagging to Testifying
 My name is Joe and I grew up in East Los Angeles. Things were pretty hard for my family. Both of my parents worked a lot to provide for us. Since they weren’t around very much, I tried to make friends and feel protected however I could.
I turned to gangs because I had nowhere else to go.
I liked hanging out with the gangsters because they were older than me and treated me like a brother. They made me feel good about myself.
I really started to fit in with one gang because I’m a pretty good artist. Whenever the gang wanted to tag over another gang’s graffiti, I’d go with them. They always told me how good I was at tagging, and that made me feel cool. I thought I might join the gang for good.
The Mission showed me another way.
About the same time I was hanging out with the gang, I started going to the Fred Jordan Mission after school. I mainly went to get the free things they gave away and eat the great food. I didn’t think I’d care about what the people at the Mission said, but I couldn’t help listening to the leaders there.
At the Mission, I first heard that tagging was bad. I also learned about God, and how much He loves me. I realized that gangs didn’t have to be my family. I could have a family with people who were really there for me — like people from the Fred Jordan Mission.
I also learned how bad gangs really are. One time I was tagging with my gangster friends, and we almost got caught. My friends pulled out guns and ran away. This scared me. They weren’t there for me, and they had guns. I started to think that the gang might be bad, just like the people at the Mission said it was.
God protected me from my old life.
Everything came into focus when I went with the Mission to Summer Camp. Camp was really fun, and I learned a lot more about God while also becoming closer friends with other Mission kids and leaders. I got back to L.A. feeling so great, but while I was getting out of the Mission van, I saw a sign that said, “R.I.P. Little Shorty.” Little Shorty was one of my best friends from the tagging gang. He had been shot and killed while I was up at Camp. That really scared me. I knew that I probably would’ve been with him if I hadn’t been at Camp. I could have been shot, too. In a way, being at Camp and with the Mission saved my life.
Now I have a new life, and the people at the Mission are truly my family.
After that happened, I stopped hanging out with the gangsters. I realized how dangerous and wrong it was to ruin people’s property with my art. Now I spray paint hats and t-shirts for my friends.
I am so thankful to the Mission for showing me the dangers of gangs and teaching me that God doesn’t want anything bad to happen to me. The people at the Mission are always there for me – helping me, giving me advice, and just hanging out with me. These days, I volunteer at the Mission and tell younger kids that they shouldn’t tag or hang out with gangs. I know my life has been changed. Now I want to help change others’ lives. |
