Albert Santucci knows all about gang violence.

The man behind gang war reconciliation meetings taking place across the Island was a gang member himself until he turned his life around and got more active in the church.

?I have choices today and my choice was to turn my life around,? said Mr. Santucci, 44

Hours after the first meeting at the Bermuda Institute on Monday night, Mr. Santucci wanted ?to apologise to the young folk for the way (the) meeting went into the political arena.?

As a youth, Mr. Santucci said there was no such thing as gangs in Bermuda, but admitted that he was once part of a ?group of young people that were involved in illegal activities on a regular basis?.

He fled the jail sentence he felt was inevitable in Bermuda and went to America where things got worse for him.

?To the point of carrying firearms for protection.

?I started to get involved over my head in drug dealing in Alabama and one day I went to a crack house to pick up money but picked up three bullets in my legs instead,? he said. ?And it came about as a result of who was in charge, about turf wars and something similar is happening in Bermuda.

?Bermuda is heading down the same path and I predict that the next thing to hit us will be drive-by shootings.?

But Mr. Santucci saw positive parallels between the Bermudian the American situation, namely that ?the young guys are not scared to stand up, to voice their opinions and be heard. It?s good that they stand up for what?s right,? he said.

?They can turn their lives around. I don?t understand this turf war, because in fact we are all Bermudians and this turf war should never have gotten this far. But now it has, mature members of society must listen to their concerns. There has been too many mature people putting themselves before the kids. All I hear from some is ?to bring back the cat of nine tails? but because that is about is inflicting pain it cannot be right,? Mr. Santucci said.

He said he wanted MPs to come to the meetings, but did not want them to enter political debates.

?The meeting was about young people in trouble and that personal agendas needed to be put aside unless your agenda is about these young people.?

As the microphone was being passed around a young man stood up to say: ?Everything is always about politics, you use us like little pawns! More youth centres are needed in Bermuda ? in St. George?s, Somerset, Hamilton and Devonshire?.

For for some reason some feel the existing one is a flop,? Mr. Santucci said and ?he wanted something more positive to do?.

The next meeting takes place at Victor Scott Primary School on Saturday at 7 p.m.