Lighting Fighting Crime

Fighting gang crime in Los Angeles is as easy as leaving the lights on at neighborhood parks.

1 minute read

July 13, 2009, 12:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


The Summer Night Lights program operates in a number of parks throughout the city, keeping lights on until midnight to provide a safer public space. The program targets parks in some of the city's most dangerous and crime-prone neighborhoods

"The program began in a modest incarnation last year, when antigang outreach workers raised almost $1 million in private donations to illuminate eight parks. The lights spread to 16 locations on Wednesday, including Harvard. Even amid dire financial straits, city officials have pledged to match $1.4 million in private donations to finance the lights, along with sports leagues, disc jockeys and food four nights a week in the parks through August.

'These neighborhoods with gang problems don't have a lot of assets,' said the Rev. Jeff Carr, who leads the program. 'But there is a school, a park and a rec center. Those are public assets. Let's use those to create social connections that replace gangs.'"

Saturday, July 11, 2009 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

3 hours ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

4 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

5 hours ago - Los Angeles Public Press