Although tattoos have lost most of their stigma over the past couple of decades, some people still make judgements about a tattooed person's character, especially if the tattoo is a gang symbol.
It is very common in Milwaukee for gang members to get gang-symbol tattoos. Not usually applied by professional tattoo artists, they are often inscribed on the hand, neck or face so that they are visible to other gang members from a distance.
Most gang members get their tattoos between the ages of 10 and 12, and on average, stay in a gang for less than a year. Tattoos, of course, are indelible, and visible, gang-related markings often present problems later in life when the tattooed person attempts to get a job.
Lose the Tattoos is a not-for-profit foundation which raises money to provide free gang tattoo removal services in exchange for community service, which may include volunteering at a church, community center or not-for-profit agency. Half of the 40-80 hours of community service work must be completed prior to the first removal appointment.
Currently 198 pre-teens, teens and young adults have taken advantage of Lose the Tattoos. The program targets kids between the ages of 11 and 19, but will make exceptions for young adults as old as 25.
"A lot of young people don't reconsider their tattoos until they are older and are trying to get a job," says Cindy Graf, Executive Director of Lose the Tattoos, which she started three years ago with laser surgeon Dr. Roger Mixter.
Volunteer doctors and laser technicians, all of whom have gone through a special laser tattoo removal training course, perform the procedures. The process includes six appointments, between 6-8 weeks apart. Despite a topical anesthetic used to numb the skin, the treatments are painful.
"It feels like getting a tattoo only more intense," Graf says.
The laser works best on blue, black and red inks, according to Graf. Other colors like yellow, orange, green and purple are more difficult, but still possible to remove. Despite the initial pain, the end result is usually flawless.
It is estimated that there are 1,500 gangs in Milwaukee, and 9-11,000 members. Approximately 75% of these members are boys and 25% are girls.
"Gang members can get cleaned up, but if they still look dangerous or scary they won't get a job and chances are they will return to crime," says Graf. "Our program allows young people to erase their negative history and start fresh."
The Lose the Tattoos program is affiliated with WIcare and the Boys and Girls Club of Milwaukee. For more information about the Lose the Tattoos or to find out about how you can help, call Graf at (414) 962-0696.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
