SITE OVERVIEW ♦ LOS ANGELES | CALIFORNIA
Target Area: The Hollywood and Pacoima Neighborhoods • Population: 97,900
Fiscal Agent: Youth Policy Institute (YPI)
Research Partner: Justice and Security Strategies
Crime Concerns: Gang-related violence, juvenile delinquency, and violent crimes
BCJI Funding Year: 2013 Planning & Implementation
Neighborhood Profile
The Los Angeles BCJI project is centered in the Hollywood and Pacoima communities. The Hollywood community is comprised of approximately 57,100 residents of which 48 percent are Latino, 34 percent are white, 12 percent are Asian, and 4 percent are African American. Pacoima has a population of approximately 40,800 residents—the majority are Latino and about half are foreign born. In both communities, poverty rates are high (over 75 percent of families) and crime remains high around distinct, persistent hot spots. Hollywood is one of four Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) divisions that experienced dramatic increases in Part I offenses from 2010 to 2011 and generated the highest number of adult and juvenile arrests for prostitution. Pacoima particularly struggles with gang violence along the Van Nuys corridor. Residents have raised a number of concerns, including gang violence and gang recruitment of youth given the close proximity of the Van Nuys corridor to schools in the target area. Additional concerns of residents include the neighborhood’s struggles with homelessness and public use of drugs and alcohol.
Planning Process
The Youth Policy Institute (YPI) in conjunction with the research partner, Justice Security Strategies, coordinated the planning processes during the first year of the BCJI grant. YPI convened a Leadership Council and conducted a series of community meetings to help bolster collaboration among stakeholders, residents, and project partners as well as inform both the planning phase and implementation strategies. The Leadership Council was comprised of a variety of agencies, institutions and public officials, including the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, the Mayor’s Gang Reduction and Youth Development Office, and the LAPD (Foothill and Hollywood Division). Other key planning participants included local school administrators, parent groups, and the City of Los Angeles Housing Authority.
The process of identifying the implementation strategies involved a three-step approach. First, the core planning team collected, reviewed, and analyzed data that was collected from community residents. Second, findings were presented to the Leadership Council to discuss key strategies to address public safety findings. Finally, the core planning team used the information that was generated during the first two steps to devise the appropriate strategies to address public safety challenges and concerns. The nature, extent, and effects of crime was also measured using various methods. For example, hot spots were identified using spatial analytics and community surveys, public safety systemic observations, and focus groups were employed to further understand crime trends.
Planning confirmed that though crime has been declining, hot spots persist and continue to disrupt quality of life and revitalization in both communities. Fear of crime among residents is high, particularly around parks and walkways that don’t align with crime data, possibly because of disorder such as trash, illegally dumped items, damaged streets and sidewalks, and poor lighting in these areas. Crime is underreported by residents as one signal of a disconnect between police and the communities.
Implementation Strategies
The BCJI team began implementation in early 2015, focusing on approaches that build collective efficacy and community and youth engagement, with slight differences in tactics and programs across the two neighborhoods. Notable strategies include an effort to improve the functioning of “anchor points” like walkways and parks – important places for people to come together, and a key component of strong collective efficacy. For example, YPI has worked with city agencies and neighbors to address blight and improve safety in and around parks and walkways. In Pacoima, residents celebrated the opening of a “people street,” which is both pedestrian friendly and car free, in 2016.
YPI is also organizing residents and encouraging volunteerism, such as through a Safe Passages program that has engaged more than 20 community residents to assist youth and families at strategic crosswalks on routes to and from schools. Using a restorative justice framework, the Youth Neighborhood Justice Council Program addresses issues of youth incarceration by diverting youth offenders from the juvenile justice system and providing services to help youth complete education and job training to become stable, productive community members.
Other efforts are addressing environmental crime drivers along the Van Nuys corridor and in a public plaza adjacent to a public housing development. These efforts combined with programming to bring people out – such as Zumba classes and arts programs – are helping to reclaim problematic spaces and build cohesion and collective efficacy. They are bolstered by public safety education and engagement programs in schools (particularly focused in the Promise Neighborhood) and ongoing law enforcement efforts such as Hollywood’s Neighborhood Prosecutor program.
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