The Democratic mayors of Chicago, Baltimore, Cleveland and yes, Newark, got together to let everyone know how they are reducing crime in their cities. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said the key is preparation.
“We do various things that I think are different, imaginative, we’re getting better and better at it, and make sure we put systems in place, cause we will have spikes, you will have incidents, you will have issues,” he said. “The difference between now and then is that you have the systems in place to respond to those spikes.”
When Baraka referred to “then” he meant 2010, before these systems were in place — such as more summer programs for young people, including a summer academy for the most disaffected youth, which they are paid to attend…