"I just wish I could have changed earlier." - Brad Peequaquat.
They say that everything happens for a reason and in this instance it's pretty clear that the circumstances leading up to Brad Peequaquat's life today, HAVE happened for a reason so while he may have regrets about the past, he also has a real opportunity to make a difference today.
Peequaquat was a founder of the Saskatchewan branch of the Indian Posse - Canada's most notorious Aboriginal street gang. Not the best claim to fame, but these days 29-year-old Peequaquat is singing a different tune.
Possibly nearing some of his last days on earth due to a battle with cancer, the now reformed criminal spends much of his time speaking with school children and trying to change lives. He knows what he's talking about.
Born into a life with a severely alcoholic mother and an abusive father Peequaquat had anything but a fair start in life. As a tiny infant his father placed him in a bag and threw him in a snow bank to die. Entering into toddler hood beatings with everything from shovels to kitchen knives became a daily part of his life. He watched his mother and eight siblings take beatings also. As a child rather than attend classes as most children do, his father would throw him into the windows of homes and businesses, forcing him to steal for a living.
"That's how we grew up - seeing people fight and drink everyday. It was normal... we were like a little gang..." Of course it was a natural transition into actual gang life when he hit about the age of 18.
"They promised us this fast easy life," he says, but reality would teach him this wouldn't be the case. "The violence escalated, the stabbings and everything... They were living off of us and we were getting sick of everything... When I think back to the stuff I did, I can't believe it was me..."
So he decided to change his life. With the help of a priest who worked with inmates and gang members Peequaquat and his brothers left the gang life for good. It was no easy task and he had many set backs but he persevered. He married a great gal and he even took responsibility for her child. He went back to school. He also got cancer. Peequaquat never had a fair shot at life but what he does have is choices and today he's choosing to help others. It's his hope his story will prevent others from following in his footsteps.
"Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us." - Thomas L. Holdcroft.
