Luis Javier Rodriguez

I've been involved lately in helping change some laws. I helped write part of the new bill by US Congresswoman Diane Watson on Community-based Gang Intervention workers, setting conditions and parameters of this street level work, which has not been done anywhere to date. I also helped write the very same gang intervention model that LA City Councilmember Tony Cardenas introduced to the LA City Council, which was approved in February of 2008 (this was in conjunction with around 40 gang intervention experts, researchers, urban peace advocates). And I'm presently in the process of working on a Comprehensive Neighborhood Arts Policy—with a number of artists, cultural spaces, and arts advocates—which we hope to present to the LA City Council some time this year. You can find out more at www.napolicy.com. The Los Angeles Times recently published an Op-Ed piece of mine on the need for arts and other services to our most troubled youth, including gang members and taggers, instead of injunctions and prison. You can access the article here.