John Sanchez
John
Sanchez is a 15 year old boy who had extricated himself from a
neighborhood gang when he was at the “wanna be” level. (A
“wannabe” is someone who is interested in joining a gang and may hang
out with gang members but isn’t considered a full-fledged
member.) When John was about 12 years old, he began noticing
older guys on the street. He was impressed with the things they
had like cars, jewelry, clothes, and girlfriends. For John,
having those types of material things meant you were “somebody.”Then, one day an older gang member, Rick, offered John some money to run an errand for him. John recalls, “Pretty soon I was delivering packages and stuff and hanging out with Rick and his gang friends every day. I made my best friend, Hector, come along, too.”
Before too long, John and his friend, Hector, were dressing like gang members and talking like gang members. Their friendships and how they spent their time all centered around the gang. “I kept on hanging out with the gang, and because I did, my attitude changed. I had this attitude that the world owed me respect, that minority people were being taken advantage of, and because of that I could take what I wanted whenever I felt like it.”
During this time, John witnessed illegal activities and lost his best friend to gang violence. After Hector was shot, John decided against joining the gang and now makes a concerted effort to improve his surroundings and contribute to the community.
John is close to his parents, his 14 year old sister, Clare, and his ten year old brother, Marty. He is very involved in neighborhood activities and volunteers at the local youth center, coaching different teams and organizing activities.
John is featured in The Kids on the Block Program on Gangs, Violence, and Prejudice.
John also appears in the program on vandalism.
