Francisco's Story

I was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Community was a very important value in that life there. When I was seven, my mother, sister, aunts and uncles came to live in New York City. I learned English fairly easy and was student of the month every month. When I was 11 we moved to Lynn, MA for an easier life. Lynn was anything but that.

I met new friends and started doing things we shouldn’t be doing, like stealing and breaking things. It escalated all the way to toting guns and knives, and attacking other kids. I remember getting shot at and thinking that this was how I was going to die. At 16 I joined a gang for protection and felt the same sense of community and protection as I did in D.R. I thought that if me and my friends put enough fear in our enemies they would leave us alone, but in reality that way of life never provides anything except more violence. Eventually, I got locked up.

As I sat in jail I thought of all I done, all the pain caused by me to my family and others. I realized that I needed help from someone and the only positive people that I knew was Straight Ahead.

Straight Ahead brought in a 3-day program to our facility called Ready4Life May 2009. That experience transformed me to a person of understanding and humility. I couldn’t believe the love and relationship we 32 rival gang members established in that short time. I felt relieved from the heavy burden of a tough persona and I saw that gentleness was not a weakness but a strength.

As a result of that program I got out three months later. That day someone from Straight Ahead picked me up at the gate, and I’ve been showing up there ever since. I’m now starting my fourth semester in college and have been working with staff at Straight Ahead for more than a year.

We now have five other guys on staff from the same background, and it is making a big difference in Lynn. Gang violence is down 60% here.