In Wednesday’s LA Times Father Greg Boyle writes that its everyone’s business to give former gang members a chance to prove themselves.
“The mark of our society as civilized will come when we embrace confidence in the power of redemption,” he writes.
It’s a wonderful op ed, and one that I wish more employers would take to heart. We’d all be much better off for it.
Here are a few clips from his essay. But please read the whole thing.
Lorenzo had a hard time concealing his nervousness. Standing in front of a large room packed with Boeing employees in late March, the tall, lanky African American gang member described the arc of his life. At 22, he had spent nearly a third of his life incarcerated.
Peering out of his round, black-rimmed glasses, he talked about his seven months at Homeboy Industries (the largest gang reentry program in the country), and about how he had moved quickly from the janitorial team to become an assistant in the accounting department. “I used to steal money,” he said. “Now I’m counting it.”
I had the honor of witnessing Lorenzo’s seven-month journey from convict to accounting assistant, watching as he became the young man God had in mind when he made him. But despite his remarkable turnaround and the many things he had to offer an employer, Lorenzo’s prospects for finding a job outside our program were dim.
Opportunities for second chances are few for people like Lorenzo. Homeboy Industries is about the only game in town. Most employers just aren’t willing to look beyond the dumbest or worst thing someone has done.
Another “homie” recently came to me for help after, for the third time, he was let go from a job because his employer had discovered he’d done five years in prison. He told me the boss said, “You’re one of our best workers, but we have to let you go.” Then, with a desperate sadness, the young man added: “Damn, G. No one told me I’d be getting a life sentence of no work.”
The business of second chances is everybody’s business. We lose our right to be surprised that California has the highest recidivism rate in the country if we refuse to hire folks who have taken responsibility for their crimes and have done their time….
Read the rest.
AND IN OTHER NEWS….SAN DIEGO D.A. FILES A LAWSUIT TO OVERTURN ARNOLD’S SENTENCE REDUCTION FOR ESTEBAN NUNEZ
Both the SD Union Tribune and the LA Times have the story.
No doubt Esteban Nunez needs compassion too. But first it would be helpful if he stopped acting so entitled, and if everyone else stopped enabling that behavior. (I’m talking to you Arnold.)
Moreover, because of him and his friends, another mother and father’s son is dead.
So, yeah, overturn the Nunez’ kid’s sentence reduction. Please.
BIN LADEN’S JOURNAL PROVES LA TERROR THREAT IS REAL
Yeah, but we kinda already knew that.
CITY CONTROLLER WENDY GREUEL FINDS MORE WASTE IN THE CITY BUDGET, THIS TIME WITH STUPID CELL PHONE TRICKS
One more round of thank you’s to our intrepid city controller who keeps ferreting out millions of wasted city dollars nearly everywhere she looks, money that could be used for say…oh, I don’t know…libraries. Or for more cops. Or for jobs for former gang members—instead of being thrown down a rat hole because of sloppy accounting or general stupidity.
Go Wendy!
(NOTE: Light posting today, but tomorrow I’ll have a report on the state of Three Strikes.)