Page 15 - cp19331935delinquency

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Throughout its operation, the philosophy of the project was based upon the idea that

if youth1'ul hams and minds are kept busy in organized recreational activities, they will
not be forced by idleness into mischief-making gangs that frequently rm afoul the law

and inevitably lead them toward criminal careers. On this foundation was the structure

reared as a service to the people. From the financial standpoint the logic employed was

that it is far cheaper to prevent the creation of a criminal by removing the cause than
to punish the offender against our social codes after the offense has been committed.

The amazing thing about the project ts that the narration of its progress bristles
with an array of achievments, both from the standpoint of the induction of people into

its act ivities and its prevention of delinquency. One could not reasonably expect such a
pioneer movement to succeed from the outset, as did this projecte Yet the evidence is

conclusiveo The records are so voluminous with accomplishments that we can but wonder at

their scope and finality.

During the latter part ot August, 1933, the average weekly attendance at playgrounds

served by the project in Los Angeles County vaulted to a total of over 1,750,000 persons.

The avarage weekly number of participants in playground activities for the same period

rose from slightly less than 50,000 far the first part of July to close to 600,000 by the

end of August. As the personnel of the project was enlarged, and as the workers became

more efficient in their labor during the following months, the weekly average of partioi-

~ants increased rapidly mtil in February, 1934, it attained the staggering peak of

2 ,674 ,000o

In Russian Town, a tough section of I.os Angeles where delinquency had always been

troublesome, there was a total of 45 oases reported for Mn-ch, 1933. When the project

went into this field the doubtful ones wagged their heads dolefully. Here was a spot that

would defy corrective measures; yet the workers applied themselves so assiduously that the

number of delinquency cases began at once to drop until in March, 1934, they had been re-

duced to 9 cases, a decrease of 80% over the same month of the previous yearo

South Gate is a small town in the industrial district lying south of Los Angeles. It

had meager recreational facilities for its youngsters and, as a result, the delinquency

problem was prevalent. Project workers changed all this. They were influential in securing