Baker Residents Will Help Shape City’s Next Steps on Violence Prevention

BAKER, La. — Baker’s response to violence is moving beyond a discussion about policing and enforcement. City officials and community partners are preparing to put residents directly into the planning process as the city works to turn a recently announced violence prevention strategy into action.

Residents are invited to participate in “Hope in the Midst: Connection | Planning | Support” at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Baker Municipal Auditorium, 3325 Groom Road.

The meeting comes about a month after Mayor Darnell Waites announced a comprehensive violence prevention plan developed in response to recent shootings and other violent incidents in the city. The plan calls for greater cooperation among government agencies, law enforcement, educators, faith leaders, community organizations and residents.

The Aug. 20 gathering is significant because residents will have an opportunity to help determine what those broad priorities should look like at the neighborhood level.

Rather than treating public safety solely as a law enforcement issue, organizers are emphasizing prevention, youth engagement, neighborhood connections and partnerships that can address conditions contributing to violence.

“We have to make sure every resident has a voice in the work of building a stronger Baker,” Waites said.

The city’s violence prevention plan identifies several priorities, including expanding community-based intervention efforts, strengthening relationships between residents and institutions, supporting young people and families, and using data to measure whether prevention strategies are working.

Those priorities gained additional urgency following several recent incidents. In June, Baker police investigated two reports of shots fired near Baker High School. On July 10, gunfire on Daniels Street sent one person to a hospital, according to reports at the time.

The city developed its plan with Pivot4Peace, the Diontrey Claiborne Stop the Violence Organization and East Baton Rouge Metro Councilmember Anthony Kenney. The effort is designed to address not only the immediate effects of violence but also some of the underlying conditions that can contribute to it.

That makes resident participation a critical component of the next phase.

The Aug. 20 session will allow residents to identify concerns in their neighborhoods, discuss community priorities and explore ways organizations and residents can work together. Organizers also plan to discuss additional community listening sessions intended to continue the conversation after Thursday's meeting.

For young people in particular, the strategy recognizes that prevention cannot begin only after a violent incident occurs. Creating positive opportunities, strengthening families and giving residents meaningful avenues to participate are among the approaches identified by city leaders.

Waites has made public safety a central part of his administration while also emphasizing collaboration with civic, governmental and faith-based organizations. The city says his administration has pursued partnerships aimed at improving both safety and quality of life.

The meeting therefore represents more than another community forum. It is an opportunity for Baker residents to help define what violence prevention should look like in their own neighborhoods — and what they expect city officials and community organizations to do next.

COMMUNITY SAFETY MEETING

What: Hope in the Midst: Connection | Planning | Support
When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026
Where: Baker Municipal Auditorium, 3325 Groom Road, Baker
Focus: Violence prevention, youth engagement, neighborhood priorities and community partnerships

Residents seeking additional information may contact cviteam@pivot4peace.org or call/text 225-296-9370.

The City of Baker lists public safety and neighborhood involvement among its ongoing priorities.

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