Yasir was fatally shot on Monday night at what should have been a high point in his reformed life — he had just left a party in Copenhagen celebrating the release of a book about him, written with his cooperation. His death was big news in Denmark, lamented on the front pages of many newspapers.

“He was killed for what he said, not just because he left a brotherhood,” said Aydin Soei, an author and sociologist who interviews and writes about gang members. “The code is to leave the gang and shut up about it, but he went the other way. He stood up with his story, burning to break the chain feeding the gangs new members and to encourage others by saying there is an alternative to the gangs.”

Yasar had founded a gang, Los Guerreros, that became involved in drug trafficking, and he spent time in jail for violence, robbery, blackmail and unlawful imprisonment. Five years ago, he entered a state-run exit program for gang members, then became a radio host and a respected voice in Denmark’s debate about gang violence.

On Tuesday came the release of “Rodder: A Gangster’s Way Out,” written by a journalist, Marie Louise Toksvig. The Danish word “rodder” is used to mean both “roots” and “troublemakers.”

In an interview Sunday, Yasar, who was born in Turkey and had lived in Denmark since the age of 4, said his decision to leave the gang took shape when he learned he was having a son.

“I was afraid he would look at me like I saw my father, so I had to choose: Do you want a son growing up looking at you thinking you’re cool and then join the gangs and do crime to get your recognition?” he told TV2. “Or do you want to leave the environment so your son can see you in a different way and respect you for the human being you are?”

The New York Times

Martin Selsoe Sorensen © 2018 The New York Times