Reclaiming Youth: How Los Angeles Can Be a Model for Gang Violence Prevention
Gang violence is one of Los Angeles’ most urgent community health issues. For five straight years, crime rates have fallen in Los Angeles, with one notable exception: youth gang violence. With an estimated 700 gangs and 40,000 gang members, Los Angeles is often labeled the gang capital of the world.
Watch a Nov. 15 panel discussion moderated by Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick and with featured participants Connie Rice, civil rights attorney and co-director of The Advancement Project Los Angeles; Rev. Jeff Carr, Los Angeles’s director of Gang Reduction and Youth Development; and Diego Vigil, professor of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine. The panelists candidly addressed the impact of persistent gang violence on the health and well-being of our communities as well as possible solutions for safer and healthier neighborhoods.
