Francisco Villarruel, a 40-year-old former gang member, is actively mentoring young people in Los Angeles, including 19-year-old Gustavo Galvez. Their connection began with boxing lessons, which Villarruel uses as a way to help young individuals open up and address their past traumas.
Villarruel, who became a trained social worker after serving 17 years in prison, aims to help others break the cycle of violence. He states that many of the traumatic experiences Galvez endured are similar to his own upbringing, which was also shaped by gun violence and gang involvement.
Galvez grew up surrounded by gangs, losing friends and classmates to gun violence, and continues to fear for his life. Villarruel emphasises the importance of addressing intergenerational trauma to subside community violence, noting that "a child isn’t born to commit gun violence."
Data from California's public health department indicates that thousands of Hispanic people in the state are injured by guns annually, and last year, half of the 1,374 homicide victims were Hispanic. Research suggests that victims of violent crime can become more susceptible to perpetrating violence themselves.