Jesus Bujanda wants to give certain individuals a second chance. Using his skills and know-how he started his mobile tattoo removal service.
Jesus Bujanda is a shop teacher at Jefferson High School in Edgewater. Sparked by concern for his nephew, he wanted to give individuals caught up in gangs and crime a second chance. He and his wife thought up the idea to have a mobile tattoo removal service for these individuals.
Utilizing his shop skills, Bujanda retrofitted an old ambulance with all the materials he needed to start his mobile tattoo removal idea. Inspiration came from his nephew. The young man had been incarcerated and had a large tattoo on his neck. What was once his girlfriend’s name, was covered up with a large dog bone. No matter what the tattoo was, coupled with his incarceration, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to get a job. He knew it had to be removed.
Seeing how much his nephew’s life improved after getting a dog bone removed, Bujanda realized how he could help other young people. If getting rid of a bone could help one person so much, getting rid of gang tats on youth could help them stay out of juvy or prison.
So began TattooEmergency911, a perfectly fitting name considering the revamped ambulance motif coupled with the urgency to get incarcerated individuals and at risk youth into more productive lives.
Bujanda has worked with at-risk youth throughout his entire career. He first offered up his service to a kid living in Greeley, living in transition housing. He hopes to visit Greeley at least once a month to do removals, knowing all too well Greeley’s history with gangs.
Bujanda is more than happy to give kids looking to improve their lives a deal on tattoo removal. He charges for removal on a case-by-case basis.
The ambulance’s inside is clean and looks like a clinic. It’s complete with barber chairs and of course the laser for removal. There is a bench, typically for a case manager and another person participating in the removal.
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Although Bujanda is in the business of helping kids wanting to improve their lives, he still has to take safety measures. Pens and staplers are hidden away, so that kids can’t take the materials and turn around and create a new tattoo. Though after going through the removal process, it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting another gang tattoo.
Describing the feeling of tattoo removal, Bujanda says it’s like hot bacon grease and electricity. Definitely not something you’d want to put yourself through more than once. This makes for a great lesson for these kids, especially if they’re considering hopping back into gang life. The scarring left from the process alone will probably sway someone from getting a gang tat again.
It’s not a quick process either. Especially when you consider the type of ink used. Blues and blacks are extremely pigmented, and are harder to remove than other colors. The mobile tattoo removal service does one treatment a month, which can’t be rushed for risk of blistering and scarring.
These cosmetic revamps run in the family too. Bujanda's wife, owns
her own brick and mortar in Denver that specializes in cosmetic permanent tattooing and several other spa and salon treatments.
Bujanda once believed he would open his own shop after retiring from teaching, but now he doesn’t think that will satisfy him. This awesome man wants to continue working with at-risk youth. He hopes to continue helping kids get a better shot at life by channeling all of his energy into TattooEmergency911.
Follow TattooEmergency911’s facebook for all your mobile tattoo removal needs! Updates, locations, contact information and more photos constantly posted so you’re always in the know!
