Despite recent progress in reducing homicide rates and gunshot incidents, gang violence remains a persistent threat in Bakersfield — especially for the city’s youth.
- Those on the front lines of prevention say young people are increasingly vulnerable to gang influence, with exposure beginning earlier and becoming more normalized through social media and community dynamics.
- According to Bakersfield police, juvenile arrests for violent crimes have increased by 60% in the last four years, from 99 in 2021 to 159 in 2024. Despite the rising juvenile crime rate, BPD said gun-related arrests among youth have dropped by 52% over the past three years.
Jaubrae Dixon knows the realities of gun and gang violence intimately.
“This is the same park where I was ripping and running,” Dixon said, standing in Lowell Park, where he once spent his days involved in gang activity.
“I was a part of the problem, and now I’m able to come and be an asset and be a solution,” he said…