by LA1 News
Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti rolled out some heavy hitters yesterday for the 2016 kickoff to the Summer Night Lights (SNL) program at Highland Park Recreation Center. The Mayor was there with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and LAFD Chief Conrad Terrazas. Even 'Big Game' James Worthy was on hand to tout the program’s positive effects. "Let me just end with some statistics, Garcetti said toward the conclusion of his speech. "This year we hired 352 young people, aged 17 to 24, as members of the [SNL] Youth Squad. It is those people on the front line who are making the difference."
Garcetti’s predecessor, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, originated the SNL program. It became one of Garcetti’s prime examples of things that went right with the city, and he made it clear the program needed to continue. “The police department was not on board when the program was first brought to the table.” Garcetti said at the podium. “They said that the number of violent crimes at and near our parks would rise as a result, but the opposite happened.”
When Garcetti was city councilman for the 13th District, he began a program called "At the Park After Dark," which included sports and counseling programs for the local youth. Former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa adopted the program as Summer Night Lights nine years ago, and expanded it into some of the the most gang-infested parks in the city. Highland Park Recreation Center was one of the primary targeted locations since the start of SNL. The program is a public-private partnership that includes donations from foundations and corporations. Before the public speech yesterday, certain donors and corporate media partners were invited inside the recreation center for a private gathering. After the indoor event, the contingency came outside to face the commoners.
Attorney General Lynch, fresh off a controversial 30-minute meeting with former President Bill Clinton in Phoenix on Monday, agreed with the success of the program in helping to steer both youth and adults in a direction opposite to crime. She also took the time to acknowledge the protesters in the crowd. "Hold your signs up high, some of our best ideas come of it," she said to the folks holding signs of protest. The messages printed on the signs referred the displacement of local residents in NELA and the disastrous results of the Baltimore Police Department's arrest and transport of 25-year-old African-American Freddie Gray in April 2015. In support of Garcetti's local efforts, Lynch said, "It is great seeing public officials engaging our day-to-day struggle for the next generation of our city." The protesters were members and supporters of the groups Northeast Los Angeles Alliance and Black Lives Matter, among others.
