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Jaime Barba admits that his attitude when he was growing up in the "Del Sol" area of South San Diego was "pretty much wrong."
The 19-year-old would often find himself in trouble at school for fighting, and he often ran afoul of the law while hanging out with his neighborhood pals.
"That's how I was-never liked to be told what to do," Barba said. "I didn't like rules, period."
Counselors from the city's anti-gang task force, called the Street Youth Program, helped Barba, however, and with their help he avoided getting into further trouble. SYP counselors shared Barba's experiences and background, and this impressed him, Barba said. But SYP's effectiveness has been challenged and the program will be discontinued Jan. 30. City officials say it is badly run, a claim that has angered former SYP director Ramon (Chunky) Sanchez, who has been demoted to a counselor.
Sanchez said city officials who canceled the...