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The organization that prevents gang violence in Los Angeles won city hall stairs on Tuesday to show how their work has improved Angelenos’ safety.
And they say they could potentially lose federal funds.
This comes shortly after a major announcement by the Los Angeles Police Department on Monday regarding crime data for 2024.
The number of violent crimes and victims has decreased, and gang-related incidents have also decreased.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday that gang-related murders fell 45% compared to 2023 and 56% compared to 2022 in the city’s 23 zones that were most affected by violence.
Also, compared to the previous year, the number of people shot and killed in gang-related conflicts in 2024 fell by 48%.
The mayor thanked the community’s violent intervention workers for their benefits.
These groups are part of the LA Peacemakers initiative, which was established in February 2024.
18 community-based organizations provide more than $9 million in federal funding to prevent violent crime before it occurs.
But leaders say they risk losing funds from the federal government, which could mean a massive cut in programs that work for that money.
According to the initiative, it could hire 40% more intervention workers, responding to the 672 crisis and preventing 841 incidents in Los Angeles from escalating to violence.
Fernando Rejón, executive director of the Urban Peace Institute, said the federal money they have will run out in about a year and need to be maintained.
“As everyone in the media knows, there’s a mixed message that we’re receiving from the federal government. So, we’re now working with charity and outreach to cities, counties and state governments to maintain funds to ensure public safety in LA,” Lehon said.
These federal funds are on balance, so it’s about finding more money from the city’s budget and the private sector now.
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