For many, a tattoo can be a declaration of survival, of love and of independence, like a trophy.
For some others, especially people who have survived trauma, tattoos related to the past can be a hindrance in their efforts to progress in their lives. Coverups and especially tattoo removals can be prohibitively expensive.
This is where Chris Baker steps in. Since 2011, Baker, who is based in the far west Chicago suburb of Oswego, has been offering free coverups and removal services for people including ex-gang members and survivors of sex trafficking and domestic violence, whose ink serves as unwelcome reminders of the lives they’re trying to leave behind.
Since Baker’s tattoo shop, Ink180, opened its doors, he estimates they’ve done over 2,000 free coverups or removals. Though his shop offers regular, paid tattoos and piercings, Baker says 80 percent of the work is pro bono services for survivors. Beyond that, the shop runs entirely off donations.
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One of Ink180’s two mobile tattooing units.
Most of the shop’s trips into the city end with a meal shared between survivors, service providers and tattoo artists alike. At a barbecue this past summer, Baker says former members of two rival gangs sat next to each other after receiving services, a peaceful scene that would have been practically unimaginable just a few years before.
“I just wanted to do something to try and give people an option, to help people who wanted to change and get out of that lifestyle and not have that constant reminder, to allow them to go out and get a job and live their life without having to look over their shoulder every five minutes,” Baker said. “We wanted to give people a second shot.”
