Maricela Pedroza, 23, who got three tattoos while running with a Long Beach street gang as a teenager, is a client with the tattoo-removal program Erase the Past. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Pedroza, the mother of a 6-year-old boy, joins hands with others in the program. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Dr. Bryna Kane, co-founder of the program, uses a laser to remove a tattoo from Pedroza’s chest. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Nary Rong, 26, a former gang member, grimaces while she has a tattoo removed from her ankle by Dr. Edward Glassberg, who co-founded the program with Kane. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Kane removes the tattoos of Angel Usi, an ex-gang member who has been participating in the program for the last seven years. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Volunteer Linda Gannon rubs antibiotic ointment on Rong’s back. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Kane gives Usi a supportive pat after a removal session. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Pedroza picks up her son, Andy, from day care after attending classes at Los Angeles Harbor College, where she is studying to be a crime scene investigator. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
