Removing gang tattoos, changing lives for a new start

MARIA HELD her arm at the elbow, forearm facing up. With the black arm of the machine in hand, Anne Pilat traced the tattoo on Maria's forearm. The laser flashed."How does it feel?" Pilat asked."It hurts," Maria said. She didn't pull her arm back from the laser wand.Maria wore a black T-shirt decorated with "2000 Bebe" in sparkling letters. Her mother sat in a nearby chair. She had her graying