Rekindling Community Spirit: San Diego Revives Parks After Dark Program to Encourage Engagement and Reduce Crime.
SAN DIEGO — The City of San Diego is announcing the revival of the Parks After Dark program, introducing summer activities for families at various local parks.
Officials from the city hosted a news conference at Memorial Park in Logan Heights on Monday. The park is one of four venues where the program is set to be held.
The aim of Parks After Dark is to foster community engagement and, according to city leaders, contribute to the reduction of crime in the surrounding areas.
Initiated in 2022, the Parks After Dark program was conceived with the intention of transforming several neighborhood parks into vibrant community festivals.
These events will feature music, movies, arts and crafts, games, and sports clinics. In addition, resources from community-based organizations will be made available, and, of course, there will be free food, stated Mayor Todd Gloria.
The underlying objective of the program is to utilize public spaces as a means to decrease crime and cultivate a safe and enjoyable social environment.
“Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from July 6 through August 26, these events will be happening at four parks in our neighborhoods across San Diego: City Heights, Linda Vista, Skyline Hills, and in Memorial Park,” Gloria said. “San Diegans of every age are invited to come out and help transform these parks, and do some of the biggest and best parties in town.”
More information about Parks After Dark can be found here.
At the same news conference, San Diego City Council President Pro Tem Monica Montgomery Steppe announced the return of the program and discussed the positive impact it has made.
“A recent study by UCSD showed that Parks After Dark has already proven to reduce crime significantly in our community,” Montgomery Steppe said. “In 2022, calls for crime decreased by nearly 50% after Parks After Dark concluded in Skyline.”
