LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass today issued the following statement ahead of the final weekend of Summer Night Lights (SNL), a program that provides safe, family-friendly programming as a strategy to prevent violence in certain neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. SNL is part of a proven comprehensive strategy to reduce violent crime and improve health across the City. This summer, SNL has been in more than 40 sites across the City of Los Angeles on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm until August 10th. Please see photos here.
This year, more than 600 Angelenos have been hired to support SNL, and more than 80,000 residents and visitors have attended. SNL programming includes free meals, sports and fitness, family-friendly activities and community resources connections, such as financial literacy workshops. Please see more information on locations here.
“We must expand our comprehensive approach to safety,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “Summer Night Lights has served communities across the City of Los Angeles at more than 40 sites for young Angelenos and families to enjoy while helping Los Angeles stay safe. It is critical that we provide safe spaces for neighbors to come together and access community resources.”
Summer Night Lights is put on in partnership with the Los Angeles City Council and City departments, including the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. It is part of the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) comprehensive strategy to create communities that are healthy, peaceful and thriving.
SNL prioritizes place-based partnerships that facilitate community cohesion and civic engagement and promote connection to services and programs. The program is inspired by the Summer of Success program in South Los Angeles, which Mayor Bass was a part of as a community organizer.
SNL seeks to:
Increase access to prosocial activities;
Increase awareness of community resources;
Facilitate relationship-building between the community and Los Angeles Police Department;
Provide access to safe community spaces.
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.