Attorney General Holder Addresses White House Conference on Gang Violence Prevention
August 31, 2009
In remarks addressing the recent White Conference on Gang Violence Prevention and Crime Control, Attorney General Eric Holder commended Los Angeles' Summer Nights Light program, an initiative of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Gang Reduction Program, as a “different innovative approach to crime fighting.”
“Summer Night Lights, in partnership with community organizations, offers safe and healthy alternatives to crime and delinquency at night,” the Attorney General reported. “It literally turns the lights on in parks where crimes often occur, and offers recreational, educational, and artistic activities instead. The program is an example of innovation upon innovation. The Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention helped fund a pilot "Gang Reduction and Youth Development Zone" in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles, and the City of Los Angeles reported that this program helped reduce gang violence in that area by 40 percent. Now the city runs ‘zones' across the city and Summer Night Lights in 15 sites.”
Resources:
Attorney General Holder's remarks may be viewed at www.usdoj.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-090824.html.
For additional information about OJJDP's efforts to prevent gang involvement, visit ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/programs/antigang/index.html.
Return to Archives
|
