Success at Keeping Kids Out of Gangs

I was so pleased to see your April 26 editorial regarding gang prevention. The Paramount model for prevention, which was appropriately praised, is the very model that is utilized by the Gang Alternatives Program, a program that I have been supporting for more than 10 years. Through a partnership with the L.A. Unified School District, the GAP’s 12-week specialized program, one of the only prevention programs permitted in the classroom during the regular school day, is being taught in our fourth-grade classrooms to educate our children about the realties of gang involvement and the many alternatives available to them. The GAP has been part of the curriculum of fourth-graders throughout the harbor area since 1986 and has shown great success in keeping kids out of gangs. The Police Department’s Harbor Division shows a steady decrease, compared with other divisions, in gang-related crimes.

Last year, I was pleased to expand the GAP program into 12 schools in the Watts community, but this is not enough. My goal is to get this program into every elementary school in Los Angeles. But to do that I need help. I need the help of my City Council colleagues and, most important, I need your help. We all must agree that our dollars are best spent on prevention. This goal can be accomplished only if parents, teachers, lawmakers and communities embrace it.

Janice Hahn

L.A. City Council