Crime | gangs LA Fights Park Crime With Midnight Lights Even gang members invited to summer nights of food, music By Katherine Thompson Posted Jul 12, 2009 1:41 PM CDT Copied Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy David Mertens meets with former gang member, Brian Vidaillet, 31, in Avalon, Calif., Thursday, July 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) Los Angeles' rundown parks used to be hotbeds of gang violence that scared away law-abiding neighbors after dark, but a new program has brought both a sense of community and a reduction in crime, the New York Times reports. The solution, which has already seen an 86% drop in homicides in targeted areas, has been to keep the lights on until midnight. The program's $2.4 million budget also goes toward organizing sports leagues and providing everything from DJs to popcorn in 16 public parks located in gang territory. Parents, children, and a few police officers relax and romp, and even gang members aren't banned: "They’re welcome as long as they don’t cause problems.” Read These Next Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Rubio says the fate of Iran's conversion facility is what matters. Report an error