Gang Members Find Redemption in Libraries
Not everyone is pleased that libraries are open to all, but this very value has been a saving grace for many who have turned their lives around through the offerings of the “People’s University.”
That was the case for Angel Sanchez who went to prison at age 15 for attempted murder and armed robbery, after years of criminal activity. What could have been the end of the story was instead a beginning. Angel started working to get his education, where? The prison law library! There he took classes and received his GED, took correspondence courses to become a paralegal, and eventually got a job as a clerk at that library. Mr. Sanchez worked hard, was helped by many, and is now on his way to law school. Now, imagine if that prison didn’t have a library…
Earlie Harrell, a member of the Bloods gang, has seen many deaths during his decades as a gang member. But contrary to the typical narrative, Mr. Harrell, has spent that time organizing community members, honing his entrepreneurial spirit, and diverting others from violence and drugs to a productive self-reliant life style through education. Part of the reason he was able to do that was because of what he learned when he and fellow gang members learned at the library. Quoting from Homicide Watch Trenton (a community-oriented news site sponsored by The Trentonian):
Harrell believes his suggestions for teaching life skills to young gang members and providing them with tools to build a solid economic future were not taken seriously. So, he decided to do it himself. According to court documents, Harrell and several other street hustlers started visiting the library every day, and their attempts to gain knowledge needed to leave the gang lifestyle were documented by Ramos.
“The gang members were going to the library every day from like 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.,” Ramos said. “They were trying to learn life skills and things like that. I found that interesting.”
Then the library branch closed and some of the men lost their way, but not Earlie Harrell, who continued his community support activities.
Libraries are a vital for those who want to learn ways to turn their lives around. They have educational resources including books, classes, small business workshops, and more. They’re a safe space for those on the wrong path to better themselves and contribute to the community. But libraries can’t do that if they’re shuttered. That’s why it’s so important to always support libraries, even when they’re doing well.
The final story is actually one with two protagonists, Danny Murillo and Steven Czifra. It’s about personal empowerment through education, which started at the prison library for Mr. Murillo, and from a box of books from Mr. Czifra. The full story is “Building a Prison-to-School Pipeline”, a #longread from The New Yorker. I won’t summarize the whole thinghere, but I will emphasize that it is very much through the library and books that these two men were able to take hold of their lives.
These are the journeys of four people that were influenced positively by libraries. They saw the light, and the library was there for them. How many more lives could well-supported prison and public libraries save?
