The City of Jackson today announced a new initiative with Consumers Energy and Michigan State Police aimed at building a safer city. Dubbed Light Up The City: Jackson, this new initiative aims to encourage residents to help create a safer community by working together, walking the streets and encouraging residents to turn on porch lights.
The campaign is championed by Consumers Energy, law enforcement, community groups and business leaders, with a mission of building a safer neighborhood. Consumers Energy will be providing LED light bulbs and local volunteers will be packing those bulbs into bags with other safety materials and handing them out for free across Jackson.
“It’s no secret that two of the big problems we face as a city are lighting and crime. This initiative aims at tackling both with partnerships in the business community and volunteer citizens who are leaning in to building a brighter, safer future for our city,” said Arlene Robinson, City of Jackson vice mayor and first ward city councilwoman. “People are the greatest resource for a safe environment and I am excited to see what we can do together for Jackson.”
This year, the City plans to organize volunteers to distribute those bags in five organized walks in the following neighborhoods: Partnership Park, Flat Iron, King, Loomis and East.
Residents can expect volunteers to knock on their doors to ask if they may install the light bulbs during the scheduled walks. Similar efforts have been pioneered in cities like Saginaw where they experience increased visibility, additional sense of community and involvement with neighbors, and significant reductions in crime where the program operates.
“We’ve seen this community effort have a dramatic effect on crime in other cities where it’s been pioneered – some areas in Saginaw saw a 16% drop in crime rates,” said Amber Clark, Consumers Energy market outreach specialist. “We are working in some of the hardest hit, darkest areas and plan to return to this work yearly to have a measurable effect right here in Jackson.”
The first walk for Light Up the City will take place July 12, 2018 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at Saint. John’s United Church of Christ. The second walk will take place July 26, 2018 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Boos Recreation Center.
For more information on the upcoming walks and to sign up to volunteer, visit www.LUTCjxn.com or http://cityofjackson.org.