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Ex-Gang Member Shows the Light to Young Gang Leaders
By Wanda Melendez
What do you think of when you hear, New York? What about the South Bronx? Yes! Many good things are coming out of this borough. Take a person like Bengy Melendez; he was the founder of three major gangs in the South Bronx in the 1970s, the Ghetto Brothers, the Savage Nomads, and the Savage Skulls.
The Ghetto Brothers were a gang founded in New York City’s South Bronx in the late 1960s. They eventually spread to much of the Northeastern United States. Like the Young Lords, they were involved in Puerto Rican nationalism including, in the case of the Ghetto Brothers, an association with the then new Puerto Rican Socialist Party.
Ghetto Brothers founder Benjamin Melendez, who left the organization in 1976, also led a band known as the Ghetto Brothers. They released one album in 1972.
The Ghetto Brothers, especially in their early years, had a reputation as one of the more politically minded and less vengeful New York area gangs. Bengy helped many of his members who were addicted to drugs quit “cold turkey.” The Ghetto Brothers also brokered a peace treaty with all the gangs in the Bronx as a result of the death of one of their members, Benjamin Cornell. Cornell was killed in 1971 trying to prevent a fight between three rival gangs. The Ghetto Brothers did not seek the expected revenge on those responsible for his death. Instead, under Melendez’s leadership (and that of Carlos Suarez, also known as Carlos Melendez), they were instrumental in achieving a moderately successful truce among South Bronx and other New York-area gangs.
Due to Melendez’s leadership the Ghetto Brothers took a different approach to their treatment of women in comparison to other gangs of that period. The Ghetto Brothers respectfully referred to their women as the Ghetto Sisters. The Ghetto Sisters were generally viewed as members of the organization and girlfriends rather than as sexual property, which was the norm among other gangs.
Imagine a 17 year old doing this. Bengy, also known as Yellow Bengy (because he dated a Chinese girl), was ahead of his time. Where did he get his foundation? His foundation was God. His father and mother taught him to love and respect God. That is where all his rules and regulations stemmed from. Although he was considered an outlaw he always had Jesus on his mind and a Bible in his backpack. Odd, why would a gang leader carry a Bible? The gang members respected him and went by his rules and regulations and if you did something wrong behind his back you would pay for it.
As the years went by he left the gangs and became a youth counselor. Now he works at United Bronx Parents Inc. whose head is Lorraine Montenegro. Bengy teaches a course on Gang Awareness every Friday in the morning at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in the Bronx. He instructs between 11 and 18 young gang leaders ranging in age from 16 to 18 years of age. He has made an impact on them. Some are thinking about leaving the gangs and furthering their education. That’s a good thing. One of the students gave Bengy a book and wrote this in it: “I know it may be our last day but I wish it was a longer program. I am going to miss you’ you changed me a lot.” The program was only for 10 weeks, but the students talked to the principals and they decided to make it last four more weeks because it’s working (through the grace of God).
With some good breakfast on Friday mornings, thanks to the principals Gerald B. Martori and Maxine Nodel, the students are calm when they come in. Professor Dr. Niason of Fordham University has also been instrumental in assisting the program.
Discussion is underway to keep the program going in the future. The students will never forget Bengy Melendez who drops positive seeds to plant in their minds. Now all they have to do is water it.
The mission of Bengy now is to bring young people to the light of God. In order to do this Bengy is in communication with a number of other gangs. The gangs include the Latin Kings, Bloods, Crips, the Savage Skulls, and kids who are in trouble in school. Bengy’s program warns the youth about the dangers of the gang lifestyle. At the end of the program Bengy introduces the youth to a relationship with God. That relationship with God helped change Bengy, and Bengy hopes it will help change others. i
Bengy Melendez has been a member of the Church of God, International since 1980. He can be reached for any information related to gang problems at 718-584-3831.
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