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Jul 2, 2007
"Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict." --Dorothy Thompson
Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job
The gang member closest to Father Gregory Boyle hurls himself onto the priest like a bodyguard, and after two long minutes, the barrage of gunshots stops. On these streets of East Los Angeles, California, it's proof that the priest has deep respect from the gangs. Boyle earned that honor by coming up with a practical way to offer hope to residents -- giving them jobs. Fifteen years ago, he created Homeboy Industries, a nonprofit coalition of businesses that hire gang members to lure them away from old lifestyles. It's now America's largest gang intervention program and has helped transform the lives of thousands. Boyle had repeatedly heard older members of gangs say, "If I only had a job." It struck him in its simplicity. His coalition's slogan: "Nothing stops a bullet like a job."
BE THE CHANGE
The next time you encounter conflict, respond creatively with a peaceful alternative.
