Should We Have Compassion For Gang Members?

 Gregory Boyle does an excellent job of capturing the lives of gang members. Many of them are young teenagers and easily influenced. Others are in their twenties and want a way out. Both age groups tend to come from dysfunctional families. Since they don’t have any role models in their lives and don’t have a chance at making honest money they tend to drift towards trouble. When Boyle enters their lives, though, he manages to prod their hearts and turn them in the right direction. This type of commitment Boyle has for gang members shows that we should have compassion for gang members. Luis, a big time drug dealer, is a prime example of how gang members can change for the better. He was well known for dealing drugs and not getting caught but Boyle always tried to get him out of drug dealing by offering him a job. Luis would refuse each time, but when he had a daughter, he decided to change his life and accept the job offer. Eventually he was able to give his family a place of their own to live. He was happy and felt accomplished. This type of achievement shows that gang members can change. Unfortunately, Luis was executed shortly after this had occurred. It is likely that the gang members who killed Luis had problems of their own. They’re humans to, and even though they committed an evil act, they could change if people give them a chance. An instance occurred when Benito, one of the teens Boyle was working with, got shot and later died at a hospital. Boyle found out that he knew the men who had killed his friend. He describes the situation. “But for lack of someone to reveal the truth to them, they had evaded healing, and the task of returning them to themselves got more hardened and difficult. But are they less worthy of compassion than Benito?” (66). Benito, like the men who killed them, had been involved in gang activity. Boyle was able to help him though and lead him to change. The men that killed Benito never had Boyle to help them change the destructive path they were on. Boyle proves a good point. Although the murders were guilty of what they did, they still were no different than Benito. The only difference was that Benito was able to receive help. This shows how we should have compassion on gang members, for we will never know their full potential unless we seek to help and care for them.