Ex-con is thankful for second chance

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Updated: May 9, 2012 10:03AM

Eddie Bocanegra credits his mother and God for turning his life around. Now he want to transform the lives of kids who belong to gangs, as he once did.

If that is not enough, Bocanegra also hopes to go to Harvard.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I hope Bocanegra’s amazing turn-around inspires you — as it has inspired me — to continue to strive in spite of our daily problems, knowing there is always a way to change and move on.

Bocanegra grew up in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. He joined a gang when he was 14 and had shot and killed a rival gangbanger by the time he was 17. He spent the next 14 years in prison.

But taking to heart his mother’s plea, Bocanegra promised to dedicate his life to stopping young people from following a violent and tragic path. And since getting out of prison three years ago, he has done just that.

Having learned to paint while in prison, Bocanegra now teaches art to kids at Namaste Charter School and, as part of a group called Consuelo (Comfort), helps parents who have lost a son or daughter to gang violence. Consuelo was organized by the community group Enlace Chicago.

Bocanegra, 34, expects to graduate in the spring from Northeastern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in social work. Then he hopes to be accepted at Harvard, where he would work on an advanced degree in social work or education.

Most notably, Bocanegra’s work with the antiviolence group CeaseFire is featured in the award-winning documentary “The Interrupters.” The documentary follows three conflict mediators for a year who are trying to end the gang killings in some of Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods, such as Englewood and Little Village.

“The Interrupters” was directed by Steve James, best known for his film “Hoop Dreams,” and was produced by author Alex Kotlowitz. The documentary has been shown in theaters, schools and universities. It will be released on DVD early next year.

Bocanegra’s life is a story of violence but, more important, of redemption and hope. As the documentary shows, Bocanegra has tried to express his regrets to the family of the boy he murdered, but the parents won’t accept his apology. Bocanegra hopes they will forgive him in the future.

“The interrupters” has allowed Bocanegra to establish better communication with the kids in neighborhoods like Little Village, Pilsen and Humboldt Park.

“I come from the same neighborhood, have the same background and my parents are like theirs,” he told me. “ I try to lead by example, showing kids that I’ve been there and what I have achieved they can do it too.”

And after graduate school, he said, he’ll head right back to Little Village.

“I spent half of my life in prison,” Bocanegra said. “To give back now is a personal thing for me.”

Bocanegra says he knows he will always have a criminal record, no matter how much he turns his life around.

But, he said, he will also always give thanks to his mother and God for giving him that second chance.

And tonight, at dinnertime, I will also give thanks for second chances.