Greg Boyle

“We are less than honest and commit a grave error if we insist that what happened to Rodney G. King was isolated and an exceptional case. The poor know better.”

“All politics are local, and so in church.”

“Businesses have come and gone at Homeboy Industries. We have had starts and stops, but anything worth doing is worth failing at. We started Homeboy Plumbing. That didn't go so well. Who knew? People didn't want gang members in their homes. I just didn't see that coming.”

“I'm not always optimistic, but I am hopeful.”

“God seems to be an unwilling participant in our efforts to pigeonhole Him.”

“People have to see that there is a high degree of complexity about belonging to a gang. It's a symptom, not a problem.”

“Redemption is possible, and it is the measure of a civilized society.”

“Anyone who knows gangs knows that lawmakers cannot conceive of a law that would lead a hard-core gang member to 'think twice.'”

“There is no such thing as a bad cop, only disturbing and dominant cop thinking that will invariably lead to excessive force and tragic outcomes.”

“The powers, conditions, and desires that propel Mexicans and Central Americans into this country are so fundamental, so vast, that no action, legislative or other-wise, can discourage this flight.”

“The mark of our society as civilized will come when we embrace confidence in the power of redemption.”

“I have a lot of people in my life, and I think there's something key: the thing that leads to intimacy and relationship and connection is tenderness.”

“What is ultimately compelling for our children in helping them conjure images of a future for themselves is our willingness to walk with them as they do it.”

“In my barrio, jobs work and money saves lives. When I have had the funds to place a gang member on a job site and pay his salary, I've seen him stop banging. When, on the rarest of occasions, an employer has offered a job to one of these youth, I've witnessed kids suddenly have a reason to get up in the morning.”

“Delegations from all over the world visit Homeboy Industries and scratch their heads as we tell them of our difficulty in placing our people in jobs after their time with us. Americans' seeming refusal to believe in a person's ability to redeem himself strikes these folks as foreign indeed.”

“Jesus did not only serve the needs of the people, but truly hoped that the people and Jesus would be one.”

“Richard Rohr is a theologian that I read.”

“I don't believe in mistakes. Everything belongs, and, as the homies say, 'It's all good.'”

“We don't need a specialized gang unit. We need patrol officers who specialize in knowing their community.”

“I would hope that government officials have a healthy respect for the complexity of the gang problem. They should never lose sight of the fact that there are human beings involved. There is no single solution.”