OTAY MESA, San Diego — The San Diego County Sheriff's Department has found a way for non-violent offenders to put smiles on the faces of thousands of children. In this Zevely Zone, I traveled to the East Mesa Reentry Facility in Otay Mesa to see their bike repair program.
"People should know that we are not just in here doing nothing," said inmate Carlo Borja. I am inside what they call the East Mesa Bike Shop and it's filled with broken bikes. "Anything that's bad you can replace it," said Carlo.
Most people would scrap a rusting 1978 Schwinn, but not Carlo. "Just change this, new brake pads, scrub the rust off just paint it," said Carlo. Originally from Guam, Carlo figured if he had to serve an 18-month drug sentence why sit in jail just spinning his wheels.
"Everybody deserves a second chance," he said. I said to him, "I've heard that when you are in a facility like this and you are bored with nothing to do that is when you get intro trouble." He responded," Oh, yeah this job keeps me busy I work forty hours a week."
The program started five years ago and Deputy Mike Dalbratt says since then 2,600 bikes have been fixed up and donated to children and charities. "This year we donated more than 600 bikes. We donate those for transportation for adults, for children back and forth to school and it's really rewarding when all of those people get something that they really need," said Deputy Dalbratt.
All of the beat up and abandoned bikes are donated. Many of them are in such rough shape they would have ended up in a landfill. The bikes and their problems are as different as the inmates themselves. "I am living proof that reentry works," said James LaRue, who was convicted for fraud.
James says just like the bike he's working on, he needed a new road. "Since being here I have achieved my education such as my GED as well as further myself in college education and I've held down the same job for more than seven months now," said James. I said, "Is that right? How does that make you feel? He told me, "It feels like a new man."
As for Carlo Borja, pictures of happy children riding the bikes are proof that sometimes bikes and people just needed a little love. "I mean look at the smiles on their faces, smile, smiles," said Carlo. "Makes you feel good that all of your work is going into something good, and the kids are happy to be receiving them."
In October, Carlo will leave this facility and the mistakes he made in California behind. "Oh, I'm going back to Guam for family, sunshine and white sand beaches," he said.
Carlo didn't give up on the Schwinn and he learned to not give up on himself. "Ha, ha, ha, yeah that was cool," said Carlo.
The bikes are donated to Boys and Girls Clubs across the county and nearly twenty other charities and non-profit groups.