SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- A program offers former gang members to erase their criminal pasts...literally!
The Liberty Tattoo Removal Program is getting a grant of $89,000 to buy a new tattoo removal machine.
While the program is free those who qualify need to prove they on the right track by going to school or getting a job.
We spoke to one former gang member who is also a graduate of the Grizzly Youth Academy, a program run by the national guard to help at-risk teens turn their lives around.
The young man asked us to protect his identity because it's difficult to leave the gang lifestyle.
He used to have a black ink tattoo in script that read "Minnesota Avenue" which was the street of the gang he was affiliated with.
But that tattoo is no more thanks to Liberty Tattoo Removal, a program that offers former gang members a new path in life, tattoo-free.
"That tattoo is keeping them from being successful in the outside world," says Staff Sergeant Simone Hosey of the Grizzly Youth Academy.
The Grizzly Youth graduate says it helped him change his path in life.
"I needed it removed to get to the next stepping stone in my life," says the former gang member. "If I committed myself to starting here, I would (decided to) change fully and basically erase my whole past."
He says the new grant will help Liberty Tattoo Removal help others like him get a second chance.
Former gang members who are interested in the program must be drug-free and complete 16 hours of community service. The next clinic will be held in October and clients must apply in advance.
The program has been operating since year 2000 and has completed 2,700 laser treatments to date.
