110,000+ Angelenos Across LA Gathered for Summer Night Lights as Crime Continues to Decrease

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Participants of Summer Night Lights program. Photo courtesy of Mayor Bass

 

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Karen Bass Aug. 12 marked the end of Summer Night Lights or SNL, a program that provides safe and community-centered programming as a means to prevent violence in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. SNL is part of Mayor Bass’ comprehensive approach to public safety that has delivered results for Los Angeles.

“Crime continues to drop in Los Angeles, with the City on pace to reach a 60 year low in homicides. We are seeing these results because of programs like Summer Night Lights that contribute to our comprehensive approach to public safety,” said Mayor Karen Bass.

SNL programming includes free meals, sports and fitness, family-friendly activities and connections to community resources, such as financial literacy workshops and mental health services. The program is inspired by the Summer of Success program in South Los Angeles, which Mayor Bass helped create as a community organizer at Community Coalition. Last summer, SNL had more than 80,000 participants. This year, SNL had more than 110,000 participants come together at 42 local parks and recreation centers across Los Angeles.

Recent data from the Los Angeles Police Department shows the impact of these efforts:

  • A 45% decrease in gang-related homicides in GRYD zones compared to 2023.
  • GRYD zones have seen a 56% decrease in gang-related homicides compared to 2022.
  • A 48% drop in the number of victims shot in gang-related conflicts.
  • GRYD’s programming, including SNL, contributed to a 26% reduction in gang-related homicides in the City of Los Angeles in 2023 according to LAPD’s 2023 Homicide Report.

Summer Night Lights seeks to:

  • Increase access to prosocial activities and awareness of community resources.
  • Facilitate relationship-building between the community and Los Angeles Police Department.
  • Provide access to safe community spaces.

Mayor Bass established the office of community safety to prevent crime through community-led approaches to increase safety and wellbeing. Summer Night Lights ran July 31 through August 8 from 6 to 10 p.m., at parks across Los Angeles.

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