BATON ROUGE - Safe Hopeful Healthy Baton Rouge wrapped up their Summer of Hope events on Monday at Rhorer Plaza. Throughout the summer, these events were meant to bring the community together and to deter violence.

This year's focus was reducing gun violence, increasing the number of Summer activities, and conducting proactive interventions in vulnerable neighborhoods.

"We do believe that our Summer of Hope has indeed made a significant impact in the lives of our youth," Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said.

It was a rocky start at the first Summer of Hope event at Liberty Lagoon back in May, after several fights shut down Lobdell Boulevard. But organizers hoped to end the campaign on the right foot.

"We need to continue programs whether they're in the summer, fall, winter, or spring for our young people," Mayor Broome said.

The Mayor-President says the data shows the last two years of the Summer of Hope initiative had positive results in decreasing crime.

BRPD crime statistics show Baton Rouge homicides through August dropped from 68 in 2022 to 53 in 2023. The homicide number has risen in the first eight months of 2024, with 63 homicides reported — which is on pace with record years in 2020 and 2021. During both years, killings increased through the end of the year. Organizers believe they will see more improvements as the year continues.

"When we look at the data in those areas that we were involved in, we saw that there was a decrease in crime and an elevation of safety in those communities. We're going to revisit the data from this past summer and see what it shares with us," Mayor Broome said.

WBRZ is still working to get this year's statistics for violent crimes other than homicides.