For the fourth year in a row, Kansas City officials are pushing for teens and young adults to join Mayor Sly James' Club KC and Mayor's Nights events during the summer.
The initiative is meant to keep kids from causing trouble at places like the Plaza by hosting parties and sports tournaments at various community centers across the city.
Mayor James and several city council members were on the Plaza Saturday handing out fliers for the programs. James says that attendance is expected to match last year, which means less problems for law enforcement.
"Last year, we had 10,000 kids come to Club KC," James said. "And during the time when it was operating, everything with juvenile crime [was] down 18 percent."
Councilwoman Jan Marcason says that the initiative has received positive reactions from not just Plaza shoppers, but also the kids themselves.
"In the spring, there are a lot of young people that come to the Plaza and kind of walk around, and that's fine," Marcason said. "But when they have the option of going to Club KC or Mayor's Nights Hoops, that's where they gravitate."
James says that the total attendance throughout last summer was around 17,000 kids. Registration details can be found on the mayor's website.
