City Councilman Creates Grant Fund to Protect Cultural, Religious Institutions

City Councilman Creates Grant Fund to Protect Cultural, Religious Institutions

by Contributing Editor

Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu Monday announced a grant program to help protect religious institutions, cultural centers and LGBTQ spaces in his Hollywood-area district.

The fund will supply up to $3,000 in grant money for each organization that qualifies. The intent is to help recipients fund security improvements and training at spaces that serve vulnerable and diverse communities.

“I have watched with growing concern as hate crimes targeting our LGBTQ community, our immigrant communities and our many houses of worship rise across our country and across Los Angeles,” Ryu said. “We are not immune to a rising tide of hate, and it demands that we step up and protect every Angeleno, no matter what they look like, how they pray or who they love.”

The grants will be paid for with Council District Four discretionary funds, and therefore only organizations located within the district can apply. Though the total amount of money available is unclear at this time because discretionary funding amounts change from year to year, officials with Ryu’s office said there could be enough funding for all requests depending on the demand.

“This may be a small step, but it could make the difference in a local institution being able to afford new security cameras or train new staff members. I encourage all faith and cultural institutions of Council District Four to apply,” Ryu said.

Earlier this year, the City Council approved a report from the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as instructions to improve the tracking, reporting and proactive response to hate crimes.

The report noted a total of 254 hate crimes were reported in Los Angeles in 2017, a 10.9% increase over the 229 crimes motivated by hate that were reported in 2016. Preliminary data showed a 5% increase in 2018 over 2017, Ryu’s office said.

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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com