Youth violence reduction to be focus of Ivan Bates annual community town hall
Baltimore City State's Attorney, Ivan Bates, is hosting his second annual Public Safety Townhall, Community Conversation Tuesday.
The town hall will include Bates and other city leaders, and focus on discussing strategies for reducing juvenile crime.
Crime involving youth in Baltimore City
Curbing violence among juveniles has been an ongoing task for Baltimore City leaders.
Just Monday, two teens aged 15 and 16 were injured after a shooting in Southeast Baltimore.
On April 26, two 17-year-olds were injured after a shooting in Southwest Baltimore.
Days later, a group of 16 teenagers were charged with a string of violent crimes, including robbery, auto theft, and assault.
The overall effort to reduce crime in the city has persisted for years, with some positive results.
Baltimore Mayor Scott's crime reduction efforts
Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott has implemented multiple programs to reduce youth violence, including the city's Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS).
Scott has praised the program, crediting it for helping the city reach a 24% reduction in homicides, and a 34% reduction in non-fatal shootings in 2024 compared to 2023.
According to the Mayor, GVRS "facilitates direct, sustained engagement with a small number of group-involved individuals who are the most likely to be the victim or perpetrator of violence."
The program first launched in Baltimore's Western District in January 2022 and later expanded to the Southwestern, Central, and Eastern Districts.
The city also implemented the Summer Youth Engagement Strategy.
To help deter violence, the initiative established a curfew for city youth, along with specialized youth programming.
Scott said that after implementing the program last summer, the number of shooting victims decreased by 66%, and the number of aggravated assault victims dropped by 31%.
The programming includes 42 summer campsites through recreation and parks, and the return of the city's Rock the Block parties, midnight basketball, and parties at the Druid Hill Pool.
In addition, hours at nine of the city's recreation centers throughout the city will be extended until 11 p.m. every Friday and Saturday from June 20 until Aug. 16.
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