Month-long series of community events follows gang-related shootout.
On the heels of a gang-related shootout on Drew Street, Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti announced that he will host a series of events to listen to community concerns and engage local residents in efforts to make their neighborhood safer.
“My top priority is making sure that our neighborhoods are safe places where families can thrive. We need to empower residents to work with each other and the police to stop the gang violence in Northeast L.A. These community events will give local families an opportunity to share their ideas for making their neighborhood safer and to learn about what they can do to help,” said Garcetti.
The month-long series of community public safety events will include a Public Safety Summit with Garcetti, Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, and other city officials. Participants in the Summit will have the opportunity to express their concerns, share ideas, and hear an update on current public safety efforts.
Garcetti will also host a Leadership Academy focused on public safety issues in the community. Workshops will be held by representatives of the L.A. Bridges gang prevention program, Human Relations Commission, local schools, and the City Attorney's Office. Participants will learn how to organize a successful neighborhood watch, participate in Garcetti’s anti-graffiti program, Uniting Neighborhoods to Abolish Graffiti (UNTAG), and become effective partners with LAPD Senior Lead Officers. The Garcetti Leadership Academies are held regularly and have trained more than 1,000 local residents to be effective advocates for their community.
All events will begin at 9 a.m., and the schedule of events includes:
• Saturday, March 8: Public Safety and City Services Outreach event to update residents on public safety issues and invite them to the Public Safety Summit and Leadership Academy. Washington Irving Middle School, 3010 Estara Avenue.
• Saturday, March 15: Glassell Park Public Safety Summit with Garcetti and Bratton. Washington Irving Middle School, 3010 Estara Avenue.
• Saturday, March 22: Leadership Academy on public safety in Glassell Park. Glassell Park Community Senior Center, 3750 Verdugo Road.
• Saturday, March 29: Community Picnic and Resource/Job Fair. Juntos Park, 3135 Drew Street.
For Garcetti, this series of events follows seven years of working to improve public safety in this part of the Glassell Park neighborhood. His efforts have included leading efforts to establish a neighborhood watch, coordinating neighborhood clean-ups, organizing door-to-door outreach events to inform local residents of anti-gang programs and other public safety resources available to them and their family members, and hosting community resource fairs to educate local residents on the city resources and community services available to them. Although violent crime is down significantly in the area, last Thursday’s tragic events demonstrated the need for this comprehensive response.
More information about the Public Safety Summit and Leadership Academy will be posted at
www.ericgarcetti.com as it becomes available. Residents can also register to participate in events by calling 323/957-4500.
