So many possibilities and such a tragic loss | Maes | Opinion

During my 40-year legal career as a lawyer and judge, I have experienced many violent and negligent acts, often resulting in death or disability. The victims included the most vulnerable children, including young children, and the elderly, who were deprived of the opportunity to enjoy retirement after years of hard work and sacrifice.

Some were the result of wicked and despicable human acts. Others were the result of careless and negligent actions without malicious intent. Nevertheless, the trauma was tragic and often beyond comprehension.

The latter half of my career was devoted to presiding over matters relating to water law, the treatment of the mentally ill, the majority of truancy cases, and juvenile delinquency cases as a whole.

I have always loved working with children. I think it’s because I’m the eldest of 11 children and I saw the unconditional love that my parents gave me and my siblings. Before attending law school, I taught in his Head Start program and taught for two years as her sixth grade teacher in Gardner, a small farming community 40 miles from my hometown of Walsenburg.

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I think I may be a bit naive, but if society could utilize all available resources to help families in need, children would be better prepared to cope with whatever comes their way, so they could be better prepared for the future. I have always believed that the majority of problems do not exist. But I realized that my hopes might be a pipe dream.

Either way, in my work with people in the legal system, I have found that no matter how determined adult convicted felons are to change their lives, they always suffer from the stigma of a felony conviction and spend their entire lives in prison. I realized that I was going to struggle through it.

Recognizing that fact, I choose to work with children in the justice system. The aim is to curb their behavior before they reach adulthood so that they can be provided with hope and opportunity for a lifetime. My truancy and delinquency court is supported by every resource the community can provide our family, and has been an active participant in virtually every docket I have called. As a result, I got to know the children and their families on a very personal level.

I vividly remember the mid-1990s when there was gang violence in Colorado, including Pueblo. Children are being killed for the most stupid reasons and there is no justification for taking someone’s life.

It was heartbreaking to lose the children I had worked with to gang violence.

It’s been over 11 years since I retired. Unfortunately, I continue to learn of gang-related deaths of adults I once worked with as a child. The pain is still there, but it has eased to some extent with time and companionship.

In November, I attended the annual fundraising event hosted by Spark the Change. This event raises funds for local mental health pro bono programs.

As the program was coming to an end, a young man named Daniel approached me and asked if we could talk. He was fully tattooed. He was very articulate, well prepared and respectful. I learned that he had a very high level of gang affiliation, was incarcerated, and was interested in starting a nonprofit that would work with young people who were vulnerable to gang involvement. He knew that I had previously worked with his children and thought I might be able to mentor him. We agreed to meet last month.

He brought his mother to a meeting with him and explained that she would be a member of the board of directors. He said he wanted to work with children because of his own past and the fact that his son was murdered in early 2022.

Daniel demonstrated all the steps he took prior to our meeting to demonstrate good faith in securing a non-profit organization. This included coaching from Mark Salazar, director of the nonprofit Hard Knocks Gang Prevention. Salazar was deeply rooted in gang life and received a lengthy prison sentence as a result. He was involved in a gang and was shot and stabbed multiple times. Salazar works with several area agencies and is well-respected in the community.

I researched Daniel thoroughly and delved into his past life as a criminal with the aim of observing his reactions to the questions he would no doubt be asked along the way. He remained respectful and accepted responsibility for his past actions. I was very impressed with Daniel and convinced of his sincerity. I strongly believed that he would make a difference in the community as someone who could persuade young people at risk of becoming gangbangers to avoid that lifestyle. I was willing to work with him and defined further steps.

Daniel was shot and killed on December 31st, 11 days after we met. Daniel’s past gang members confronted him and he was unable to escape, resulting in his death.

I’m writing this article because I remember the days when I was dealing with these very issues every day. The impression Daniel left on me in such a short period of time convinced me that he would have a tremendous impact on the community. I know I could be wrong, but I was convinced that Daniel was real. His death had a profound effect on me, and I came to believe that his intuition was correct.

The sad reality is that wanting to escape gang life doesn’t mean you can. This sounds eerily similar to the words from “Hotel California.” “You can always check out, but you can never leave.”

Dennis Mace served as Pueblo’s 10th Judicial District Judge for 24 years, including 17 years as presiding judge. Previously, he served as a director of Pueblo County Legal Services, Inc. He served as a public defender and as a private attorney.