A Transition From Gangs To Glory - Inside/Out talks with Pastor Ricky Bueno
By Kim Woods
Question: What contributed to you joining a gang?
I think for me and a lot of youth, we were looking for an identity. You try to fit in with the crowd. I was trying to find out who I was. When we moved to Round Lake, it was mostly white people. When I got into high school, that's where it was most noticeable. I was trying to find a place. I would go back and forth to the old neighborhood where my grandmother still lived. There I met members of a gang and started hanging out. I looked up to the gang members in how they carried themselves. I started to identify myself with them. Once I found that Identity, I wanted to live and die for it.
Question: It seems at a young age you figured out that you wanted to be the best at whatever choice you made, you wanted to put your all into everything that you were doing? Did you have a father figure or parents as role models growing up?
My biological father left when I was around 4 or 5 years old. I had a mother and stepfather who raised me. My stepfather grew up in Mexico. He had a tough upbringing and he was extremely strict. I started to resent him and didn't want to be around him. I found freedom hanging out with my friends. My mom was always caught in the middle. Today my relationship with my stepfather is much better. I think that has a lot to do with me having my own family now.
Question: When you decided to join the gang...did you seek them out or did they make you to join?
Honestly, I would watch the movies like “Scarface” and see how they would glorify that type of lifestyle. The media had a lot to do with glamorizing gangs. I also had family members who were gang members. All of this had an influence on me joining. Ultimately, it was me liking the way the gang members carried themselves. I felt they had love for one another, showed respect and took care of each other. I felt like I was being accepted and that’s really what I was longing for.
Question: How did you transition out of the gang?
I was in prison the fourth time and serving a 15 year prison sentence. I had two daughters from two different women and hurt a lot of people physically and emotionally. I put my mom through a lot. I was put in solitary and it gave me the opportunity to be alone and away from everybody. I started to ask myself if this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Do I want to be in these kind of places? I started to read the Bible that a minister had given to me. The thing that captured me about Jesus was the people he hung around with and identified with. If he could love the outcast maybe he had love for me. I accepted Jesus but I still struggled because I was holding on to the mentality of the streets.
Question: Oh man! You were still in prison and connected to your gang. How did the gang members receive your new found faith?
At first, I didn’t say anything to anyone. The only people I told was my family. I kind of kept it to myself for a few months. My faith grew and eventually I was able to talk to the gang leader. I told him that I didn’t want to participate anymore. To my surprise, he was very respectful. He told me that he didn’t have a problem with me bettering myself. Now this is not everyone’s story or typical. Just because you give your life to Christ does not mean that you can just walk away (from gangs). When I got out of prison the gang from the neighborhood did not receive my decision the same way. They began to threaten me and vandalize my home and car. I was married to the mother of my second child and I didn’t want anything to happen to my family. We had to move away from the area. We eventually ended up in Round Lake. I got involved in a gang outreach ministry. I shared my story and eventually started my own not-for-profit gang outreach ministry - Frontline.
Question: To sum it up, what special words would you like to say to the youth?
I try to highlight to make better choices in life and be informed about some of your decisions. A lot of time when you hear about gangs they are always glamorized. You rarely hear the stories about what happens after you join. Don’t go in blindly thinking that you will live this glamourous life, make lots of money, and be on top of the world. The reality is that there’s death, crime, addiction, disease, and incarceration. The youth need to consider those things. We rarely see men and women coming out of the gang life, so when I speak at events I bring past gang members to share their stories. It’s a good way to see how ex-gang members are living a productive life and able to give back, by helping their community.
Question: Let’s say I want to get out of a gang. What’s the first thing I should do?
That’s a difficult question because it’s a risk. I tell them when you joined a gang you knew you were going to be in it for life. You don’t think about that, but it’s a reality. You risk death if you stay in the gang and you risk death coming out. For me I decided if I was going to risk my life it would be for something positive that could add value. If you are someone who really wants to get out make sure you have a support group. My organization Frontline can help. We have several mentoring programs for men and women who are trying to break free (from gangs). We offer childcare at the meetings and can assist with free gang tattoo removal and gang color (clothes) trade-in. We also have a monthly basketball outreach as a way to connect to the youth. We speak at different events and offer support to anyone who wants to leave a gang. It is my desire to connect with community leaders or individuals all over Lake County. Lack of transportation makes it hard to come to the Round Lake area. For that reason, we can train anyone who would like to start a Frontline in their area.
By Kim Woods
Question: What contributed to you joining a gang?
I think for me and a lot of youth, we were looking for an identity. You try to fit in with the crowd. I was trying to find out who I was. When we moved to Round Lake, it was mostly white people. When I got into high school, that's where it was most noticeable. I was trying to find a place. I would go back and forth to the old neighborhood where my grandmother still lived. There I met members of a gang and started hanging out. I looked up to the gang members in how they carried themselves. I started to identify myself with them. Once I found that Identity, I wanted to live and die for it.
Question: It seems at a young age you figured out that you wanted to be the best at whatever choice you made, you wanted to put your all into everything that you were doing? Did you have a father figure or parents as role models growing up?
My biological father left when I was around 4 or 5 years old. I had a mother and stepfather who raised me. My stepfather grew up in Mexico. He had a tough upbringing and he was extremely strict. I started to resent him and didn't want to be around him. I found freedom hanging out with my friends. My mom was always caught in the middle. Today my relationship with my stepfather is much better. I think that has a lot to do with me having my own family now.
Question: When you decided to join the gang...did you seek them out or did they make you to join?
Honestly, I would watch the movies like “Scarface” and see how they would glorify that type of lifestyle. The media had a lot to do with glamorizing gangs. I also had family members who were gang members. All of this had an influence on me joining. Ultimately, it was me liking the way the gang members carried themselves. I felt they had love for one another, showed respect and took care of each other. I felt like I was being accepted and that’s really what I was longing for.
Question: How did you transition out of the gang?
I was in prison the fourth time and serving a 15 year prison sentence. I had two daughters from two different women and hurt a lot of people physically and emotionally. I put my mom through a lot. I was put in solitary and it gave me the opportunity to be alone and away from everybody. I started to ask myself if this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Do I want to be in these kind of places? I started to read the Bible that a minister had given to me. The thing that captured me about Jesus was the people he hung around with and identified with. If he could love the outcast maybe he had love for me. I accepted Jesus but I still struggled because I was holding on to the mentality of the streets.
Question: Oh man! You were still in prison and connected to your gang. How did the gang members receive your new found faith?
At first, I didn’t say anything to anyone. The only people I told was my family. I kind of kept it to myself for a few months. My faith grew and eventually I was able to talk to the gang leader. I told him that I didn’t want to participate anymore. To my surprise, he was very respectful. He told me that he didn’t have a problem with me bettering myself. Now this is not everyone’s story or typical. Just because you give your life to Christ does not mean that you can just walk away (from gangs). When I got out of prison the gang from the neighborhood did not receive my decision the same way. They began to threaten me and vandalize my home and car. I was married to the mother of my second child and I didn’t want anything to happen to my family. We had to move away from the area. We eventually ended up in Round Lake. I got involved in a gang outreach ministry. I shared my story and eventually started my own not-for-profit gang outreach ministry - Frontline.
Question: To sum it up, what special words would you like to say to the youth?
I try to highlight to make better choices in life and be informed about some of your decisions. A lot of time when you hear about gangs they are always glamorized. You rarely hear the stories about what happens after you join. Don’t go in blindly thinking that you will live this glamourous life, make lots of money, and be on top of the world. The reality is that there’s death, crime, addiction, disease, and incarceration. The youth need to consider those things. We rarely see men and women coming out of the gang life, so when I speak at events I bring past gang members to share their stories. It’s a good way to see how ex-gang members are living a productive life and able to give back, by helping their community.
Question: Let’s say I want to get out of a gang. What’s the first thing I should do?
That’s a difficult question because it’s a risk. I tell them when you joined a gang you knew you were going to be in it for life. You don’t think about that, but it’s a reality. You risk death if you stay in the gang and you risk death coming out. For me I decided if I was going to risk my life it would be for something positive that could add value. If you are someone who really wants to get out make sure you have a support group. My organization Frontline can help. We have several mentoring programs for men and women who are trying to break free (from gangs). We offer childcare at the meetings and can assist with free gang tattoo removal and gang color (clothes) trade-in. We also have a monthly basketball outreach as a way to connect to the youth. We speak at different events and offer support to anyone who wants to leave a gang. It is my desire to connect with community leaders or individuals all over Lake County. Lack of transportation makes it hard to come to the Round Lake area. For that reason, we can train anyone who would like to start a Frontline in their area.