Newsom Takes on Violence Hot Spots

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has issued an executive directive to prevent violence by increasing enforcement and social services in the city's so-called "hot spots," including the Mission, Tenderloin, Bayview and Western Addition neighborhoods.

The directive calls for the San Francisco Police Department to enhance law enforcement resources, including foot patrols. It also creates the Summer Street Violence Prevention Council, which includes representatives from the mayor’s office, police department, district and city attorney's offices, Board of Supervisors and Department of Public Health.

The council will focus on expanding community outreach and social service to violence-plagued neighborhoods, according to Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, whose district includes the Western Addition.

"It's already been a bloody summer. I don't know why we've let several summers go by with there not being a directive, but I'm glad finally that the city is institutionalizing this program," Mirkarimi said. "I always believe that these kinds of programs, as long as they're held accountable, in that they're targeted to the people who need it most, will be effective and beneficial, but accountability is what's been missing in a lot of the violence prevention efforts for quite a few years.”

He said in the future, programs should be planned well in advance of summer and announced before the end of the school year.

(RdD)