The National League of Cities (NLC) announced today that it has established a network of major California cities to help them combat gang violence and victimization. The first of its kind in the nation, the network will focus on identifying successful gang prevention policies and practices that interweave prevention, intervention, enforcement, and a community?s ?moral voice? as an alternative to prison-only solutions.
NLC is partnering with the Oakland-based National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) to launch the three-year project with support from the California Wellness Foundation. Participating cities will include Fresno, Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley), Oakland, Richmond, Sacramento, Salinas, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Rosa, and Stockton.
?Mayors and other city leaders across America have no higher priority than building safe and healthy communities,? said NLC First Vice President Bart Peterson, mayor of Indianapolis, Ind. ?NLC is determined to help cities keep their young people out of gangs and protect their residents from gang-related violence in their neighborhoods. We see this as the first in a series of initiatives sponsored by NLC to assist municipal leaders in addressing a variety of public safety problems. With the assistance of our partners, this network will allow us to focus attention on one geographic area and develop workable strategies that can be shared and used across the country.?
Led by the mayor?s office and law enforcement officials, each city will assemble a five-member team that includes key stakeholders such as probation and public health offices, schools, community-based organizations, and the faith community. The teams will work together to develop or refine comprehensive, locally appropriate action plans to address gang violence. NLC?s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF) and NCCD will promote cross-city collaborations, information sharing, and technical assistance that will lead to successful anti-gang strategies and to help frame state-level policies that support local efforts.
The first meeting of the California City Gang Prevention Network will take place in January 2007 in the San Francisco Bay area. Other planned activities include the creation of a statewide advisory board to include representatives from the California Office of the Attorney General, the Governor?s Office of Emergency Services, selected state legislators, the California Police Chiefs Association, the League of California Cities, the Urban League, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, The Prevention Institute, foundation representatives, and service providers such as Youth Alive, Barrios Unidos, Homeboy Industries, and California Youth Outreach.
Recent research by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention shows that gangs are responsible for a disproportionate amount of the unacceptable level of violence and criminal behavior now occurring in cities across the country.
?Gang violence is a growing public concern throughout California,? said Dr. Barry Krisberg, NCCD president. ?We believe that communities need comprehensive, evidence-based, and data-driven plans to guide their efforts.?
John Calhoun, former president of the National Crime Prevention Council and former U.S. Commissioner of the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, helped NLC design the project. ?The task of this initiative is to get in front of this issue, helping cities to address the gang problem successfully before public fears give rise to ineffective and counterproductive responses.?
The National League of Cities is the nation?s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC?s YEF Institute helps municipal officials take action on behalf of the children, youth, and families in their communities.
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