If You Turn on the Lights They Will Come

Updated 8:06 AM PST, Tue, Jun 30, 2009

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Starting this week, the lights will stay on until midnight at 16 parks across the city as part of a newly expanded anti-gang
program credited last year with helping Los Angeles record its safest summer since 1967.

   "Summer Night Lights" provides at-risk youths with organized activities aimed at keeping them out of trouble during the summer.

Last year, communities around parks that were part of the program experienced a 17 percent drop in violent gang crime, an 86 percent reduction in homicides, and a 23 percent decline in aggravated assaults, according to the mayor's office.

This year, the number of parks in the program has been doubled.

"This is our chance to build on last summer's success and take back our parks and communities," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said during a kick-off ceremony at the Imperial Courts Recreation Center.

"This summer, we're going to double-down on our efforts to invest in our youth and our broader strategy to push our sons and daughters to lead productive lives if given the chance," he said.

Police Chief William Bratton said the program gives youths an alternative to joining gangs.

"We know that our youth are more likely to become victims of gang violence than any other group. We know that the nighttime hours are when disproportionate amount of gang violence happens," he said. "The key word today and tomorrow is choice."

USC football coach Pete Carroll's nonprofit organization, A Better LA, helped develop some of the program's after-school activities, which include athletic leagues, arts initiatives and family programs.

The program keeps parks open until midnight on Wednesdays through Saturdays, and provides jobs to at-risk youths willing to oversee the park activities. "Intervention workers" were also hired to maintain ceasefires between gangs and the surrounding community.

The parks participating in Summer Night Lights are:   -- Cypress Park Recreation Center;   -- Denker Recreation Center;   -- Edward R. Roybal Learning Center;   -- Glassell Park;   -- Harvard Recreation Center;   -- Hubert Humphrey;   -- Imperial Courts Recreation Center;   -- Jim Gilliam Park;   -- Jordan Downs Recreation Center;   -- Lemon Grove Recreation
Center;   -- Mount Carmel Park - Florence-Graham;   -- Nickerson Gardens Recreation Center;   -- Ramon Garcia Recreation Center;   -- Ross Snyder Recreation Center;   -- Hubert Humphrey Memorial Park; and   -- Ramona Gardens Recreation Center.