LA Spin
Crime Statistics in Los
Angeles
There has been much discussion
lately as to what the latest crime statistics for Los Angeles
and for the United States are telling us.
Over the last two years, violent
crime rose by double-digit percentages in cities across the
country.
Los Angeles, however, has bucked that
trend. Crime in Los Angeles is down to
historic lows and residents here are safer today than
they have been in 50 years.
But while overall
crime went down for the fifth straight year in Los Angeles,
gang crime is on the rise. In fact, gang
crime in the City rose 14% in 2006.
Violent street gangs are responsible for a majority of the
murders and nearly 70% of the shootings in the
City.
The time for a coordinated,
well-funded plan specifically targeted to reducing gang crime
is now.
In February, the Mayor and
LAPD Chief Bratton released a citywide gang suppression
plan to target the worst offenders and the most violent street
gangs. This plan is the first step in an anti-gang
strategy which will be the most comprehensive and coordinated
effort the City of Los Angeles has undertaken, linking
federal, state and local law enforcement agency efforts along
with intervention and prevention initiatives.
With this plan, the City will aggressively
enforce the law, and be equally aggressive in
providing youth with opportunities, alternatives and hope
for the future.
The city is currently evaluating its Community
Development Department to determine which anti-gang models are
working, and which are not.
Recently, the Mayor met with the
U.S. Attorney General to ask for federal support
for these initiatives. They toured Homeboy
Industries, a successful program offering work alternatives,
tattoo removal, job support, and counseling to former gang
members. In Boyle Heights, where this program is
concentrated, gang crime has dropped by 44% in the past two
years, while in the surrounding areas it has risen
30%.
Efforts to make Los Angeles the safest big city in
the country must begin by reducing violent gang
crime.
The Mayor has mounted the most comprehensive
effort ever in the City of Los Angeles to accomplish this
through suppression, intervention and
prevention. Keep OurLA Green
L.A. River New Revitalization Master Plan
– Public Comments Welcome through March 27, 2007
Pushing to transform the city’s
32-mile stretch of the L.A. River, the Mayor joined
Councilmember Ed Reyes, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard
and other local elected leaders to tour the Los Angeles River
and promote the River Revitalization Master Plan. The
Master Plan provides a blueprint for improving the
environment, enhancing the river’s flood control features, and
providing greater public access to the river.
The Revitalization Master Plan is a
chance to create one of the world’s richest public spaces and
an emerald necklace of parks and walkways where children can
play and communities can reconnect. It also aims to spur
a renaissance of bold urban planning that will stimulate the
city’s economy and improve the quality of life for hardworking
families.
To provide comments on the master
plan, please call Carol Armstrong in the Department of Public
Works at 213-485-5762 or email.
To offer comments on the plan's environmental document,
send email.
Keep OurLA
Safe
Ex-Convict
Reentry Program
According
to state figures, 47 percent of ex-offenders in California are
sent back to prison within one year of their release, with
recidivism rates in Los Angeles County historically among the
highest in the state.
In order to address the root
causes of crime and recidivism, the Mayor announced a
comprehensive job-training, education, health care and housing
services program aimed at re-integrating ex-convicts into
their Los Angeles communities.
Funded by
a $1.2 million, 30-month grant from the state Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Re-Entry Employment
Options Demonstration Program will target prisoners leaving
the Lancaster State Prison for South and East Los Angeles
neighborhoods. The City’s Community Development Department
will coordinate the program, working with local job centers
and community and faith-based organizations to provide
intensive one-on-one and individualized mentoring and case
management of prisoners up to six months before they are
released and in the months following their release.
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It's
OurLA
Looking for a way to make your mark in
OurLA? Start
today by participating in one of the ways
below.
Big Sunday '07 is April 28th and
29th! Big Sunday '07: All Over Town. All
Weekend Long. Go to bigsunday.org
to donate funds or supplies. Volunteer registration
begins March 28th. For more info, go to the website or
call 213-978-0600.
Become a
Mentor! Studies have shown that students with
mentors are 70% more likely to graduate from high
school. 90% of these graduates go on to
college. Make a difference by going to connectinglosangeles.com.
Volunteer for
the City's Crisis Response Team! Contact Jeff
Zimerman at 213-978-0697 or send an email.
Bilingual speakers who speak Korean or Spanish greatly
needed.
Volunteer or become an intern in the Mayor's
Office. To get involved, contact Gabriela Ortiz
via email.
OurLA
Events
March is "Creative LA" month
in Los Angeles, one of the leading creative capitals
of the world. You still have time to catch one of these
events that showcases the creativity and diversity of the
great City of Angels.
Home Grown Short Film Festival
March 24, 11am – 4pm
Barnsdall Gallery Theatre
4800
Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90027
An exciting mix of
shorts and original music videos from local talented
artists.
Listen, Learn & Make Workshop: The Art of
Henna
March 24, 1 - 1:30pm SAG BookPALS Story
Reading, 1:30 – 3:30pm Family Art Workshop
Craft and Folk
Art Museum
5814 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
90036
(Recommended for families with children ages 3-12, $6
per child). Learn about the power of henna and the symbols in
our Healing exhibition to design fascinating tattoos for you
and your friends.
La Traviata, Performed by Center Stage Opera
Mar 24, 7:30pm and Mar 25, 2pm
Madrid Theatre
21622 Sherman Way
Canoga Park, CA 91303
Call
818.347.9938 for ticket information.
Technology Day
March
24, 9am – 5pm
Aquarium of the Pacific
320 Golden
Shore
Long Beach, CA 90802
Children’s Art Fest
March 25, 10am
– 4pm
Star Eco Station
10101 W. Jefferson
Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Curiosity Sessions....Healing
Rituals and Objects
March 29, 7 – 9pm
Craft
and Folk Art Museum
5814 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
90036
Fee: $35 CAFAM members/$25 non-members
Participate in an exploration of healing rituals through a
hands-on workshop where you will create healing
objects.
Ukrainian Pysanka (Easter
Egg)
March 31, 1 - 4pm
Craft and Folk Art
Museum
5814 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Fee:
$30/$20 for CAFAM Members For Ages: 10 & up.
Learn the
traditional wax resist method of decorating Ukrainian Easter
Eggs, or Pysanky.
World City: Gangbé Brass Band
– Music from Africa
March 31, 11am &
12:30pm
Walt Disney Concert Hall
111 S. Grand
Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Cesar Chavez Day Walk &
Festival
March 31, 8am
Historic Olvera
Street
125 Paseo de la Plaza
Los Angeles, CA
90012
Go to http://www.ufwfoundation.org/
to sign up or call 323-722-0118.
6th Annual Cherry Blossom
Festival
March 31, 11am - 9pm
April 1, 11am -
5pm
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
Plaza
244 S. San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA
90012
Asian
Pacific-Islander American Heritage Month begins in
April. Go to http://www.apahm.org/ to find
out about upcoming events.
Big Sunday
'07 is April 28th and 29th! Big
Sunday '07: All Over Town. All Weekend Long. Go to http://www.bigsunday.org/
to donate funds or supplies. Volunteer registration
begins March 28th. For more info, go to the website or
call 213-978-0600.
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