Gang Reduction Strategy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 30, 2008
MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA TO KICK OFF SUMMER-LONG GANG REDUCTION EFFORT AT CITY PARKS
“SUMMER NIGHT LIGHTS” will keep eight parks in City GRYD zones open after dark, organize sports and arts programs for at-risk youth, and offer kids job opportunities and a safe haven throughout the summer
LOS ANGELES - Taking action to combat gang violence during the traditionally most-violent summer months, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined City officials and community leaders today to kick off “SUMMER NIGHT LIGHTS,” a new anti-gang initiative that will keep eight City parks open after dark, organize activities for at-risk youth, and offer kids job opportunities and a safe place to spend the summer.
The Mayor was joined by Council President Eric Garcetti, Councilmembers Jose Huizar and Ed Reyes, LAPD Chief William Bratton, USC Football Coach Pete Carroll, CBS2 Sports Anchor Jim Hill, and representatives from participating non-profit and community-based organizations.
“Summer Night Lights will be a catalyst for change in our neighborhoods,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “This program will usher in a summer of hope, safety and opportunity for local youth, and it will serve as a model for combating gang violence nationwide.”
“SUMMER NIGHT LIGHTS” targets eight park facilities in the City’s Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) zones with expanded programming, after-school activities, athletic leagues, arts initiatives and family programs. The program was developed in partnership with Coach Carroll’s non-profit organization, A Better LA, the Department of Recreation and Parks, the LAPD, the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the LA Unified School District (LAUSD).
The “Summer Night Lights” program has three major components:
- Extended Hours & Programming: From July 4 - Labor Day, eight Recreation Centers will extend their hours until midnight, four nights a week (Wednesday - Saturday) and expand programming to include youth-centered recreational, educational and artistic activities (sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs) to engage youth in positive activities during peak times for violence.
- Youth Squad: Ten community coordinators have been hired to create and staff the extended hours and programs at each park. Community coordinators are at-risk youth, ages 17-20, who have received extensive training and will receive stipends for 10 weeks.
- Cease-Fire: Intervention workers will help maintain cease-fires on site at Recreation Centers and in the surrounding community. They will assist in hiring and overseeing community coordinators and assist with expanded programming.
Youth in each community will register and participate in numerous activities free of charge. Each park will host basketball and soccer leagues that will culminate in an end-of-summer sports tournament, sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development. In addition, all parks with swimming pools will have extended swim hours and Beyond the Bell’s LAUSD “Mobile Skate Van” program will be stationed at each park to providing safe skateboarding opportunities.
On top of the athletic activities, the Department of Cultural Affairs has developed “Cultural Unit Art Teams” consisting of master artists who will provide engaging, youth-centered arts activities in each of the parks. Workshops will include experiences in acting, dance, hip-hop, fashion, design, T-shirt printing, make-up design, special effects, music, drumming, spoken word, and sound engineering.
The Department of Cultural Affairs will also host film screenings with local film makers and guest artists who have finished works of significance relevant to youth. These creative-skill-building programs are meant to empower students and inspire collaboration and unity through the arts.
SUMMER NIGHT LIGHTS SITES
This effort will keep each City park open and fully-staffed from 7:00 PM to midnight on Wednesday through Saturday between July 4 and Labor Day.
The participating parks and locations are:
1. Jim Gilliam Park - Baldwin Village/ Southwest
2. Ramon Garcia Park - Boyle Heights/ Hollenbeck
3. Cypress Park - Northeast
4. Glassell Park - Northeast
5. Mount Carmel Park - Florence-Graham/77th Division
6. Ross Snyder Park - Newton
7. Hubert Humphrey Park - Pacoima/ Foothill
8. Ramona Gardens Recreation Center - Ramona Gardens/Hollenbeck
Under Mayor Villaraigosa’s direction, each GRYD Program Manager has convened a local park advisory board to ensure that key local stakeholders are involved in the planning and implementation process, including LAPD, LAUSD, Recreation and Parks, Cultural Affairs, community and faith-based organizations, gang intervention workers, community residents, youth, business leaders and Neighborhood Councils.
SUMMER NIGHT LIGHTS SUPPORTERS
“SUMMER NIGHT LIGHTS” will be funded entirely through philanthropic donations. After the City Council transferred control of the City’s gang reduction programs to the Mayor’s office, Rev. Jeff Carr - the Mayor’s director of gang reduction and youth development - raised nearly $1 million for the summer program.
The following organizations stepped up to the plate and contributed to this initiative:
• The Weingart Foundation
• The California Endowment
• The Ahmanson Foundation
• The Eisner Foundation
• The LA84 Foundation
• The Wellness Foundation
• Wells Fargo Bank
• The Hauptman Family
• An anonymous donor
GRYD COMMUNITIES
Research has consistently shown that youth are most likely to commit violent crimes between the hours of 4:00 PM and midnight. Crime tends to spike during the summer months when longer daylight hours result in youth searching for activities to cure restlessness and boredom.
According to LAUSD, nine middle and high schools across the City will transfer to a traditional school calendar this year, leaving 24,090 more students out of school looking for activities during the summer months.
For low-income communities, increases in crime have largely been attributed to a lack of resources, such as jobs, after-school programs and positive summer activities for youth. Programs such as “Summer of Success” - conducted in Council District 10 in 2003 and 2004 - and “At the Park, After Dark” - a Council District 13 effort last summer - have proven that implementing programs during these peak hours in the summer months can engage young people and lead to reductions in incidences of crime and violence.
The communities surrounding the eight parks have large numbers of youth, high rates of violence and low socio-economic status. While 19 percent of LA families live in poverty, nearly 30 percent in these areas live below the poverty line. In addition, a staggering 57 percent of adult residents in these neighborhoods lack a high school diploma and roughly 40 percent of these communities are under the age of 18 - making youth-oriented summer programming especially important. Finally, out of the 2,476 LAUSD students on probation, 31 percent attend schools within the eight targeted zones.
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