Friday, March 17, 2006 | 7:11 a.m.
You can tell Charles' gang affiliation by the history engraved on his body.
There's a scar on his right thigh where he was shot when he was 12 years old. There's a tattoo on his forearm - "Las Vegas - West Side - Sin City" - identifying where he and the Piru Bloods ran together. There are five names tattooed on one shoulder, each representing a fellow gang member who was killed.
The gang life went beyond skin deep. It melded into his DNA.
"Gangs are what I felt comfortable with," said Charles, 23, who used to peddle marijuana. "That's what I been with every day of my life."
A year ago a group called Back on Track corralled Charles and helped him out of the gang life.
Charles' story, according to police and community groups, is an example of what's working in the fight against gang violence - a combination of aggressive policing and social services to soften the lure of gangs. Over the last decade that combination has been a success according to those involved, and they have some impressive numbers behind them.
In 1994 there were 527 gang shootings and 34 gang-related homicides recorded in Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County. In 2005 there were 220 gang shootings and 24 gang-related homicides.
"The impression is that there are gangs out there and we're not doing anything about it," said Metro Police Capt. Gary Schofield, who until recently headed Metro's Gang Unit. "But I attribute the decline in shootings to a combination of community action, policing and social service agencies coming together."
That's not mere boosterism. Cities that have used similar gang-fighting tactics, such as Chicago and Riverside, Calif., have seen drops in gang violence, said Irving Spergel, professor emeritus in sociology at the University of Chicago and an authority on gangs and gang violence.
"The police have to understand these situations, and social services need to reach out to these kids. These programs need to be out there and working together," Spergel said.
In Mesa, Ariz., where police cracked down on gangs and the community came together to offer services to young gang members, certain crime ridden areas saw a 22 percent decrease in homicides, shootings and assaults, according to the Justice Department.
North Las Vegas Police do not keep numbers on gang-related violence, but showed a slight downturn in gang homicides. There were 22 gang homicides in 2003, which dropped to 14 the following year, after federal prosecutors indicted 20 members of the notorious Rolling 60s gang.
Homicides crept back up to 20 last year, which Officer Tim Bedwell, spokesman for North Las Vegas Police, said shows that the "corporate leadership" of the gang has changed with new members picking up the charge.
"You can't take a large group of guys off the street and expect to live happily ever after," he said.
That's why police say a cooperative effort is the best way to fight gangs.
In Southern Nevada, Metro has stepped up work to cut down on gang crime, and the U.S. attorney's office has indicted numerous gang members for crimes ranging from drug dealing to murder. At the same time, community organizations have started drug treatment programs, family counseling sessions, alternative sports programs such as boxing and even a recording studio to help youths stay away from gangs or get them out once they are in.
"We're just hoping programs like ours can reach kids first," said Alicia Crowther, director of delinquency programs and special services for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Las Vegas. The Boys and Girls Clubs programs, which started in 2002, provide counseling services for gang members and their families. The caseworkers also provide food and clothing to some of these families and will drive them to jobs if needed. Bridge Counseling Associates, a drug treatment center, gives drug treatment and counseling for about 20 gang youths.
Back on Track started five years ago and specializes in mentoring gang members and getting them out of gangs and into jobs. Recently, the organization hosted a job fair for 20 former and current gang members.
Back on Track is also looking to set up a studio for kids who want to learn hip-hop or rap music.
"We don't just say we're going to teach you violin or teach you bagpipes," said Alex Bernal, the coordinator for the program. "We want to give them things they want to do.
"We're trying to put a big worm on the hook."
For Andrew, a 17-year-old hooked by Back on Track, his gang was part of the neighborhood. He joined the Little Angels when he was 12 because he could continue to hang out with his friends in the neighborhood near Owens Avenue and Pecos Road.
"I grew up with them," he said. "To me it was what I was comfortable with. It was like hanging out with your boys."
As his gang committed criminal acts, which Andrew wouldn't discuss, his family pressured him.
"My family said one day I would end up in jail or dead. And they didn't want to see me dead," he said. "My mom broke it down for me. Did she want me to see her cry because I graduated or because I was dead."
But Andrew also knows the draw of the streets.
"I ain't gonna lie. Yeah, sometimes (I want to return to gang activity). See my homies and all. They're the ones I grew up with," he said.
There are 704 known gangs in Southern Nevada with more than 7,000 members. Charles is glad to be a former gang member.
He was hooked by Back on Track's Eric Jackson, a 44-year-old former gang member. Jackson drove up to Charles one day, told him to get into his car and lectured Charles about the ills of gang life - the drive-by shootings and drug dealing.
Charles didn't need much persuading. A year earlier, when Charles was dealing drugs downtown out of a hotel room, he was robbed, stripped and beaten. And then one of the robbers put a gun to the back of his head.
The next thing he knew, the robbers were gone.
"I guess they decided to leave me there just like that," Charles said. "That made me change my life. That made me slow down."
Charles now works at a Wendy's restaurant, where he cooks, mans a cashier and cleans.
"It feels good that I made it," he said.
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