This week I kicked off another year of the Summer Night Lights program in Valley Plaza Park to provide a our community with a safe and enriching place for young Angelenos to spend their summer days as the school year ends.
The program, made possible by the Mayor's Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development, is an expanded series of evening events in public parks located in areas where crime has been a problem. Summer Night Lights keeps LA's youth engaged and off the streets, helping to reduce crime and violence during peak months for gang-related activity.
Currently in its eighth year, the citywide initiative is an opportunity to uplift our community. From now until Aug. 28, 32 parks across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, includingValley Plaza Park, will host programs and provide services, free meals, and fun activities for the whole family from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
In the past year, gang-related crime dropped by 15.4% at the 32 sites. Since the program's inception, it has hosted approximately 4.2 million visits from community members and served more than 2.6 million meals.
In places where our neighborhoods are endangered by crime and gang-related activities, Summer Night Lights is exactly the kind of programming we need to steer our youth away from negative influences and give them access to the many positive activities these city parks provide.
Click on the flyer below to see the where Summer Night Lights events are happening this summer.