by Mercedes Sanchez, Houston City Hall Fellow '10

How would you feel? 

Looking back, you might remember all the good times you had growing up; you had been best friends since you were 8 years old. You might think about the time when you were in elementary school and he defended you from the bully who was picking on you. Or the endless hours you two spent playing basketball at the YMCA down the street from your house. You might think about his family, and how every time you would visit they welcomed you into their house. You might remember your plans for the future, how you were both going to conquer the world together. You were going to be best friends forever. 

Now imagine this. Today is his funeral, and your friend’s mom has forbidden you from attending the service. You feel guilty about his death, you feel like it should have been you instead. You have had sleepovers and done drugs many times, what went wrong this time? The weeks that followed the burial you didn’t care about anything. The pain and guilt keeps intensifying. It feels as if life has no meaning for you anymore. 

After that, things just keep going downhill; your attendance at school is so bad that you have to repeat the 9th grade. The abuse of alcohol and drugs keeps getting worse. You find yourself hanging out with a pretty rough crowd. At home, your mom’s never there because she is always working trying to make ends meet for you and your little brother. You are hurt, depressed, devastated, and completely distraught. 

One day, you decide to finally go to class and during lunch you see that counselor, from the Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office, who is often at school during lunch time. Some of your friends talk to him all the time, so you know what he does. In the past he helped some of your friends with tattoo removal, found jobs for a couple more, sent some to drug and alcohol rehab centers, and others to credit recovery schools. He knew your best friend and he was aware of your situation. 

Now imagine that this outreach worker became a dependable person in your life. For two months straight he was there to talk to you. He always listened to you and did not try to impose his ideas on you. Little by little, he was able to earn your trust and helped you realize you were not constructively coping with your situation. He was able to help you receive grief counseling and set up everything for you to be placed in an in-patient treatment facility for 120 days. While in treatment you were able to attend school and catch up with your credits. 

This story is real. It is simply one of the many success stories in the Houston Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office, where I am spending my Fellowship. We know the journey does not end just because we offer assistance; there will be hard times ahead, because of the influences of others. However, this client – like many others - now knows that he is not alone. He knows to contact his trusted counselor if times get hard. Because our counselors go out to the local schools and spend time with at-risk youth on their own turf, they are always available to help any client, even those who have completed their programs or have initially rejected help. 

This is why city government matters: when this kid had no one to turn to, a counselor from the Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office was able to get through to him and direct him to the services that he needed to put his life back in the right track. These services help deter young people from becoming involved in violent gangs and committing crimes. It is the purpose of government to help its citizens and the Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office serves that function everyday.