Ex-Gang Members Get New Wings for a Taste of Freedom

When he appealed to the San Diego City Council for $10,974 to keep the New Wings of Freedom summer jobs program alive, Ray Smith didn’t bring any of the 27 teen-agers who have quit Southeast San Diego gangs to join his group.

“These are not what you would call desirable children. If we brought them to the council chambers, they wouldn’t feel comfortable, and neither would you,” said Smith, president of New Wings of Freedom, a group of reformed criminals which describes itself as a “social outreach ministry” and a “gang deterrent.”

“If you try to mainstream them, they aren’t going to fit. But they want to work aggressively. And they always show up if somebody gives them the chance.”

In a summer marred by increased tension and violence involving San Diego’s many youth gangs, New Wings of Freedom, which has operated here for four summers, can boast 27 success stories. These youths, described by Smith as having been “some of the toughest gang members you’ll find in this city,” have traded the street life for a steady summer job--and strong doses of discipline and sacrifice meted out by New Wings of Freedom.

For these youths, it isn’t enough just to show up every day for work, which usually involves graffiti removal, weed-clearing or projects like the painting of the Skyline Recreation Center. Their pay is $3.35 per hour, and New Wings of Freedom requires proof that half of every paycheck has been banked in the employee’s savings account.

“These kids want something in life besides their gangs,” Smith said. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t be involved in a rigid program like ours.”

In addition, each member is assigned a nightly curfew, imposed by the group and enforced by his parents. The use of alcohol or drugs, or participation in any criminal activity, is forbidden, as is the wearing of gang colors. Those who break the stringent rules lose their jobs. So far, that hasn’t happened, Smith said.

“We never claimed this was an easy program--these kids are not getting cushy work conditions,” Smith said. “We know we ask them to give up more than any other kid would have to for a job that pays $3.35 an hour. But it isn’t easy breaking out of the gangs and the destructive behavior that goes along with them, so we figure we’d better push them as hard as we can in the right direction when we have the chance. The job is just a way of showing them that there is an alternative out there for them.”

The money from the city will pay for adults supervising the job crews. Before the City Council approved the emergency funding for New Wings of Freedom, taking the virtually unprecedented action of unanimously voting to take money out of the city’s precious unallocated reserve to pay for a social service program, about a dozen Southeast San Diego residents had taken days off from their regular jobs to oversee the work crews.

One of those volunteers, Hartwell Ragsdale, said, “It’s important that we all get interested in helping kids in the gangs. There have been killings lately--these gangs have guns. And we’re going to see other killings unless citizens start looking into ways of getting the kids out of gangs and the trouble they cause.”

City Council members and law enforcement officials were unanimous in their praise of New Wings of Freedom. “There’s a big need not being met when it comes to dealing with gang activity, but this group is a big step in the right direction,” said Councilman William Jones, who shepherded the group’s budget request through the City Council. “They’re working positively with the gang members--they’re firm, yet understanding. It’s a pro-active policy we could look at on a more regional basis.”

Mayor Roger Hedgecock stressed that it was extremely unusual for the council to finance a social program after the city’s budget has been set.

“This is truly an extraordinary circumstance,” Hedgecock said. “It does not open the door for other budget requests. But this is a chance to significantly deter gang activity at a time when that is critically needed. This group deserves our assistance.”

Roger Young, executive director of the San Diego Crime Commission, also lauded New Wings of Freedom’s work. “This might be the most important issue in the Southeast part of the city,” Young said.

“We must focus more attention on the young men and women who are susceptible to joining the gangs. They need our support at this time; otherwise they’re going to be on the street, causing crime problems. With New Wings of Freedom I see good, hands-on things happening for the kids.”