CAMDEN, NJ (KYW Newsradio) — With declining crime rates in Camden, a nonprofit has created a website showcasing reasons to visit the happening city.
“We have entertainment, we have the aquarium, we have the battleship, we have recently, the new hotel, you know, we want people to spend time here in downtown Camden, bring the whole family,” said Camden City Council President Angel Fuentes, who credits the city’s rising successes in part to Mayor Victor Carstarphen’s vision for the city, as well as the county police which took over ten years ago.
“We have a close relationship with their officers, you know, so not just the community policing, but how they engage with the residents, how they engage with people coming outside of the city to our city,” Fuentes explained.
He says they created MyDowntownCamden.com in partnership with the Camden Special Services District to connect businesses with residents and highlight all that downtown Camden has to offer, like their eclectic small businesses and arts community.
It was designed exclusively by the interns at Hopeworks, a Camden-based nonprofit and social enterprise for promising youth.
Website director John Kissling said he is proud of their accomplishments.
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“We have a vast array of skill sets, backgrounds coming into the program, and for these interns to come in and learn enough for me to allow them to construct and build a website like this is just remarkable.”
In 2012, homicides peaked at 67. These rates have since fallen dramatically, with 23 reported in 2021 and, according to Camden City, shootings are down 11% from around this time last year.
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