Spring Break
Program offers 'clean slate'
San Jose residents take advantage of free removal of gang-related tattoos
Ling-Mei Wong
Daily Staff Writer
- Page 1 of 1
| |
|
The San Jose resident was part of the Sureños, a gang whose name meant "Southerners" of Mexico.
Not any more.
"I work, stay out of trouble," Guizar said.
Guizar stepped into the "Tattoo Removal" room at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center last Tuesday to remove his gang-related tattoos after graduating from the Clean Slate program in January.
The Clean Slate program was formed in 1994 by former Mayor Susan Hammer. An agreement between the city of San Jose and Valley Medical Center was signed so treatments would be free. One treatment can cost $200 to $300 and needs to be performed fi ve to six times to completely remove the tattoo, said Juan Avila, Clean Slate supervisor.
A laser penetrates the skin cells harmlessly while breaking up the pigments of the tattoo ink, said Jack Ackerman, a doctor of internal medicine who performs the treatments.
It can cause swelling and feels like "hot bacon grease" against the skin, Avila said. Local anesthetic, like a shot of Lidocaine, is available, Ackerman said. The clients leave the clinic with a kind word such as, "You're doing great" from Sherry Shand, one of the nurses with the program. Shand applies a soothing gel over the treated area and then covers it with bandages.
"Every time I leave, people ask if I got beat up," Guizar said.
Former gang members with gangrelated tattoos are admitted into the program, Avila said. They must be San Jose residents between 14 to 25 years old, live a gang-free lifestyle, perform 40 hours of community service and have visible tattoos on the face, neck or hands.
Gang tattoos can be deadly, said Charlie Hall, a youth outreach worker for Clean Slate. A former client went through the program, had his tattoos removed and was shot by a rival gang member who recognized him.
Gang-related tattoos that are not on visible places on the body can be removed as well, Avila said. If names of former partners are tattooed on the individuals and they are no longer with that partner, those tattoos can also be removed.
Tattoos are removed after the clients go through a six-month session of meetings every other Wednesday.
The current cycle of 29 clients will graduate on Dec. 15. The meetings include seminars on domestic violence and pairing up former members of rival gangs. For example, a Sureño and a Norteño, the "Southerners" and "Northeners," would be paired to show that they did not need to fear their former rivals, Guizar said.
William Diaz, a resident of San Jose, was a member of the Norteños. He said he got his first tattoo, a pair of praying hands, on his chest when he was 12.
"I was one of the first kids on my block to get that," he said.
Diaz was incarcerated several times for charges including domestic violence, fighting and gang activity. After having his arms broken the last time he was in jail, Diaz decided to "turn his life around," he said. He has been clean and sober for two years. Diaz is now about 250 pounds, but used to be 120 pounds because of his substance abuse.
"I was using PCP, alcohol, cigarettes," Diaz said. "I didn't know what would happen - what we were going to steal, what cars we were going to jack, who we were going to stab today. My life was full of surprises."
Diaz said he likes his new life working as a security guard and enjoys encouraging people by talking about his experiences,
"I went down there and spoke to them about how to change your life," he said of his talks to youth in the Juvenile Impact Program in Hollister. He has received more than 50 letters in response.
Some members of the Clean Slate program are relatively young.
Justina Gonzales, a resident of Sunnyvale, is 16 and said the program is "working." She had previously been in juvenile hall for gang-related activity and fighting.
"It's really different," she said. "Everyone's really positive ... they all want to get their tattoos removed."
Gonzales now attends high school with tattoos on the back of her neck and on her back. She said she wears her hair down and covers her back so her tattoos won't show.
"It's just ugly," she said. "People judge you."
Gonzales said she grew up around gangs and it was natural for her to join one. After serving time in institutions, she realized she wanted to get out of the gang lifestyle.
"It wasn't going to get me nowhere," she said.
After completing the program, Gonzales sees her life as gang-free.
"I want to find a job ... getting more respect and not being judged," she said.
Others consider the program effective as well.
"They're essentially marked for life and this is their way out," said Lisa Marquis, program director for the Volunteers and Parole program in Santa Clara.
The program is not difficult compared to prison, said Gilbert Atondo, a Sunnyvale resident.
"It's pretty easy ... beneficial," he said. "The things they ask are not hard."
Atondo is 25 years old and was a former Norteño. He said he no longer wants to be in the gang lifestyle.
Some of the gang members said they had rough childhoods that pushed them into gangs.
"I was traumatized when I was four years old," said Joanna Musquez, a resident of San Jose.
"I'm a product of the East Side."
Musquez said she was 11 years old and was involved in sports until budget cuts ended the athletics program at her school. She then started in the Norteños, getting a total of 16 tattoos.
"It's contagious," she said, referring to continually getting more tattoos.
Musquez said she wears long sleeves to cover the tattoos on her arms. However, the dots on her hands, a trademark of the Norteños, are more diffi cult to conceal.
She said it was easy to stay in the Clean Slate program because she was pregnant when she started. Her baby is now 7 weeks old.
Other women said they joined the program for their children.
Adriana Espino, a resident of San Jose, said her 4-yearold daughter was the reason she joined the program.
"I don't want her to have tattoos," she said. "She has a better chance of getting job."
Espino was not personally involved in a gang but was with a man who used to be a gang member. She said he abused her and told her she would be getting tattoos.
"He had a lot of control over me," she said.
Her family helped her get out of the relationship and got her in touch with the Clean Slate program, Espino said. She now works and is applying to schools.
"I'm the boss," she said.
Other people in the program were involved with gangs because of their families.
Lety Dominguez, a Santa Clara resident, grew up in Alviso, where her parents and grandparents were Norteños.
"It's in your blood, like race," she said.
Being a Norteña was something Dominguez "really believed in" before, she said.
On her left ring finger is the "XIV" that represents 14, the letter "N" being the 14th letter of the alphabet for the Norteños.
Dominguez now works as a receptionist for the Center for Employment Training, where she found out about the Clean Slate program.
While Dominguez never participated in gang activities, she felt a part of the Norteños.
"It was a major identity for me and now it's a major barrier," she said.
She said she now works with children and youth, and when they see her tattoos, they judge her.
"If a Sureño kid sees my tattoo, they think, 'She's a red-ragger,' " Dominguez said. "It's embarrassing."
The color for the Norteños is red, while the color for the Sureños is blue, she said.
Dominguez is 23 years old and has a family now, she said.
"I stopped at a young age," Dominguez said. "There was a lot of negativity."
She had a good mentor in high school who helped her, she said.
"If she didn't help me, I don't know where I'd be," Dominguez said.
She left Alviso and now works in San Jose, Dominguez said. However, she is still marked by her past.
"The tattoo symbolized what I claimed," Dominguez said. "I'm erasing part of my past."
Most of the Clean Slate clients are happy to leave their past behind by removing their tattoos.
"You're not born a gang member,"
Diaz said. "Anyone can change themselves."
Be the first to comment on this story