Pastor helps decrease youth gang involvement

Shown are some of the activities those in the Firme Street Ministry conduct on a daily basis in hopes of reaching troubled youth. (Staff photos by Michael Rodriguez)

By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com

It was over three years ago when the San Benito News published an article exposing gang life in the city. The story was accompanied by photos of teens as young as 15 brawling in an unrelenting display of raw brutality – this while on-lookers shouted instructions on how to more viciously beat each other.

There was indeed a gang problem in San Benito at the time, one which struck a chord within the community and garnered the attention of local officials, not to mention becoming the subject of discussion and debate at community forums. It also became an issue of concern for the San Benito Police Department (SBPD) as officers routinely combated gang-related assaults, drug activity, the defacing of public property (graffiti), burglaries and robberies.

But that was then.

Today, SBPD Detective Manuel Cisneros reports a complete about-face. “Right now there’s very little talk about gangs. We haven’t had a gang-related entry in a couple of years; in fact, it’s been at least two or three years since we have received gang intel. So as of right now, it just can kind of faded away,” Cisneros said.

So what has diminished the gangster lifestyle among San Benito’s youth? The Word of God, if you ask Pastor Gilbert Torres of the Firme Street Ministry.

“Something’s going on out there that’s keeping these kids from getting into gangs,” Cisneros acknowledged when asked about Torres’ work.

Torres, 34, became a born-again Christian in 2005 after living the life of a thug. It all started for him at the age of 13, when he found the gangster lifestyle intoxicating and sought it out. After all, Torres said he felt like he didn’t have much of a choice.

“I grew up in La Palma, and back then it was in my environment. I was living in a gang-infested neighborhood, and you had no choice but to join… no choice but to adapt to it. I was 13 and that’s when we started Los Vatos Locos,” Torres recalled.

The level of his involvement increased and Torres found himself falling further down a dangerous path. While in ninth grade, for example, Torres was expelled from high school due to a gang fight. “Most of my teenage years were spent in juvenile facilities and in drug rehabs,” he added.

It was not until six years ago that Torres’ life changed; this after being invited to church by an ex-gang member. “I only went there just to kind of see if he was for real, because if he wasn’t for real I was going to throw it in his face. But on that day the Holy Spirit just broke me down,” Torres said. “The problem was that I would never listen to people preach to me. Whenever I heard people preach it was always about going to hell and being condemned. That day I heard a message about love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and that’s what I needed to hear.”

He has since dedicated his life to reaching youths who, like him, have embraced gang life. Every week, Torres cruises the streets of San Benito and Harlingen in his beloved Crown Victoria proudly displaying “Firme Ministry” across its windshield, in search of troubled youth he can minister to and convert.

“I just kind of see who I meet out there. I stop by, invite them to a boxing program or to church hoping they give themselves a second chance,” Torres said.

The boxing program Torres was referring to, the Resurrection Boxing Team is based out of Rio Hondo with another location in San Benito. According to Torres, the program helps teenagers exercise their angers while focusing their activities on a more productive manner. “It beats being out on the streets,” Torres said.

On Tuesday, the News was invited to the San Benito gym were this boxing program was underway. Upon entering, immediately greeting the guests were kids ranging from 12 to 19 years old excited to display what they had learned. It was also an environment in which friends gathered to converse and watch the aspiring boxers train. There were no colors considered rival.

Emmanuel “Meme” Rodriguez, 39, acted as the boxing coach who for 10 years has trained kids. “I do it because it helps kids get off the streets, and some of them are really good fighters,” Rodriguez said.

Such an effort is merely one avenue Torres has incorporated in his mission to, as he calls it, save troubled teens. Yet while the numbers have proven that the work of men such as Torres has made a difference in the lives of San Benito youth, there always remains a struggle to be fought. And currently, Torres is fighting drug addiction amongst kids as young as nine.

“I see a lot of pill-popping. I know this one little boy who’s about nine or 10 and he takes pills,” Torres said. “You can overdose and end up breaking into homes without even knowing you’ve broken in. I took four or five (pills) one night, and in the morning I woke up with a whole bunch of TVs in my living room, and I didn’t remember any of it”

It’s a problem that although is not heavily reported, Torres said he can confirm through his ministering to these kids with drug problems that there are at least 75 to 100 such cases in the area. “That’s just like a monthly basis that I go out there and talk with these kids,” he said.

As an alternative, Torres said he offers God’s forgiveness, not to mention something to hit. “Come to the boxing program. Punching those bags is a good stress reliever,” Torres said.

For more information on the Resurrection Boxing Team or the Firme Street Ministry, call Torres at (956) 970-5474.

To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the July 20 edition of the San Benito News. Or view our E-Edition by clicking here.