Valley Students Learn From Former Gangsters

“The gang world is a different world, it’s one you don’t want to step into,” says Jesse Sanchez, former gang member, turned pastor.

He’s been there and he doesn’t want others to do or see what he has.

“A lot of my friends died,” says Sanchez. “I was close to death. At 15 years old, I was locked up for attempted murder.”

Sanchez got involved in a gang when he was just 14 years old, the same age as many of the students he talked to on Wednesday.

“Hitting them at 12,13,14 is critical for us,” says Dan Bressler, Desert Hot Springs Police Department, Sergeant.

Local law enforcement and former gang members are working together to keep kids out of trouble.

“Educate yourself, don’t become a statistic,” says Sanchez.

All 1700 students at Desert Springs Middle School, heard a message about the consequences of the gang lifestyle. Although the stories are shocking, some students say they’ve already been there.

“I used to be in a lot of stuff that I’m not proud of,” says 8th grader, Jorge Alvarez.

Fourteen-year-old Alvarez says he used to hang out with the wrong people and did wrong things, but now he’s turning his life around.

“My respects go to those who changed,” says Alvarez. “I could have ended up like that.”

He says, these speakers are an inspiration. Sanchez used to be the head of a gang, now he’s the head of a church.

“My life is wonderful, but I want to show them that if I can change, they can change,” says Sanchez.

That’s what Alvarez is doing, changing. Instead of being a troublemaker, now he wants to put the trouble makers in jail.

“I want to be a lawyer and help people,” says Alvarez.