Voices from the LA Gang Conference

May. 17, 2013 / By

Last week, community members, law enforcement and health and city officials from all over Southern California came together to discuss gang violence prevention and intervention strategies.

Over two days, attendees participated in sessions, workshops and lectures addressing re-framing violence as a public health epidemic. Speakers and participants not only conversed about how to respond to violence, but also dug deeper to discuss its root causes.

The conference held a unique space for gang members, teachers, students, social workers, doctors, lawmakers and law enforcement to network and hear different sides of the spectrum.

Many Long Beach representatives attended the conference, even leading sessions about restorative justice models and  the Summer Night Lights program.

To listen to the voices of Long Beach officials and community leaders, click on the video above. For more information about the conference, go to the Violence Prevention Coalition’s website at www.vpcgla.org.

 

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Michelle Zenarosa

Michelle Zenarosa is a media-maker committed to building alternative and vibrant community media platforms. She has worked as a journalist for over a decade at various media outlets that include local newspapers, news wires and industry trade magazines, as well as non-profits like the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. Growing up in the diverse Southern California area, she is dedicated to grassroots community-based journalism at the local and hyperlocal level, where she believes it has some of the most direct impact. She has been a facilitator for storytelling by youth in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Palestine. Michelle received her bachelors in Journalism and Peace Studies at Cal State Long Beach and masters in Public Affairs Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her work has also been featured in independent magazines like Left Turn, $pread, Make/Shift and MaximumRocknRoll as well in the PBS docu-series "America By The Numbers."