COSTA MESA : Haircut Proceeds Will Fight Gangs

Those looking for a cheap haircut can head to the Baker Street West Salon on Sunday, where 32 stylists will be lowering ears at $10 a shot from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

And if you get hungry while you’re waiting for the buzz, tamales will be sold by Madres Costa Mesa (Costa Mesa Mothers), a gang-prevention group.

The proceeds from the so-called “haircutting marathon” will go to local gang-prevention programs in the city. The event’s sponsor is Todos Hermanos (All Brothers), a Costa Mesa group working to deter gang activity and put a dent in gang membership, said Roy Alvarado, a gang counselor for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

“They’re the top of the cream, the cream of the crop,” Alvarado, a former barber, said of the stylists, who will come from all over the area to give the trims at 763 W. Baker St.

Alvarado, a former gang member, said the money raised will go to Madres Costa Mesa and Padres Costa Mesa (Costa Mesa Fathers), another gang-prevention organization.

“Everybody has a vested interest in the gang problem and we need more money to continue some of the current programs we have in the city,” Alvarado said.

One program is providing walkie-talkies for Madres Costa Mesa, used for making sure older gang members don’t try to recruit the younger, more vulnerable children, Alvarado said. He said the mothers wait at different bus stops for their children to get off the school bus, and if any gang activity occurs they contact police after notifying each other through the walkie-talkies.