Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion

Boyle talks again of Scrappy, whom he mentioned in the first chapter of the book. Boyle recounts how Scrappy was gunned down one morning while working to remove graffiti for Homeboy Industries. Only two months later, another one of Homeboy’s graffiti workers was shot and killed in a company truck. Boyle states that he thinks homeboys only ever stay in gangs because they have never heard a mother scream over the loss of one of their gunned-down children.

One day, Boyle was driving when La Shady flagged him down from the street. He was on the way to a meeting where he hoped to forge a peace between two gangs, but he stopped to listen to her. She told him that she had a dream that she wanted his help to decipher. In the dream, she walked into Dolores Mission Church to see Boyle standing up at the altar. There was a coffin next to Boyle, and he waved for Shady to approach. When she got closer, a white dove burst out of the coffin and began flying around the church. Boyle did not truly know what the dream meant, but he told Shady that the dove was a symbol for peace and that the dream was telling her to move forward into peace and forgiveness, as her husband had recently been gunned down by a rival gang. Tragically, Shady was killed in a gang-related shooting later that night.

Boyle recounts an encounter with a homie named Manny in the projects, even though Manny had moved from the projects some time ago. Seeing him there again enraged Boyle, so he approached Manny and began to grill him. Manny was visiting one of his favorite old gas stations. Not long after Manny left, he was gunned down by a rival gang member.

For the next several days, Boyle held vigil at the hospital with Manny’s wife Irma, who was eight months pregnant. Countless homies and family members passed through the hospital to say their goodbyes to Manny. Boyle reminisces of a time when Manny called him over for a visit. When Boyle arrived, Manny told him, “I just want to be a good father. But I don’t know how to be one” (181). Back in the hospital room, Manny’s grandmother signed the release that allowed Manny’s organs to be donated. As two nurses wheeled Manny out of the room, Boyle overheard one say, “Who would want this monster’s heart?” (181). The other nurse turned to her and said, “He belonged to somebody. Shame on you” (182).

Boyle begins to speak of “one of the most heroic women I know,” Soledad (182). Soledad had four children, and the older two had already started working for Homeboy Industries. After 9/11, Soledad’s second-oldest son Ronnie joined the Marines and was deployed to Afghanistan. Upon returning home for a short leave, Soledad overheard a gang member asking Ronnie what neighborhood he was from. She did not hear Ronnie’s response, but a series of gunshots followed and Ronnie was tragically killed.

For the next six months, Soledad was completely inconsolable. She quit her job and rarely if ever left her house. Her oldest son Angel approached her and told her that it was time to quit grieving. He told her to go get dressed and to put some makeup on. When she returned, he told her that she looked gorgeous. Later that day, Angel was outside on the porch eating a sandwich when a man from his neighborhood ran by and disappeared. Two rival gang members ran up and, seeing only Angel around, shot him.

Not long after this, Soledad was hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat. Before long, a homie with multiple gunshot wounds was rushed in to the vacant space next to her. She recognized him as a member of the gang that killed her son Angel. But instead of relishing in his pain, she began to pray: “Please…don’t…let him die” (185). Miraculously, the homie lived. 

Boyle has a habit of handing out his card to young homies so that they can contact him if they ever become ready to change their lives. One day, a young homie named Louie visited Boyle at his office, and Boyle saw that his neck was lined with hickeys. Louie turned to Boyle and said, “I just got out yesterday…and YOU…are the VERY FIRST person I came to see” (187). Boyle told Louie that he wasn’t the first person, and the two began laughing heartily with a new kinship between them.

Boyle next recounts when he was first diagnosed with leukemia—an article was published about it in the Los Angeles Times. Soon, homies from all over were coming to pay Boyle a visit. Many of them cried, offered to help, and tried to console Boyle in what ways they could. P-Nut called Boyle one day from jail and asked what’s going on, to which Boyle replied that he had cancer of the blood. P-Nut responded, “Damn…these doctors. They don’t be knowin’ nuthin’” (189). Fortunately, Boyle has been cancer-free for some time now.

Boyle reminisces over Bandit, who showed up in Boyle’s office and said that he was “tired of being tired” (196). Through Homeboy Industries, Boyle got him a job at a local warehouse. Fast forward 15 years later and Bandit now ran the warehouse, owned a house, and had a wife and kids. One day, Bandit called Boyle out of the blue and said his daughter needed a blessing. Boyle asked if anything was wrong, and Bandit said no. He only wanted his daughter to be blessed as she was going off to Humboldt College, and he was worried for her. Boyle performed the blessing, and he told Bandit that he was proud of him. Bandit agreed, saying, “I am proud of myself [too]” (198).

Boyle next explains how First Lady Laura Bush came to visit Homeboy Industries in 2005 for a one-hour visit. Sharpshooters and agents crawled all throughout the neighborhood, and Boyle had to supply the Secret Service with the names and social security numbers of anyone who would be present. The agents were not pleased that all the homies in attendance would have records, but the visit went smoothly. Soon thereafter, Boyle was invited by Mrs. Bush to give a talk in Washington D.C. and to bring three homies along. Boyle chose Alex, Charlie, and Felipe, all of whom were heavily tattooed and muscular.

To prepare them for the trip, Boyle took the three homies to a Men’s Warehouse to pick out some suits. Alex was particularly mesmerized by his appearance in a suit, and he was perhaps the most excited to go. Later that week, Boyle asked Alex if he had cleared his trip with his parole officer, but it came to light that Alex had been forbidden to go. Boyle called and spoke with three parole managers, and they all refused Boyle’s request to take Alex to the White House. Boyle had the First Lady pull some strings, and finally Alex was allowed to leave for the trip. The trip went well, but it was uneventful and the homies were not impressed with the food.

On the flight home, Alex went the bathroom and was gone for 45 minutes. When he returned, he told Boyle that he had just made a woman cry. He explained that she asked about his Homeboy Industries shirt, and so he had proceeded to give her a mental walkthrough of the entire Homeboy Industries office. Alex also told her that for the first time, three former gang members had entered the White House and dined there, and the woman began to cry. Boyle told Alex that “She saw that you were somebody” (204).

Boyle received a call one day from 16-year-old Chico, who was asking for a job. Boyle visited him, and they discussed job prospects on Chico’s front porch. Soon thereafter, Boyle was able to get Chico a job at a nonprofit homeless resource center. After this, Boyle became disconcerted by the fact that he had not heard from Chico in several days. But a fax eventually came though from Chico, which stated that he was happily learning how to use a fax machine at his job. Two months later, Boyle received a call from Chico’s mother: Chico was shot in the neck by a rival gang member.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Boyle learned that Chico was paralyzed from the neck down and might have brain damage. Boyle spoke to the boy, but he received no response and decided to come back the next day. When Boyle returned, Boyle called Chico’s name and Chico’s eyes latched on to Boyle’s. Boyle said, “Do you know, mijo, that we all love you very much” (210). Chico began to cry uncontrollably, and Boyle proceeded to anoint him. Within several days, Chico’s heart stopped, and he passed away.

At Chico’s funeral, Boyle felt a huge wave of grief coming over him. He walked over to a tree, sat under it, and began to cry. The mortician walked over, and Boyle felt that his space was being invaded. He broke the silence, however, by saying, “Now that was a terrific kid” (211). The mortician replied incredulously: “HE WAS?” (211) Boyle stated that the mortician’s incredulity was a sign that “kinship remains elusive” (212). Ultimately, however, when “the voices at the margins get heard...the circle of compassion widens” (212). With this, the book ends.