Father Boyle
Father Boyle is a Catholic priest who began Homeboy Industry in 1992, Los Angeles. Father has been running this industry for 20 to 30 years. Until this day, he is still alive giving out speeches 200 times a year. He wanted to treat gang members as human beings. Father Boyle says “Homeboy Industries is not for those who need help, only for those who want it.” He has made programs that are very useful and helpful such as having a tattoo removal program, legal services, case management, education and many more.
One thing to know about Father Boyle is that he cares and loves these members whom he works with, not only are they just gang members, criminals, or immigrants but he treats them as family and has a good, chill bond with them. Father Boyle wanted to help this man name Ramiro, who was fresh out of prison due to being a gang member. He was one of the first man that left an angriest trace movement in his life that Father Boyle has ever met. Ramiro was having trouble finding a job, yet had FUCK THE WORLD tattoo on his forehead which was keeping him from not having a job. The Father Boyle had started the tattoo removal program. His team and Father Boyle had then added many laser machines and doctors who perform more than four thousand treatments a year.
Father Boyle is the first person that I have ever heard about that has found an industry that made a difference in his work. He helps and provides gang members and criminals who can’t get into regular jobs such as others, and also those who weren’t able to fully succeed on having an education. He believes and trusts these members like blood.
I’m astonished on how Father Boyle is really a down to earth type of man, and highly believes that lessons can be learned and everyone deserves a second chance especially in the Homeboy Industry. I love the fact that this industry is very welcoming to gang members who might assume they can’t do nothing and has given up because of what they have done and been through in the past. He makes his team believe and hope in themselves that they can do anything just like the others can, we are all the same human beings that make very different types of mistakes.
Links:
https://www.homeboyindustries.org/fatherg/ (His website)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Boyle (More information)
BIGBMORLS • Nov 6, 2019 at 8:53 am
Father Boyle is the founder of “Homeboy Industries”. He was born in Los Angeles, California. “Homeboy Industries” is an organization that began in 1988. It was created as a way to help and improve the lives of former gang members and previously incarcerated men and women to allow them to do good in their life and also become contributing members of our community. His work is a stunning idea due to the success that it has had helping many men and women get their lives on the right path and also it helps them change the things that they regret doing, they get to train for jobs and improve their skills then in the future they get to find better jobs and do something better with their life.
Homeboys Industries has a great variety of businesses per example, bakery, grocery, catering, farmers markets, electronics recycling and many other jobs. All these businesses have helped and still continue to help many men and women that had been to jail/prison, men or women that have been affiliated with gangs and crime. Most of these people have been on the wrong path because they never were able to find a job and poverty and crime is what has been in their surroundings their whole life and now that Homeboys industries gives them the opportunity to have a job, some of them take that opportunity and that gives them hope for a better future and life.
Different kinds of service are also included in Homeboys Industries, some of these services are, tattoo removal, domestic violence, substance abuse, educational services, workforce development, etc. These services are good for all of us and them, for example, in the Workforce Development we can have people learning skills and learning to do things that they couldn’t do before and that is more jobs which means our economy rises. Another example can be Educational Services, because that gives education to more people in our community and it gives us the opportunity to make better decisions for our lives and also our surroundings. There is also a really important service which is tattoo removal, this service is important because some of these people have gotten tattoos when they were younger and they regret doing them now because they offensive or “dumb” and now that they are starting to change their life they want to get them removed and also because they need to find jobs and they will not be able to if the have face tattoos. These services have helped all of them that want the help make better for their life.
Father Boyle have met many of these people and have tried his best to help them, thankfully many of them have been successful and have helped those who need the help change their lives around and become better for themselves and their surroundings. On the other hand the lives that have impacted the most are the ones where a gang member or multiple did they best to change and turn their life around for the better but sadly they end up being killed either accidentally or purposely. One example could be Chico who got caught up in a drive by shooting near his house and after one week of being paralysed he died. One day he called Father Boyle and asked him for a job and he got it but with a few conditions and he was really glad because it was what he always wanted and when he was starting to do it everybody was happy for including Father Boyle.
Father Boyle has taught me that people who have been around violence and crime should not be treated badly but should be treated with respect so they can change the way of living that they been having. For example, giving someone a job is way better than incarcerate them for a mistake they committed, because when they are incarcerated they feel lonely and on the other hand if you treat them with respect and give them jobs they get the feeling of a family which is something they never had and that makes a person be happy and if someone is happy and has a job there is no need to do any kind of crime or be involved in the wrong path and when you don’t have anyone to help you do good or follow the right path you get involved with the wrong people and most of the time this happens in the streets where is where all the violence and crimes are coming from. Father Boyle has given me a new perspective on my community and on myself I now know how to give respect and receive respect to do better and life and help those around me.
underground66 • Oct 25, 2019 at 9:26 am
I think what Father Boyle is doing in amazing and heroic. I can relate to this story I have grown up in a house where I never felt wanted so I acted out. Did some stupid things to get attention and to feel loved. I got myself into some bad situations. I look back on my past in horror I put myself in harms way too many times. But I had my own version of Father Boyle. Someone who pulled me out of my own head and showed me a better way a way to make my life count and not waste it on things that will detrimental to my well being.
oceanmtnsky • Nov 4, 2019 at 12:39 pm
Thank you for your honesty. This is a powerful statement.