Summer Night Lights, a youth program offering activities and meals during the evening hours at city parks in areas with high violent crime rates is being offered now through Aug. 28, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti and Police Chief Charlie Beck.
Garcetti also announced that once summer ends, a similar program will continue at some parks, just on Friday nights, “so residents can continue to enjoy recreational open spaces without fear.”
The expanded parks program was originally announced during Garcetti’s State of the City speech.
The Summer Night Lights program, now in its eighth year, offers sports and arts-related activities, meals and later park hours — 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — from Wednesdays to Saturdays, through Aug. 1.
Those same evening hours will only be effective on two days, Fridays and Saturdays, starting Aug. 7 and lasting until Aug. 28.
A map of the participating parks can be found at www.lamayor.org/summer_night_lights.
“Summer Night Lights has transformed communities once plagued by gang violence by providing safety and job opportunities to our city’s young Angelenos during the critical summer months,” Garcetti said.
The Summer Night Lights program also employs at-risk youth between 17-24 years old as part of a Youth Squad that helps conduct the summer park activities.
Half of the program’s cost is paid by private donations, including from The Walt Disney Co. and the Weingart Foundation.
— City News Service