The Homeboy Bakery….. Rising from Hope and Ashes
October 1st, 2007 by 
Celeste Fremon
In the late 90’s, the Homeboy Bakery was something of a miracle. It was part of the Homeboy Industries jobs program started by Father Greg Boyle to give jobs to guys who wanted out of gangs. The bakery was housed in an 80-year-old building on Gless Street in Boyle Heights, nestled between the twinned housing projects of Pico Gardens and Aliso Village. Most of the eleven gang members it employed had formerly been enemies. Now they worked side-by-side baking loaves bread. Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job was the Homeboy motto, and the bakers were emblematic of the principal at work.
Not that there weren’t problems. Due to the age of the building, things were always breaking. And in May of 1999, the bakery’s well-like former homeboy/manager was murdered a block and a half away from the building, temporarily shattering the morale of the bakers. Yet, still somehow in spite of the problems, in spite of the tragedy, the enterprise started to thrive. Guys got along against all odds. And more than 3000 loaves of fragrant, good-tasting bread were turned out every day, with production continuing to rise.
Then around 2 am on a Friday morning in October of 1999, someone noticed flames coming from the bakery. By the time firefighters arrived and managed to put the blaze out, it was too late. The building and all the baking equipment was all but destroyed.
Wild rumors flew among residents in the surrounding community that the fire was some kind of sabotage. It was gangsters from across town, they whispered, or maybe it was some rogue police officer who resented the work with homeboys. Although arson was investigated, the truth turned out to be nothing so sinister or dramatic. The old building had faulty wiring, and that had sparked the fire.
Father Greg called all the bakers at home to warn them of what had occurred. He reached all but one. The straggler arrived by bus, then walked to the bakery from the bus stop, dressed smartly in his bright white uniform. When he saw the wet and smoldering rubble that had once been his place of work and safety, he stopped abruptly and stood stock still, gaping at the charred wood and melted plastic as if at an impossible mirage. Then he began sobbing. “It was my job,” he sobbed. “It was my job.”
“It was like my family,” said another stunned baker who had insisted on coming to see with his own eyes that the bakery was really gone.
The bakery was insured, but not for enough to replace it. The women of the community approached Father Greg and said they would do bake sales to raise money. The homeboys volunteered to do car washes. But it would take 10,000 bake sales and car washes to make a dent in the problem. Various other strategies were explored. Finally Boyle and his non-profit board decided to go for broke. No more rickety old buildings. They would build brand new beautiful bakery on land that they would purchase outright.
That of course, would require money—a lot of money. It took seven years to raise the nearly $12.5 million needed to fund the project. The money came from corporations, foundations and from private donations. Finally, on a cold morning last March, homeboys and homegirls gathered with Fr. Greg, Antonio Villaraigosa, Sheriff Lee Baca and others, and broke ground for the new 21,000 square foot building to be built at Bruno and Alameda streets, two blocks from Union Station. The bakery was to rise again.
This time, the building would also house the offices for Homeboy Industries , which includes a job training and placement service, counseling, and tattoo removal, the Homegirl Cafe (employing at risk girls), and a small retail store featuring Homeboy merchandise.
Tomorrow, Tuesday October 2, at 12 noon the bakery and the rest of Homeboy Industries will hold its grand opening at 130, West Bruno Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. All the usual LA luminaries will be there. But, more importantly, so will the homeboys and homegirls—both present employees and those from the past who want to pay their respects and celebrate a victory hard won.
So, if you want a close-up and personal experience of a truly hopeful moment in the ongoing history of our city, com’on down.
Posted in Gangs, Life in general | 
October 1st, 2007 at 6:11 am
Gives me goosebumbps…. Awesome!!
October 1st, 2007 at 6:24 am
It’s funny how people unconsciously see things differently. As I was reading the article and got near the end, my mind started thinking about the tremendous overhead of a new factory with new equipment and the limited production ability in a relatively small factory to pay for that and to compete with the larger bakeries. But, if the necessary construction money was primarily donated rather than borrowed, that might make the difference.
Now, to the part that you addressed…the bakery rising from the flames. I’m glad that the bakery could continue rather than the fire being the end. The lesson of perseverance should be as much of an encouragement to gang members as the jobs and prduct that it produces and should be a part of the new bakery’s legacy for all who come along. No matter how bad things get, there is always hope as long as one doesn’t give up.
October 1st, 2007 at 7:27 am
The new building looks great. Don’t forget to order a shirt, mug or hat for yourself or a friend.
http://www.homeboy-industries.org/product_info.php?products_id=9
October 1st, 2007 at 8:02 am
Thanks for the link, Pokey. I checked and they don’t have any apparrel with gang signs on them.
October 1st, 2007 at 8:07 am
I apologize for another comment, but this is one of the great items at the shop, for reading or gifts:
LINK: G-Dog and the Homeboys: Father Greg Boyle and the Gangs of East Los Angeles By: Celeste Fremon
October 1st, 2007 at 8:29 am
Woody - I would not dare buy a book written by one of those loony liberals who wants the government telling us what bread to eat.
October 1st, 2007 at 8:35 am
Thanks for that link, Pokey. What a great gift idea.
October 1st, 2007 at 11:28 am
LA Res, with the prices of houses in the L.A. area, we need to help Celeste to be able to afford to live there so that she doesn’t have to rely on the government–except for her teaching job.
What surprised me from the HB link is that they have several businesses, thus the name Homeboy “Industries,” which is on the building, rather than just bakery.
Hey, Celeste, maybe you should go to the grand opening since they have your book. Don’t take that seriously, but why don’t you autograph them to make them even more special, but don’t use the same pen that you use to write comments on the pictures.
October 1st, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Very funny, Woody. And thanks to both Woody and Pokey for the links. Yep, of course I’m going. And I’ll be talking about the opening today on Which Way LA on KCRW, sometime between 7 and 7:30 PM, 89.9 FM.
October 1st, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Ooops. The Which Way LA show just got switched to tomorrow. 7-7:30 pm.
October 1st, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Celeste, doesn’t Which Way air daily noon-1, then a replay from 7-8? Just so your readers can try to actually catch you?
October 1st, 2007 at 2:47 pm
that’s “To the Point.” Same host, different focus.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Guess what! You can listen to KCRW live, streaming over the internet–thanks to the taxpayers, who are being ripped off by National “Progressive” Radio. Anyway, the pain of supporting liberal public radio can be slightly offset by being able to listen to Celeste tomorrow at, what, 10:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time!
http://www.kcrw.com/
From Wikipedia:
(Great, I’m listening to the staion now and they’re talking about all the homosexuals and bi-sexuals characters who are going to be introduced into television series this fall. No others. If they want something novel, how about a straight white male who works hard to support a family, pays his taxes, and isn’t portrayed as a clueless moron?)
Celeste, don’t let him start talking about Iraq.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Maggie, I get the schedules of the 2 shows mixed myself. But I think Mavis has it right. I’ll put a link up tonight.
October 2nd, 2007 at 12:46 pm
What’s the best way to get to the Bakery via public transit?
October 3rd, 2007 at 8:42 am
The new Homeboy Industries building, across the street from the Metro Gold Line Chinatown station, looks good, but there’s just one thing missing; a flagpole out front flying the American flag would make the project complete.
October 4th, 2007 at 12:47 am
I was at the Grand Opening Ceremony. It was awesome to see so many people from so many backgrounds: Mayor, Chief of Police, Sheriff, City Councilman, City Attorney, The Cardinal along with people from many financial, political and religious backgrounds. This exemplies Greg Boyle’s vision of kinship where no one is outside of the circle of compassion because we all belong to each other, and should embrace each other.
October 4th, 2007 at 11:29 am
How this for reforming the life of a gangster? I just received an email from Fr Greg Boyle informing me that I mistakenly left my digital camera at the new building while attending the ceremony. The Homies turned the camera in to the Supervising Job Developer, and will hold it for me until I pick it up tomorrow.
Honesty is taking hold for these former gang members!