Fun 4th of July at the Coliseum!

An estimated 20,000 people came together in the mild L.A. temperatures on Sunday afternoon to enjoy great food and games followed that evening by a spectacular hour-long fireworks display over the L.A. Memorial Coliseum

Games (including several giant inflatable attractions) and snacks were provided by A Better LA and their partner organization, A Foundation for Kids, and the hard working volunteers created a happy and enthusiastic environment for the guests.  Several boutique food truck vendors offered up a variety of cuisine to the guests, and also offered up a share of their profits from the event to support of A Better LA.

Councilmember Bernard Parks was in attendance, meeting the guests and tasting some of the food offerings.  Radio station KJLH 102.3 provided music during the day, including patriotic themed music during the fireworks display.

Not only were there lots to do that afternoon and plenty of people, it was also a very peaceful gathering as the guests celebrated their commonality of being Americans.  It was a successful event to kick off the year long campaign to end gang violence and keep kids safe:  http://abetterla.org/blog/2010/07/06/a-better-la-launches-year-long-campaign-to-end-gang-violence-and-keep-kids-safe

Photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abetterla/sets/72157624314235421/

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A Better LA Launches Year Long Campaign to End Gang Violence and Keep Kids Safe

A Better LA is launching a year long campaign to end gang violence to keep kids safe. The campaign will consist of numerous community events to raise awareness and funds to save lives and restore hope to the children of Los Angeles.

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Chad Fighting Chance Presents “Introduction to Boxing”

Sponsored by People for Community Improvement (P.C.I.) and Chad Fighting Chance (C.F.C.).

June 12, 2010, 11am-2pm

For more information, please contact: Kenneth at (323) 240-1136 or Jesse at (323) 286-5761.

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Open House at the Professional Community Intervention Training Institute (PCITI)

On June 4th, 2010, from 6 to 8pm, the Professional Community Intervention Training Institute (PCITI) training facility located at 1409 West Vernon Ave. LA, Ca. 90062 will host an open house. PCITI’s mission is saving lives, restoring communities, providing hope, and implementing pro-active solutions to reduce violence through self reliance. They have had tremendous success in the past couple of years and are about to launch their 4th training class.

The goal for the night is to also allow the public to engage, converse, and interact with some of the team members and key supporters of the PCITI. Come and hear from graduates of three prior classes, converse with elite training instructors who are considered the “best of the best” professionals and actual field practitioners who do the work, and dialog with current funding partners.

Some of the groundbreaking feats that have been accomplished by PCITI in its first 3 classes are as follows:

• Certified 276 Violence Intervention Professionals
• Unifyied 76 previously warring neighborhoods to work in peace
• Created and implemented the first certified Intervention Instructors Training Program
• Developed the unique, post graduate intervention class at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and initiated training with selected post graduate students of the university
• Trained over 600 Firefighters / Emergency Responders (LA City & LA County) and over 250 Intervention Peacekeepers in the 1^st Responders Street Survival Training Course
• Created the revolutionary Professional Peacekeeper’s Collaborative Alliance
• Provided “on the ground” peacekeeping expertise throughout the entire City and County of Los Angeles as well as surrounding local cites and unincorporated localities

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Coach Pete Carroll and Sheriff Lee Baca Dedicate Win Forever Court

On May 28th, 2010 at 3pm, Coach Pete Carroll and Sheriff Lee Baca will be at the Lennox Sheriff Youth Center located at 11911 Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA along with Nike and the LA84 Foundation to unveil the new WIN FOREVER basketball court and skate park. Come out and support A Better LA , the West Athens area and our latest effort to “Make LA Safe”.

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Volunteer with Big Sunday and A Better LA

Volunteer with A Better LA this Sunday May 2nd from 91m-2pm in south Los Angeles at 13008 S. Figueroa Street. A Better LA has partnered with Big Sunday, Ernst & Young and A Foundation for Kids to make over a community center started by ABLA funded partner People for Community Improvement (PCI). Join us for a great day of painting and cleaning – lunch will be served!

Send an email to Scot@usctrojans.com to reserve your spot.

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X4M:LA Transformational Series

Thank you to everyone who has attended our Transformational Series where we train facilitators from the community. A Better LA Advisory Board member Emily Williams teaches the classes based on cognitive behavorial theory and this week will be talking about the importance of affirmations. If you would like to attend the class the information is below. Please RSVP to ABLA at 213-412-3111.

Wednesday March 24th

7-10pm

1150 S. Olive Street

Los Angeles, CA 90015

Suite 1100A

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A Better LA Easter Family Day in the Park

On April 3rd, A Better LA will be hosting an Easter Family Day in the Park. The event will be held at Queen Anne’s Park at 1240 West Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019 from 12pm-3pm. There will be an Easter egg hunt, bounce houses, music, games for kids and BBQ. To volunteer email events@abetterla.org.

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Press Conference Held Today to Announce Historical Partnership

The Professional Community Intervention Training Institute (PCITI) , the Southern California campus of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and A Better LA are collaborating to enhance current methods used to train local gang interventionists & violence abatement experts that risk their lives daily to prevent senseless murders in their communities. With the new addition, The Chicago School of Psychology  will help provide training and accreditation to interventionists.  Here are some tidbits from this mornings press announcement and what the members of this collaboration think of the new partnership:

Aquil Basheer, Maximum Force Enterprises & Founder of PCITI

“We’ve been pushing to set a standard, we have been pushing to try and defy the fact that what we stand for, our purpose, is saving lives, restoring communities and  providing hope…”

“We have to stay true to the integrity of the work, we have to stay true to the communities that we serve and we have to stay true to the collective cause…”

“This is something of a legacy leaver, we have to put in place the blueprints, the strategies, the models which others can step in to and others can lead”

“This is again about the blueprint that can be duplicated nationally and internationally”

“You are going to see this model duplicated all over the nation you are going to see it duplicated all over the world!”

“My hats off to Councilman Tony Cardenas-he’s been fighting this battle with us for a long time-he stood up when very few others would, he took personal blows that very few people in that city council of chambers would”

“My hats off to Pete Carroll (A Better LA founder), he was one of the few private individuals who created a mission, who stepped forward and said, “I got to support this, I got to back this” he went there with us, we hit the streets together it was outstanding and it formed a unit and bonding that I think really moved his mission forward.”

Tony Cardenas, LA City Councilman 6th District

“This is about a grass roots movement of people who care about this issue and care about people so much so that they put their lives on the line every single day.”

“Intervention is integral to saving lives in this city, it’s integral to saving lives anywhere in this country.”

“We can not arrest our way out of these issues, it’s up to the community, it’s up to the family. It’s up to the community to make sure that we are on the front end of these issues, that we are preventative that we are intervening and that we are standing up for ourselves and for our communities.”

“I support organizations that are out there getting the work done, literally saving lives- that’s what brought me here today.”

“I believe that every human being deserves to be able to walk whatever streets they choose to walk, they should live wherever they live and not be in fear of their lives.”

“We have a Mayor and Chief of Police who, rightfully so, talk about ‘crime is down’, but the thing that we have to understand is that crime is not down in certain neighborhoods, for that family that lost their teenage boy: is crime down for that family? – No, that crime is at an all time high for that family.”

“This training academy will save lives, it will empower men and women who choose to dedicate their lives to being a solution.”

LA Fire Chief  Kwame Cooper

“As fire fighters working in that fire house, we got tired of responding to shooting because we were getting good at it, we were good, we were trained as firemen and paramedics but we were really getting good- you get good at something from repetition from practice-and we were getting so much practice and so much repetition that it was without thinking to roll up on a body-a young african american, a young latino full of holes-full of bullet holes, the images are etched in my mind like you would never believe.”

Thank you to everyone who came to support Maximum Force Enterprises and the Chicago School of Psychology. This is truly a historical event in terms of the intervention movement and we look forward to a long partnership and much success.

Jaime Carroll from A Better LA, Aquil Basheer and Intervention leaders from Maximum Force Enterprises, Councilman Tony Cardenas, Fire Chief Kwame Cooper and the deans of the Chicago School of Psychology gather to announce a new partnership.

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Maximum Force and A Foundation For Kids Partner Up to Hand Out Food For Kids

Maximum Force and A Foundation For Kids partnered up on Saturday, February 14, to pass out food and educational packets to 500 families in South Los Angeles.

Check out more pictures here!

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