LA Fights Park Crime With Midnight Lights

Even gang members invited to summer nights of food, music

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 12, 2009 1:41 PM CDT

(Newser) – Los Angeles' rundown parks used to be hotbeds of gang violence that scared away law-abiding neighbors after dark, but a new program has brought both a sense of community and a reduction in crime, the New York Times reports. The solution, which has already seen... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

6 comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Miami Face-Eater Identified

'Serpent Pastor' Dies of Snake Bite

New York Times (Source Grid »)

Crime & Courts • Entertainment • US

gangs • Los Angeles • homicide • light • gang violence • public park

More Newser Stories

Los Angeles Gangs Make Peace to Boost Profits

Blood red and Crip blue make green

(NEWSER) - After decades of violent conflict, Los Angeles gangs like the Bloods and Crips are joining together across racial divides and neighborhood turf lines—not to end their life of crime, but to make more money from it. Gang violence in Southern California has plummeted in recent years as longtime enemy gangs unite against a common enemy: the stepped-up law enforcement effort against the gang-run drugs and weapons trade. More»

LA Mourns Slain High School Football Star

19-year-old gang member charged with capital murder

(NEWSER) - Mourners packed the funeral of a Los Angeles high school football star yesterday as police charged a gang member with capital murder in his death, the LA Times reports. The shooting of 17-year-old Jamiel Shaw only three doors away from his home was the latest in a spate of killings that has shocked even Angelenos numbed by gang violence. Shaw's alleged killer,19, is a member of the Hispanic 18th Street Gang released from jail a day before the killing. More»

Gang Gun Battle Shuts Down LA Neighborhood

Streets, schools closed after police shootout with drive-by killers

(NEWSER) - Dozens of streets in Los Angeles were shut down yesterday following a police gun battle with gang members, the Los Angeles Times reports. Schools were locked down and residents ordered to stay in their homes as police searched for suspects in a drive-by shooting that left a man dead from a dozen bullets. When police pulled over suspected gang members, they jumped out of their car, fired on officers, and fled on foot. More»

LA Murder Rate Plummets

Homicides at lowest rate since 1970

(NEWSER) - The murder rate in Los Angeles has sunk to its lowest in nearly 40 years, the Los Angeles Times reports. There have been 368 killings in the City of Angels this year, down from over 1,000 in 1992. The last time the murder rate was so low was 1970, when LA had 1 million fewer people, guns were less prevalent on the streets, and gangs were a smaller presence. More»

Ex-Gang Members Help LA Cut Homicides

Lowest rate since 1970 credited to 'gang interventionists' program

(NEWSER) - The Los Angeles homicide rate has dropped this year to the lowest level since 1970, a turnaround police credit in part to a new program using ex-gang members to prevent gang killings. Nine months after the mayor vowed to crack down on gang violence, homicides are down by 50% in some neighborhoods, the Los Angeles Times reports. A civil right attorney calls it a "paradigm-changing breakthrough." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

LA Fights Park Crime With Midnight Lights

Even gang members invited to summer nights of food, music

gangs • Los Angeles • homicide • light • gang violence • public park

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Los Angeles Gangs Make Peace to Boost Profits

Blood red and Crip blue make green

LA Mourns Slain High School Football Star

19-year-old gang member charged with capital murder

Gang Gun Battle Shuts Down LA Neighborhood

Streets, schools closed after police shootout with drive-by killers

LA Murder Rate Plummets

Homicides at lowest rate since 1970

Ex-Gang Members Help LA Cut Homicides

Lowest rate since 1970 credited to 'gang interventionists' program

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?