For Our Future / Para Nuestro Futuro campaign: Community Alliance for Safety and Peace (CASP)

Community takes charge of its neighborhood

Salinas Californian, March 24, 2012: Twenty-five community members stepped up to become part of the solution in the Hebron Heights neighborhood by volunteering six Saturdays to a leadership academy aimed at empowering people to become leaders in Salinas.

As part of the "For our Future/Para Nuestro Futuro Leadership Academy," a city of Salinas and Community Alliance for Safety and Peace movement, 22 women and three men will graduate at 5 p.m. today at the Hebron Family Center, 682 Fremont St.

ACTION ALERT: Help Restore Federal CASA Funding

For 10 years National CASA received $12 million in funding for the CASA program through the Victims of Child Abuse Act. We have used these vital funds to provide advocacy, training and technical assistance in support of almost 1,000 CASA programs around the country serving 240,000 neglected and abused children each year.

Last year Congress reduced the funding for CASA programs to $4.5 million. And now, the Administration has proposed eliminating all funding for this vital program in FY 2013.

Salinas launches pilot program for peace

From HealthyCal.org, by Lynn Graebner: When the homicide rate in Salinas stood at four times the national average in 2009, local leaders decided enough was enough. In January of that year, Salinas joined forces with the county, law enforcement, faith-based organizations and local businesses to take aim at the gang-related violence plaguing the small city.

NY Times on CASP/For Our Future: "New Efforts to Fight Crime While Cutting Costs"

From the New York Times, Jan 30, 2012: "...They poured money and personnel into a strategy that combined tough law enforcement with job training and a plethora of social services. They developed a countywide violence-reduction plan and sought help from state and federal agencies and the nearby Naval Postgraduate School. A special team of police officers worked overtime making home visits in gang-infested neighborhoods.

FBI: Violent, property crimes in Salinas down in first half of 2011

In the first half of this year, Salinas saw a drop in its overall reported violent crime, even as some offenses such as murder showed a slight increase when compared to 2010 figures.

The FBI released its preliminary semiannual uniform crime report Monday. It shows a drop in the city's reports of violent crime -- homicides, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. From January to June 2011, violent crimes dropped by 11.4 percent, or 519, from the 586 incidents reported during the first half of 2010.