Kids and teens hang out at the United Playaz headquarters inside the SOMA Recreation Center in San Francisco. Some spend time inside producing music in their studio. Others use the computers or play video games, ping-pong or basketball.

Without United Playaz, these teens would probably be on the streets getting into trouble with gangs, dealing drugs, stealing or getting arrested, like Rudy Corpuz Jr. was when he was a teenager.

A truly powerful leader, Corpuz is founder and director of United Playaz, a violence prevention and leadership development program. He’s able to reach the troubled teens in a way that most can’t. He can understand where they’re coming from and what they’ve been through. He even dresses like the teens he counsels, sporting a hoodie, baggy jeans, braids, do rag and tattoos.

As an ex-gang member turned educator, Corpuz shares his experiences with troubled teens and helps them develop life skills to deal with the streets. As the United Playaz motto goes, “It takes a thug to save a thug.”

Gang violence is an ongoing problem in the San Francisco Bay Area. This year alone, there have been 47 homicides in San Francisco as of press time, according to the San Francisco Police Department. Many are gang related.

United Playaz was founded in 1994 when Corpuz was a counselor at Balboa High School in San Francisco. He was motivated to start his organization because the school was full of violence between Filipino and black gangs.

“We were fighting an uphill battle,” Corpuz said. “The battle was violence, it was racism, it was poverty, a lack of jobs, a lack of housing, lack of understanding – you feel me? – It was hatred. All these things combined into one equals destruction. They were heading for self-destruction.”

Corpuz is not fighting the battle alone. He has help from United Playaz volunteers and staff, including his 22-year-old nephew, Dante Corpuz.

Dante Corpuz said he felt like a freedom fighter.

“You feel me? That’s how I feel. The United Playaz is like a tribe to empower the youth,” he said.

The younger Corpuz has been involved in United Playaz for 10 years. The organization was around his neighborhood as he was growing up and he decided to give back to his community by getting involved.

Rudy Corpuz Jr. and his staff go into schools and into the community to conduct conflict education, sports programs, tutoring, field trips, college tours, prison tours, and tours to the morgue.

At a June 20 rally in the Western Addition, Playaz staff marched with the crowd, chanted “Peace on our streets,” and gave speeches about how kids need to have things to do after school.

Balboa High School is one of the main schools that United Playaz visits to educate troubled teens. The juvenile justice system and schools also refer youth to the program.
Precious Washington, 17, has worked for United Playaz for three months.

“A friend told me about the program. I liked how they got down, how they handled their business,” Washington said. “Rudy helped me out to stay in school, because I was doing bad.”

While attending Balboa High School, Washington would cut class but Corpuz helped her get back on track.

“Instead of going the opposite direction, they kept kept me going forward, telling me you’re doing good but you’re walking the halls, so I stopped walking the halls,” she said.

United Playaz is mostly male, but Washington recently started a group for girls.

“I told them the group is for them, so whatever you guys want to do they want to do – go on a field , go to movies, go rock climbing, whatever you want to do,” she said. “We made up a rule – no boys allowed.”

J.D. Tupuola , 21, also a staff member, was introduced to the program when he was in juvenile hall and Rudy Corpuz Jr. came to visit.

“United Playaz, to me is unity, of like playaz in the game, of youth and OGs (original gang members) now trying to give back,” Tupuola said.

Tupuola said United Playaz gave him “something to do, somewhere to go,” when he comes home. Last year, when he got out, he came home “to open arms” because of United Playaz.

Corpuz has a strong impact on the teens he works with and the people he meets.

“It’s not just me,” he said. “I give credit to the man upstairs, G-O-D. He put certain people in my path to help us mold this into something that that was beautiful … I just helped put it together.”