A Stylish Way to Battle Youth-Gang Activity

Roy Alvarado, a former gang member turned hairstylist, has called on 40 stylists in Orange and Los Angles counties to help raise money to keep youngsters out of gangs.

Alvarado clipped his first locks Wednesday as Orange Mayor-elect Joanne Coontz helped the cause. Coontz’s shortish brown hair was a bit too formal for Alvarado’s taste and he advised a blunt cut.

“She needs to be perked up a little bit,” he said. “If she’s going to be handling the problems she’s going to handle, she needs an uptown look.”

Coontz’s haircut was a practice run for Sunday’s main event: a cut-a-thon at the Eastside Hair Co., 3443 E. Chapman Ave.

Stylists who typically charge $40 or more for a haircut will donate their talents and contribute the profits to Todos Hermanos, a Costa Mesa youth program, and the Friendly Center of Orange, a community center for youths that was established in 1924.

“We’re working toward a quick fix and a long-term solution,” said Gary Negrete, director of the Friendly Center.

Alvarado, one of the event’s organizers, said he learned to clip hair in a barber shop course at a Whittier reform school where he lived from age 14 to 16. He continued learning the skill in jails and prisons around the state while serving time for a variety of felonies.

After being released, Alvarado operated a salon in Newport Beach for years. He founded Todos Hermanos, an organization that works to steer youths away from gangs, in 1989.

The cut-a-thon runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. There will be 65 stations available.

Participants can donate as much as they want for the cuts, but the lowest donation is $10, Alvarado said.

There also will be food and music for those waiting for cuts.