Anti-Gang Program Gets $579,000 Grant

The Community Reclamation Project has received a $579,000 federal grant to continue its anti-gang and anti-drug programs in the Harbor area for another year, officials of the Lomita-based agency said this week.

The U.S. Justice Department funding enables the reclamation project to complete its schedule of workshops and other programs in Lomita, Carson, Harbor City and Wilmington through September, 1991. In addition, project officials said they plan to use the coming months preparing local communities to take over the agency’s programs.

The agency opened in March, 1989, with a $1-million federal grant to coordinate the activities of area law enforcement, schools, churches, neighborhood groups and community-based organizations. To coordinate those efforts, the agency produced a 260-page manual, “Rising Above Gangs and Drugs,” that outlines strategies for combating gang violence and drug abuse.

“The grant will provide continuity to what we know is a successful program by giving us another year to operate,” said Natalie Salazar, the project’s executive director. “The lessons we learn in our area can be used across the country to help communities combat and drug problems.”