Confessions: 10 Things I Learned Traveling With a Gang Member

Alexis (on the right) and our translator. (Photo: Lanee Lee)

Gangs aren’t normally something I seek out.

Nevertheless, in Panama City’s historic Casco Viejo district, I dropped my bags at the hotel and beelined it to arrange a meeting with a member of the “Ciudad de Dios” gang — named after the Brazilian gang featured in the Patrick Swayze-starring movie.

Why on earth would I, a non-Spanish-speaking woman, be doing this?

Honestly, part of me was simply curious. And the other, reeling from a personal tragedy, desperately needed a whopping dose of inspiration.

You see, gang member Alexis Javier Montenegro dealt drugs, robbed tourists, committed murder, and served three years in jail before he was could legally order a beer (in the States, that is). Yet, these activities no longer define him. He’s married with two children and works as a tour guide and construction worker.

New businesses are sprouting up in areas previously occupied by gang members. (Photo: Lanee Lee)

Thanks to the support of local officials and the nonprofit Esperanza Social Venture Club, a gang intervention program that teaches former gang members life and business skills, Alexis and five other former “Ciudad de Dios” gang members started Forteleza (”strength” in Spanish) Tours.

Forteleza Tours offers one-hour walking tours ($15 in Spanish, $20 in English, $30 with tour and lunch) of the one-time gang infested territory.

“We show the real Casco Viejo,” explains Montenegro.

However, these tours are not so visitors can gawk at the poverty-stricken streets that still dominate the area — despite the massive gentrification of the last few years — but rather to highlight what the human spirit, when offered an alternative reality by way of education and hope, can do.

Here are the 10 surprising things I gleaned from taking a Forteleza tour:

1.Teaching a concierge something new about their city is a kick

“You want to do what?” asked the concierge at the Intercontinental Mirarmar when I asked her to book a tour with an ex-gang member. After asking me again if I was sure this was what I wanted to do, she made the reservation and then said, “Now I’m curious. Let me know what you think. If it’s worth it, I’d like to go myself.”

2. Graffiti wallpaper is so cool

Graffiti wallpaper (Photo: Lanee Lee)

American Trade Hotel, a hip hotel in the heart of Casco Viejo, was once known as Castle Grey Skull — a dilapidated structure that housed, in horrific living conditions, more than 65 gang-related families. Smartly, the new owners made a conscious effort to preserve the building’s heritage and former residents by taking pictures of the drawings, murals, and graffiti on the walls. The tour starts at the hotel’s stairwell lined with these photos turned into a wallpaper collage. And it’s quite stunning.

3. Mario la Mafia is now a fishmonger

The most infamous Castle Skull resident was known as “Mario la Mafia.” Almost ten years ago, rival gang members barged in on him with a shooting spray. He was shot three times but managed to jump from the second-story window to escape death. Whether it was the fall or fear of death, Mario changed his ways and you can find him — with a serious limp — selling fish at the Mercado Del Mariscos, one of the city’s best attractions to check out.

Related: Take a Walking Tour With Former Gang Members in Panama

4. Beyond McDonalds, a $1 meal is still a thing

Can you believe we got all of this food for just $1? (Photo: Lanee Lee)

Panama’s prices, be it for a hotel room or a meal in tourist areas, are on par with the States’. Part of the tour is a stop at a local no-name joint where a home-cooked, hearty portion of stewed meat, rice and beans costs a dollar!

5. Thievery is less profitable than towing the line

Before, they made ends meet by selling drugs and robbing tourists of wallets, cameras, and phones. Now, working in the community serving tourists as tour guides, construction workers, servers, and café owners, they actually make more money, Montenegro says. On a recent tour, when he told this fact to a German couple, they asked how much their camera would glean on the black market if he had stolen it. Montenegro answered, “About $80.” The husband handed him $80 and thanked him for choosing a better path.

6. Paint: A powerful game changer

Fixing broken windows with colorful paint. (Photo: Lanee Lee)

Part of the money from the tour goes toward improving the ex-gang members’ section of Casco Viejo, be it buying school uniforms for kids or giving the block a fresh coat of brightly, colored paint. Yellow, pink, and green buildings that the Forteleza tour founders painted certainly bring a splash of joy. It’s truly the “fixing the broken windows” theory in practice.

7. Red Zone is now ‘Zona de Paz’

Casco Viejo is made up of streets numbered from one to 12. Up until a few years ago, tourists were warned not to wander past Ninth Street, known as the “Red Zone.” After the remaining 12 “City of God” members (there were 18, but 6 were killed during the gang’s reign) traded illicit activity for employment and entrepreneurial efforts, it’s now known as the Zone of Peace.

8. Being a gang member (even a former one) has long-term repercussions

Ricky and Jaffre are also reformed gang members. (Photo: Lanee Lee)

Although there is no more gang in the old city, Panama is said to have over 200 gangs and many surrounding Casco Viejo. The City of God ex-members cannot leave the neighborhood for fear of getting killed by rival gangs. I asked him if it felt like prison to not travel or even go to another part of the city. He thought about it for a while and said, “Yes, but freedom, even a little, is still better than real prison.”

Related: Waco Restaurant Is Shut Down After Biker Gang Shooting

9. Bullet holes are relics of the past, not present reality

Bullet holes in a building on the Fortelez tour. (Photo: Lanee Lee)

On a mainstream tour, stops include: gentrified hotels and restaurants; trendy shops; statues; historic buildings, and lovely churches. The Forteleza tours do touch on these aspects, but there’s a whole lot of sobering sights as well, such as bullet holes in the walls and former drug deal locations. It was shocking and sad to see bullet holes in apartment buildings where children and families live. However, it’s also a reminder of how far the community has progressed — the fear of getting shot by simply running to the store for milk no longer exists.

10. A 180-degree change of life is possible

“My future was either the [jail] cell or the cemetery — I had to do something different,” says Montenegro. Tears welled up in my eyes when he said this. If he, and the others, can turn things around near impossible circumstances, so can I. What I came for blew the top off my expectations — in fact, it was the highlight of the four days I spent in Panama City.

Epilogue: I reported back to Intercontinental Miramar’s concierge what I learned that day on the tour. She was surprised to hear how well it went and said she would book a tour for herself that weekend. I hope she did. It’s certainly worth recommending for visitors seeking authentic, out-of-the-box experiences or those that simply like a story with a happy ending.

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