Get A Fix At The Shack

Editor's Note: This is part of a series of stories about local youth-centered programs in Watsonville that work to give kids and young adults skills to succeed. Patch is focusing on these positive efforts in the wake of gang violence that claimed the life of a Watsonville High freshman and injured a second teenage boy earlier this month.

Isn’t it frustrating to rummage in a toolbox for that special tool and all for a simple adjustment to a seat on a mountain bike? Or even worse, not even have a set of tools at all? Well don’t put that bike away just yet, because the kind and welcoming services of the Brown Berets are here to help and its location is not quite where you would expect to see off the street.

Just behind the Ramos Furniture store on Main Street in Watsonville sits a small bike shack sponsored and run by the Brown Berets of Watsonville. Open on Tuesday and Thursday from 4-6 p.m., the Bike Shack is there for people who need help with a missing chain or bent rim and can use any of the tools on hand to fix what’s necessary to get back on the road to ride once again.

Yesenia Molina, 21, born and raised in Watsonville has been a member of the Brown Berets since 2005 and is one of the leading coordinators of the Bike Shack.  The Bike Shack started with a group of Beret’s about two years ago and was actually brought up as an idea by the organization called the Bike Church that is based out of Santa Cruz. The crew from the Bike Church also helped out by donating tools and had some of their mechanics teach the youngsters from the Brown Berets the ropes on how to fix a bike with proper training.

“It started because there was primarily the immigrant community that lives here. So we were like it’s a good way to get bikes out for people who probably can’t be driving, or don’t have a license to drive, or can’t afford gas to drive to get around.” said Molina.

The Bike Shack is open to everyone and kids are strongly encouraged to come hang out to learn a thing or two about fixing bikes, and there’s no need to sign up or call ahead of time. People also shouldn’t be scared to show up because Sal Lua, Lorenzo Houlgin and Ray are the handy mechanics on site to help around.  And don’t be fooled by their age; they are knowledgeable and skilled when it comes to bike repairs.

“They’re the ones who fix, if people have questions I’m like ‘Sal, come here. Lorenzo, I need help’” said Molina.

The three mechanics are also paid a small sum of $20 every week to post up at the Farmers Market on Fridays in downtown Watsonville for a 4-hour shift. Lua, Houlgin and Ray are there with a friendly smile to help answer questions and in the process the youngsters also show the locals a thing or two about how to maintain or fix a bike. 

However, fixing bikes isn’t the only thing going on at the Bike Shack this winter.  Members of the Brown Berets organized toys for their annual toy drive and—along with Santa Claus and his elves—they dropped off gifts to the less fortunate children in Watsonville on Christmas Eve.

The next event after the toy drive will be a small fund raiser for the Watsonville Brown Berets that is called Cumbia Night. It takes place at 7 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Resource Center for Nonviolence on 515 Broadway in Santa Cruz.