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"The culture here is that whoever has tattoos is a criminal,” said a former gang member undergoing painful tattoo removal.
"Potential employers shut the door on anyone who is tatted up, fearing street gangs that relentlessly extort businesses. When tattooed riders get on buses, fellow passengers often change seats or get off altogether.
Gangs have firebombed buses as part of widespread campaigns for extortion and turf.
“People panic when they see these guys,” said Gladis Pacheco, a psychologist at the Tattoo Removal Clinic run by the National Council of Public Security. “In this country, it is just a primordial requirement to get rid of one’s tattoos.”
