Gang killiings drop near parks

wo months after he took over the city's anti-gang programs, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday attributed a sharp drop in gang violence in some of the city's worst neighborhoods to a late-night summer program that offers sports, movies and marble tournaments in eight city parks. Rachel Uranga in the Daily News.

Between July 1 and Sept. 1, there was only one gang-related killing in the areas surrounding those eight parks, including Hubert Humphrey Park in Pacoima, compared with seven over the same period last year.

The number of people shot this summer dropped nearly by half - from 42 to 23 - and aggravated assaults decreased from 84 to 65 from last year.

"Regardless of where you live or the color of your skin, we all pretty much want the same thing: We want to live, work and play in a safe community free of gang violence," Villaraigosa said. "We restored a sense of community in neighborhoods where gang violence has attempted to destroy it."