By City News Service
Photo: Mayor Eric Garcetti s Office
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - With the 2021-22 fiscal year budget increasing funding to the Gang Reduction and Youth Development Program by a third, Mayor Eric Garcetti said today that he met with the program s new recruits who will be using engagement strategies to reduce violence in their communities.
“Strengthening the human bonds in the neighborhoods we serve is essential to public safety, and that work starts by empowering the people who have earned the trust of their community, Garcetti said. “Keeping people safe isn t just a job for law enforcement it s a shared responsibility for all of us. That s why we re making unprecedented investments in alternatives to policing that reinforce our commitment to a community-based approach to re-imagining public safety.
‘We’re trying to prevent a mother from losing their child’: Gang interventionist on spike in gun violence Listen 15 min MORE Young activists rally to end gun violence in LA. Homicides in the City of Los Angeles are up 25% from last year, according to LA Police Department Chief Michel Moore. Photo by Hayk Shalunts/Shutterstock.
Homicides in the City of Los Angeles are up 25% from last year, according to LA Police Department Chief Michel Moore. The city has had 162 homicides from January 1 to June 22, compared to 129 homicides during the same period in 2020. Some are worried that the trend could worsen as we head into summer research shows that violence jumps during warmer weather.
Mayor Eric Garcetti today signed the city's $11.2 billion budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which allocates historic spending of nearly $1 billion to combat Los Angeles' homelessness crisis.