VALLEY GANGS MEET PEACEFULLY.Byline: Alejandro Guzman valleynews.com Members of the Langdon Street and Pacoima Flats gangs joined Victory Outreach Church and other youth groups Saturday for a series of football matches and a picnic at David M. Gonzales Private First Class David M. Gonzales (June 9, 1923–April 25, 1945) was a United States Army soldier who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor — the United States' highest military decoration — for his heroic actions during World War II. Park in Pacoima. The event -- hosted by Victory's Gang Intervention program -- was held as part of Victory's ongoing effort to build relationships with gangs in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . By bringing the gangs together, there is a chance to bring peace between them, said Victory Pastor David Martinez
David Martinez Guzman is managing partner of Fintech Advisory, a firm that specializes in corporate and country debt. . Martinez feels his congregation has the edge in reaching out to gang members and drug users because of the firsthand first·hand adj. Received from the original source: firsthand information. first experiences Martinez and his counselors bring to the table. Born and raised in Pacoima, Martinez ran the streets in the '60s both as gang member and drug abuser drug abuser n → chi fa uso di droghe . He says it wasn't until he "accepted Christ" that he was able to leave the gang life behind. Now, he feels others can follow in his footsteps. He and his staff use personal street knowledge to get close to gang members, mostly by using old war stories to lure them in. Martinez says more often than not, gangsters and drug users open up to him and his staff after finding that they're not so different from each other. "We don't shun Shun In Chinese mythology, one of the three legendary emperors, along with Yao and Da Yu, of the golden age of antiquity (c. 23rd century BC), singled out by Confucius as models of integrity and virtue. them by putting them down," Martinez said. "We go right back in (to the neighborhoods) and because we can identify with them ... They open up to us." Eighty percent of Victory's congregation comes from the prison, gang and drug life, Martinez said. This is probably because the church seeks to especially reach out to those who are living turbulent lives. He pointed out that the event's main organizer, Howard Loyd, a member of Victory's Gang Intervention team, also turned his life around after a life of gangs and drugs. It was Loyd who had the idea to invite both gangs out to play football and enjoy the picnic. Loyd, now 45, shows the physical markings of a man who has had one rough ride on the streets. He served four years for burglary burglary, at common law, the breaking and entering of a dwelling house of another at night with the intent to commit a felony, whether the intent is carried out or not. in a Kansas City Kansas City, two adjacent cities of the same name, one (1990 pop. 149,767), seat of Wyandotte co., NE Kansas (inc. 1859), the other (1990 pop. 435,146), Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties, NW Mo. (inc. 1850). state prison. He lost use of his left arm as a result of his lifestyle -- a drug deal gone bad ended with him being dragged down the street by a car. He was only 21 years old at the time. Loyd lifted his shirt to unveil a four-inch scar scar, fibrous connective tissue that forms at the site of injury or disease in any tissue of the body. Scar tissue may replace injured skin and underlying muscle, damaged heart muscle, or diseased areas of internal organs such as the liver. on his stomach -- a big reminder of the time he was shot. Now, after being given a chance to change his life around, he spends his days trying to redirect re·di·rect tr.v. re·di·rect·ed, re·di·rect·ing, re·di·rects To change the direction or course of. n. A redirect examination. re young people walking down the dark path he was once all too familiar with. Francisco "Smokey" Godinez, a member of the Pacoima Flats gang, appreciates what Victory Outreach Church and Loyd have to offer. Smokey says Loyd reached out to him when they met during a peace treaty meeting, and since then, the two have been in constant communication. He said Loyd helped him get a job, and despite any trouble Smokey might have, Loyd continues to offer him advice. For Loyd, the football event is not just an opportunity for Victory to establish relationships with both gangs, but a chance for members of both sides to get to know one another, maybe see what the other guys are like outside the gang circles. And while the outcome of the football games may not be important, the effects on the young men's mind-sets are significant. "That's where the relationship comes in ... the game is just the beginning," Loyd said. The Gang Intervention team uses the game as an icebreaker icebreaker, ship of special hull design and wide beam, with relatively flat bottom, designed to force its way through ice. When the icebreaker charges into the ice at full speed, its sharply inclined bow, meeting the edge of the ice, rises upon it, and the weight of . Loyd and the rest of the team plan to continue communicating with the gangs long after the games, either by calling to counsel them over the phone, or just to invite them to attend service. "We get phone numbers and stay in touch with them," Loyd said. "We invite them back to the church." Loyd is confident that the coming together peacefully of both gangs is a step in the right direction. "To me it means that gangs could get along if you put effort and work into it," Loyd said. "It's a miracle It's a Miracle was a television show that aired on PAX-TV (now Independent Television) between September 6, 1998 and September 1, 2004.[1] Initially hosted by Richard Thomas[2], and later by Roma Downey, [3] that this happening, to get two neighborhoods together." CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Howard Loyd, left, of Victory Outreach Church, shares stories of his personal experience with the gang and drug life with a young man. Alejandro Guzman/valleynews.com |
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