Ruben Saldaña is leading the fight against youth violence, crime
Every year, the Orlando Sentinel asks community members to help us identify the heroes who make the biggest difference in local lives: The ones whose leadership, innovation and courage provide an inspiration to others. And from these nominees, we choose a group, those whose talents and dedication demand recognition, to honor as Central Floridian of the Year finalists. Over the coming weeks, we’ll introduce you to these remarkable individuals — and at the end, we’ll introduce you to our choice for Central Floridian of the Year.
At the New Image Youth Center on Parramore, Ruben Saldaña is leading a dozen or so young people in a series of exercises that combine calisthenics with something that looks almost like dancing — but isn’t. Instead, they are learning the forms and maneuvers of a mixed-martial arts style known as “hands down” that Saldaña hopes they will soon be competing in.
It’s the kind of thing that Saldaña — who heads up Central Florida’s Credible Messenger program — could delegate to the mentors his organization has hired as part of one of the area’s most successful anti-violence youth initiatives. But it’s clear that there’s no place Saldaña would rather be. As he encourages, critiques and celebrates the kids’ accomplishments, he seems nearly buoyant with the joy he feels to be working with them, and the dreams he has for their futures. Some of those dreams are already coming true: This weekend, he took one of his charges to an international competition in Colombia — an opportunity that was an accomplishment in itself , even though Saldañas protege lost his fight.
It’s a setback. But powering through setbacks is something Saldaña excels in. That resilience has taken him on a remarkable journey, though nearly half his life was spent on the wrong path — elevated as a teenager to royalty in one of Florida’s most notorious street gangs, he ended up serving nearly two decades in prison after being convicted as a conspirator in the murders of two fellow gang members. The fact that Saldaña, who just celebrated the 10th anniversary of his release, has been trusted to head the Credible Messenger Program speaks volumes about his determination to keep local youth from making the same mistakes he did — and explains why the Orlando Sentinel has chosen him as a finalist for Central Floridian of the Year.
Saldaña doesn’t offer any excuses for his own dramatic slide off-track — though he does see the irony in the fact that, as a gang leader, he took charge of an effort to recruit and support young teens. “I was misleading others, but I was being misled myself,” he says. Now he’s putting that rapport to work for good, telling young people that he understands the gang life better than they ever could — and it’s a path they don’t want to travel.
That’s the basis of the national Credible Messenger program, and Orange County deserves credit for being the first region in Florida to adopt it after a recommendation by Mayor Jerry Demings’ Citizens Safety Task Force. Saldaña’s “Gloves Up. Guns Down” training, is already operating in five locations in the county — including the backyard of his own home, which has been outfitted with a fighting ring and other training equipment as well as beautiful murals created by some of his participants.
The most negative reaction Saldaña hears comes from people who say “Oh yeah, you’re teaching bad kids to fight,” he says. His response: Martial arts discipline actually encourages its followers to seek nonviolent responses, as opposed to picking up weapons, something too many Central Florida youth have easy access to.
The Credible Messenger program is showing the same kind of success it’s had in other communities. Saldaña is rightly proud of the fact that — across the five Orange County locations — none of his active participants has been arrested, and nobody has been seriously injured.
He’s alreadty working to expand opportunities for local participants. This summer he expects to launch a breakdancing initiative under the leadership of celebrity dancer “Mr. Wave,” a pioneer of the New York break scene — keeping in mind the reality that breakdancing is now an Olympic sport.
There’s one more thing Saldaña is happy to announce: He’s reviving his own fighting career, planning two bouts in the coming months. “It’s not full-contact,” he says. “What brains I have I wanna keep.” But for the local teens who have learned to look up to him and the mentors he recruits, it’s Ruben Saldaña’s heart they appreciate the most.
