LOS ANGELES — Families that want to enjoy an evening of fun, laughter and activities may visit one of 42 city parks sponsored by Summer Night Lights, a program that is currently running Thursday through Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. until Aug. 9.
Families can venture into the parks and enjoy face painting, mask creation, ganes like spades or dominoes, and even entertainment like Aztec dancers. Free food and resources including information about job opportunities are available on site. A disc jockey provides music throughout the evening.
Since its inception in 2002, more than 80,000 Angelenos have participated in Summer Night Lights programs across Los Angeles.
“Summer Night Lights has been a success when it comes to decreasing violence for 23 years,” said Karen Lane, deputy mayor of community safety. “It’s an excellent program where we have the grandmothers, grandfathers and aunties participating in generational interaction with the youth. The Summer Night Lights program brings people together and keeps violence down across the city.
“Two LAPD police officers are assigned to the parks to engage with the community residents,” Lane added. “They are part of the safety strategy of the parks and they make sure security tensions remain low.”
Another organization that works closely with Summer Night Lights is the Gang Reduction and Youth Development program, whose members stroll the parks in an effort to curtail any signs of gang violence.
Summer Night Lights has been credited with helping the city record a 26% reduction in gang-related homicides, according to Los Angeles Police Department’s Homicide Report.
Melvin Haywood, senior director of the Gang Reduction and Youth Development program, said that his background includes a long history of doing community intervention work.
“We currently serve 23 zones and have 310 intervention workers,” said Haywood, who added that the parks have continued to remain safe places for families throughout the summer.
Lane said that being associated with the Summer Night Lights program has been a gratifying experience.
“I think seeing hundreds of people, both young and old, enjoying themselves in the parks brings me joy,” Lane said. “It’s wonderful to see the intergenerational communities coming together.”
Among the parks participating in the Summer Night Lights program are: Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, Algin Sutton Recreation Center, Mount Carmel Recreation Center, Van Ness Recreation Center, Denker Recreation Center, St. Andrews Recreation Center, Slauson Avenue Recreation Center, Green Meadows Recreation Center, Ross Snyder Recreation Center, South Park Recreation Center, Rancho Cienega Recreation Center, Trinity Recreation Center, Gilbert W. Lindsay Recreation Center, Jim Gilliam Recreation Center and the Lafayette Community Center.
Shirley Hawkins is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers. She can be reached at shirleyhawkins700@gmail.com.
