MAN TURNS AWAY FROM GANG LIFE AND FINDS HAPPINESS

There is a rising concern in the community about gangs and wannabe
gangs.

Recent activities have caught the attention of police, social service
agencies, schools, and some local residents.

There have been a number of incidents when kids have been approached
and threatened and at least one home invasion with a severe beating.

A gang is a group of three or more people who come together for a
common purpose of committing crimes, explained RCMP Cpl. Rick Poulson
at a meeting in Deroche Tuesday night. Organized criminal groups
commit crimes for a profit for themselves.

Poulson listed some of the myths and lies gangs tell to lure people
in, such as gangs offer protection.

"The truth is gang members are increasing their risk of physical
danger by being in a gang," said Poulson.

Matthew believed the myths about gangs when he got involved at age
13.

He is now 30 and has worked hard to turn his life around.

Matthew, who doesn't want his last name used, grew up in Vancouver and
was introduced to gangs through kids in his neighbourhood and peers at
school. He didn't have many friends and wanted to be accepted. The
gang offered him that.

Matthew hung out with five or six people regularly, and sometimes they
would get together with other small groups to cause trouble or start
fights.

He was eight years old when he stole something for the first time. At
age 13, he smoked his first joint and committed his first break and
enter. His problems snowballed from there.

"The drugs got worse, the crimes got worse," recalled Matthew. "At the
time I didn't realize what I was getting into or how it would affect
the rest of my life. It was just here and now."

Matthew admits he overstepped a lot of boundaries.

"As things progressed, I felt more trapped," he said. "It was what I
did. It was a way of life and I got used to it."

The crimes gradually began to get more serious and he thought there
was no way out. He also believed he had to act a certain way,
otherwise he would get hurt. It was a cycle of addiction and crime and
soon Matthew began losing faith in himself and the world.

Matthew was arrested for the first time when he was 15 and was charged
for a number of crimes as a juvenile.

When he was 18, he was arrested for possession for the purpose of
trafficking.

"It was the first time I'd been in trouble as an adult," commented Matthew.

The incident was also the beginning of Matthew's frequent trips in and
out of jail for the next 10 years.

Then one day he started thinking, "life isn't supposed to be like this."

Matthew was tired of going to jail and tired of his way of life. He
wanted to turn things around. When Matthew got out of jail three years
ago, he went into a treatment program in Maple Ridge to clean up.

"There's a better way to live. It doesn't have to be about violence,
jail, death and drugs," he added.

He stayed away from Vancouver because he was afraid he'd fall into his
old patterns again. Matthew took courses and completed Grade 12, and
found a job working here.

"My life now is quiet," said Matthew. "It's much better. It's healthy
and drug and alcohol free."

Matthew came from an average family, but had low self-esteem. As a
kid, he simply wanted to be accepted, but he never took the time to
listen or talk to his parents.

"If there's anything I could suggest for any (parent) struggling
through this (with their children), it is to be there for them,"
Matthew advised.

Dennis Goosen, principal at Cedar Valley school, agrees.

"Where (children) can speak up with confidence is at home," said
Goosen. "Get them to talk. The more you listen, the more you learn and
the more you can help them."

Many of the people involved have alternate education, but they're not
the only ones, said Goosen.

"A number of schools have had to ban bandannas because that seems to
be an identifying factor in the problem," Goosen noted.

Goosen isn't sure there are gangs in Mission, but he is concerned
about some of the activities going on.

"We are hearing a lot of things gangs would say," said Goosen.

"(Young people) are playing the game," said RCMP Cpl. Brian Foote.
"How much further will they go before they end up with what Matthew
went through? If they keep going down this road, something will happen."

There will be a meeting next Wednesday at Heritage Park secondary to
discuss these youth issues. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m.