This is a favorite saying of Father Gregory J. Boyle, S.J., the founder of Homeboy Bakery; link provided if you would like to donate or get involved. For almost 20 years, Homeboy Bakery has trained gang members to become bakers using job training as a way to escape gang life.
Today, Homeboy Industries helps over 1,000 people a month and has expanded both its range of job opportunities and its support services such as tattoo removal and life skills training. Former gang members -- tattooed, with prison records and little employment skill -- find it extremely difficult to break free and start over. Without a job, this transition is impossible. A job truly is the best way to stop a gun.
Unemployment -- and the lack of economic and social mobility -- are key factors in crime and civil violence. Perhaps Father Boyle's lession can be applied beyond the streets of East L.A. Maybe job creation should guide our Dept. of Defense policy too.
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