Communities mark National Night Out
More than 100 local neighborhoods and groups are marking National Night Out Tuesday with events aimed at building safer and better neighborhoods through community involvement.
According to natw.org, "National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, better places to live." National Night Out was established in 1984.
Police officers are joining the people of the neighborhoods they serve to share in food, spoken word, and fun activities for families such as dancing and bounce houses.
Wil Glenn, public affairs manager for the Durham Police Department said the event is about enriching the relationship between officers and the communities they serve past the day's festivities.
"It's a time for unity, a time for police and community relations," Glenn said. "It's a night where we can go out and touch residents, but also I want to say it's not just one night, we want to be talking to residents and speaking to residents on a daily basis."
Durham Police Chief Cerelyn Davis and City Manager Tom Bonfield also joined in on the festivities at several neighborhoods including McDougald Terrace, Franklin Village and Oxford Manor.
Here are some of the events that were planned for Tuesday night:
-The Mordecai Citizens Advisory Council and Village of Pilot Mill are hosting an ice cream social at Halifax Community Center. It goes from 7 to 8 p.m.
-The Hope Valley North Community in Durham is hosting an event at 16 Winchester Court Cul de Sac starting at 6 p.m. They'll have a parade, food, music and games. An organizer sent a release saying, "With the current political climate, we believe it's more important than ever for communities to strengthen their relationships with law enforcement organizations, and this event is a good way to showcase that."
More National Night Out events in Durham can be found here
-Officers from Fayetteville State University Police Department are expected to do a meet and greet as part of National Night Out. It's going on at Smith/Seabrook Recreation Center in Fayetteville. It goes from 6 to 8 p.m.
For more National Night Out events in Raleigh, click here and for events in Cary, click here.
Even more events can be found here.
If you can't make it to an event, you can still participate in National Night Out by turning on your porch light and taking a moment to interact with your neighbors.
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ABC11's Stephanie Lopez contributed to this report.
