'Black Ink' looks to change negative stereotypes of Compton

Danny "KP" Kilpatrick has inked tattoos for Diddy, Nas, Taraji P. Henson and numerous other stars, but his latest venture aims to create a safe space in his hometown of Compton.

Kilpatrick stars in "Black Ink Crew: Compton," the newest VH1 series that chronicles prominent tattoo artists. He hopes his shop can help change the image of a city known for gang culture and high murder rate.

"We're showing we can unite. We're shedding a different light of Compton through art, our ink and music," he said of the series, which airs Wednesdays on VH1. He's a native of the area and owner of iAMCompton, which is considered the community's first black-owned tattoo shop.

This Aug. 15, 2019 combination photo photo shows, from left, Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, Christian "Ink Drippin'" Thomas, Erica "Barbie" Thompson and Timothy "Tim" Simmons, cast members in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Kilpatrick and his crew of tattoo artists attempt to make the shop a "safe zone" in Compton and help build up one of the most economically underserved communities in the United States. He believes attracting a mix of outside clients and locals to the appointment-only shop can start to make that happen.

The reality series is the third spinoff of the "Black Ink Crew" franchise. The other locations include Chicago and New York, which is currently airing its eighth season on Sundays.

Kilpatrick, 36, has already made his mark as a famed tattoo artist for several celebrities including Travis Scott. He could have opened a tattoo shop in a more popular area in Los Angeles, but he felt compelled to plant roots where he grew up to show that a black-owned business can thrive in Compton, a city of roughly 100,000 people south of downtown Los Angeles.

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Before that could happened, Kilpatrick and his cousin Tim Simmons met with Compton's rival gang leaders at a dimly lit warehouse to seek their approval to open the shop, which turned into a small scuffle. He later got the blessing from a group of gang members who barged into the shop's ground-breaking party.

Those scenes were intense, but some on social media said they thought the interactions with gangs were staged. The cast insists everything they filmed is real, especially the aftermath of a shooting at a barbershop near their business.

"We've had some negative press saying 'Oh, you're making Compton look bad.'" said Erica "Barbie" Thompson, a receptionist at the shop. "At the end of the day, the stuff that's being shown is real. This is really happening in Compton. We're just now seeing it on VH1 instead of the news. We're not showing anything that's not happening. Our goal is to try to clean this up the best way we can. We're not making up false gang allegations. It's real out here."

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Kilpatrick said he was grateful to earn the gang leaders' support to bring peace to the neighborhood. He envisions a day when he'll have his celeb friends and other clients feeling comfortable enough to visit Compton without any worries.

"People in this city actually want change," said Kilpatrick, a former college football player who was kicked out of school after a drug charge. He learned the art of tattooing after selling his drawings to a local tattoo parlor more than a decade ago.

"This is my second chance," he said. "And honestly, nobody wants to be going to funerals all the time. I grew up and ran these streets. For me now, I'm really telling the homies like 'Yo, I'm doing something. It could be big for all of us.' This show will show that people can positively change the way they live."

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Simmons said their meeting with gang leaders was imperative, calling it "hood politics." He said they couldn't safely open their shop or film the show in Compton without the gangster's permission first.

"You have to start with the homies," said Simmons, who is also a former college football player. "They are the ones who keep the violence up or down. You get them, then corporate sees that and now they want to invite you in. You got power. Once you show you got power, then you can change the environment."

Christian "Ink" Thomas wants to connect the divided worlds between the city's black and Mexican residents, some of whom have been at odds for years.

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

"The two people who damn near hate each other the most, that's who I am," said Thomas, a tattoo artist at iAMCompton who is Mexican and black. "I want to show that you can be whatever you are mixed with. You can be bigger than what your mix came out to be. When you start with the color of your skin, then it goes to the color of your rag, then to the color of your laces. We're artists. We make that perfect blend work."

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MrLandrum31

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Erica "Barbie" Thompson, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Christian "Ink Drippin'" Thomas, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Christian "Ink Drippin'" Thomas, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Timothy "Tim" Simmons, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

GUANARE, Venezuela (AP) — Freedom came too late for Edilson Torres.

The police officer was buried Tuesday in his humble, rural hometown following his death in a Venezuelan prison, where he was held incommunicado since being detained in December on what his family said were politically motivated accusations.

Torres, 51, died of a heart attack Saturday, just as his family awaited the government's promised release of prisoners following the U.S. capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro. The loss left his family reeling.

Now scores of families — who once hesitated to approach advocacy groups — are coming forward to register their loved ones as “political prisoners" in the hope that they might have a more optimistic future than Torres.

Foro Penal, which tracks and advocates for Venezuelan prisoners, has received a “flood of messages” from families since last week, said Alfredo Romero, director of the nongovernmental organization.

“They didn’t report it out of fear, and now they’re doing it because, in a way, they feel that there is this possibility that their families will be freed,” Romero said. “They see it as hope, but more importantly, as an opportunity.”

The head of Venezuela’s national assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, said last week that a “significant number” of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country would be released as a gesture to “seek peace” following the operation that captured Maduro in the early hours of Jan. 3. The U.S. and Venezuela's opposition have long demanded the widespread release of detained opposition figures, activists and journalists, whom they claim are used as a political tool by the ruling party.

Venezuela’s government denies that there are prisoners unjustly detained, accusing them of plotting to destabilize Maduro’s government.

Following Torres' death, Venezuela's Attorney General Tarek William Saab said in a statement that the case had been assigned to a terrorism unit and “was linked to criminal activities detected by state security agencies.” He did not offer any details, but the vague language tracks with past accusations leveled against real or perceived government critics.

Romero said that of the roughly 300 families who reached out to Foro Penal, about 100 cases so far have been confirmed as politically motivated. Most of those reported over the past few days, he said, once worked for Venezuela's military. That is on top of more than 800 people that the organization says continue to be detained for political reasons in Venezuela.

As of Tuesday evening, Foro Penal had confirmed 56 prisoners it said were detained for political reasons had been freed. The group criticized the lack of government transparency over the releases. Venezuela’s government negated the organization's count, and reported a far higher figure of 400 Tuesday afternoon.

But the government did not provide evidence of the releases, a time range in which they were carried out nor identify those freed, making it impossible to determine whether those freed were behind bars for political or other reasons.

Before Torres' funeral on Tuesday, a procession of cars and motorcycles stopped at a local jail, where his wife remains detained on disputed accusations.

“My little brother, my little brother,” Emelyn Torres said between sobs after his casket, cloaked in Venezuela's flag, arrived at her home for the wake. A few feet away, their grandmother nearly fainted as dozens of people crammed into the living room to pay their respects.

Hours earlier, as a minivan transported the body of her brother 267 miles (430 kilometers) from the capital, Caracas, to Guanare, Torres learned that other men linked to the WhatsApp group that led to her brother's arrest had just been released from prison. She wailed.

Among those who have been released are: human rights attorney Rocío San Miguel, who immediately relocated to Spain; Biagio Pilieri, an opposition leader who was part of Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado’s 2024 presidential campaign; and Enrique Márquez, a former electoral authority and presidential candidate.

Italian businessman Marco Burlò, who was released from prison Monday, told reporters outside a Rome airport Tuesday that he was kept isolated throughout his detention, which he characterized as a “pure and real kidnapping.”

“I can’t say that I was physically abused, but without being able to talk to our children, without the right to defense, without being able to speak to the lawyer, completely isolated, here they thought that I might have died,” he said.

The small set of releases over the past few days continues to fuel criticisms by families, human rights watchdogs at the United Nations and U.S. politicians, who have accused the government of not following through on their word of a wider release.

But the rapid political shifts in the Latin American nation and the distant possibility of release simultaneously marked a rare moment of hope for many families who have spent years wondering if their loved ones would ever be freed.

Part of the reason that Romero said he believed so many people had not come forward is the government's ongoing crackdown on dissent since Venezuela's tumultuous 2024 election, which Maduro claimed to have won despite ample credible evidence to the contrary.

As mass street protests broke out, authorities said they detained more than 2,000 people. In the month after July elections, Venezuela's government passed a law — dubbed the “anti-NGO law” by critics — making it easier for the government to criminalize human rights groups.

That had a chilling effect, Romero said, making families hesitant to come forward — until now.

Janetsky reported from Mexico City.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Relatives of political prisoners gather at the Central University of Venezuela to call for their release in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Jacklin Ibarreto, whose father Miguel Ibarreto is detained, lays out photos of political prisoners at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Members of a motorcycle club, friends of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, carry his coffin at a cemetery in Guanare, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives stand by the coffin of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, in Guanare, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026.. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, gather around his grave during his funeral in Guanare, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Students lay out photos of people they consider political prisoners at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Jacklin Ibarreto, whose father Miguel Ibarreto is detained, waits outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Relatives and friends of political prisoners hold candles calling for their loved ones to be set free outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 after the government announced prisoners would be released. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Relatives stand beside the coffin during the wake of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, in Guanare, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

El Helicoide, the headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and detention center, stands in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Students lay out photos of people they consider political prisoners at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Flor Zambrano, whose son, Rene Chourio, she says is detained at Zone 7 of the Bolivarian National Police for political reasons, embraces relatives of other detainees outside the facility in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A photo of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, and his family adorns his coffin during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, sit by his coffin during his wake in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres leans over the casket of her brother, Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being detained on accusations of treason, during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres and Maria Cristina Fernandez, the sister and grandmother of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison after being detained on accusations of treason, embrace during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)