Additional efforts will be made by the Sacramento Police Department and Sacramento Sheriff's Department to prevent youth involvement in gangs by promoting interactions between police officers and the youth. The mayor is calling this approach a paradigm shift, and it will be part of Sacramento's first comprehensive plan for gang prevention, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced Tuesday at the Boys & Girls Club on Lemon Hill Avenue. The emphasis of the program will be heavy on prevention and intervention instead of just enforcement and incarceration, according to the mayor. Johnson said the program will focus on school literacy enrichment, strengthening the relationship between the Sacramento com

Sacramento, CA | Sunday night at the California Peace Officers’ Memorial, located at 10th Street and Capitol Mall across from the Capitol, a candlelight vigil was held to honor the memory of fallen Peace Officers, and to add 11 more names to the honor roll. Peace Officers from around the State and as far as San Diego made the trip not to only pay tribute to those fallen Officers, but to help keep the memories fresh in citizens’ minds, so that these great sacrifices will not be forgotten. There was an overflow crowd at the event, which not only included fellow Peace Officers and their families, the families of the fallen, but the general public that wanted to pay their respect to those wh

The lack of adequate shelter for the homeless has been declared a state of emergency by Safe Ground. Safe Ground, an organization that is devoted to finding proper housing for the homeless, gathered for a vigil on Monday on the corner of 10th and I streets to bring awareness and have people sign petitions. Executive Director of Safe Ground Sacramento Steve Watters said he has been involved with the organization since its inception. “Safe Ground’s main mission/objective is to acquire a piece of land and build transitional housing for the homeless,” Watters said. “It is surprising how many people are homeless in Sacramento. We have between 1,200 and 1,400 in Sacramento at night time that

Andy Ekstrom's family and friends will be holding a candlelight vigil at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at the MARRS Building, 1050 20th St. His family asks that in lieu of flowers, friends make donations to a foundation that will be set up in Andy's name. More details will be available soon.

Dear Friends- As you may know, a arson fire was set at my home in the early morning on September 21st. My family and I are safe, and all necessary repairs and clean up, and replacements are being handled by our insurance company. We have had a great response from our neighbors and community leaders, who have organized a vigil tonight in front of our home to signify community strength and unity. If you are in the Northern CA area, we hope you can join us. Vigil Information - 2614 36th Street, Sacramento CA (between 1st and 2nd Avenue). 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. http://www.inmycommunity.com/imc_joomla/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=1243&Itemid=0&year=2009&month=10&d

The goal of the vigil held to protest Laura Ling’s and Euna Lee’s 12-year labor reform sentence was clear: bring them home. The vigil commenced at 6:30 p.m. where approximately 400 of Ling's and Lee’s friends, family and community members banded together on the Capitol West Steps in support of the two American journalists who are charged by North Korea's high court for illegal entry and engaging in "hostile acts." Supporters donned “Free Lisa and Euna” buttons and pinned yellow ribbons to their shirts. Many held signs with pictures of the women’s faces and pleas that said “Free Laura and Euna” and “Amnesty Now.” The vigil was opened with a prayer by Laura Ling’s cousin, Brandon Yip. Fol

On June 8, American Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were sentenced to 12-years of "labor reform" by North Korea. This Thursday a candlelight vigil will be held on the Capitol west steps in peaceful protest. On April 27 a vigil was held for Laura Ling and Euna Lee to raise awareness for the two journalists' detainment in North Korea. This time it is in support of the two women who face the notoriously harsh conditions of North Korea's labor camps. The two American journalists were on assignment for Current TV, a cable and web network co-founded by Al Gore, when they were detained on March 17 and convicted of illegal entry and engaging in "hostile acts" after a four-day trial North Kor

On December 5th, the west steps of the Capitol were lit up by tiny lights held by family, friends, and Citizen's Commission for Human Rights (CCHR) activists, in the memory of Ramona Knapp. Three years ago, Knapp had been killed in the psychiatric clinic where she was a patient when a nurse injected her with medication and forcibly and excessively restrained her. She was laying face-down at the time of restraint. According to the clinic, Knapp died of a heart attack. CCHR, clearly has a different opinion. CCHR believes that Knapp is another victim of human rights abuse from a psychiatric clinic and that her death was actually murder. CCHR organized last Friday's candlelight vigil at the