A common refrain at National Night Out can be summed up thusly: "Why can't this be every night?"
It's that neighborhood togetherness and spirit of safety that National Night Out boasts each and every year that people wish for more of, and what the night encourages communities to seek. Participants wish that every evening could carry a bit of what the annual event, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 5, is very much associated with: community, caring, and crime prevention.
The event, which marks 31 years in 2014, is about "the development and promotion of various crime prevention programs including neighborhood watch groups, law enforcement agencies, state and regional crime prevention associations, police-community partnerships, neighborhood camaraderie" the better to "send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back."
Front porch lights'll flick on in honor of the evening, which will be observed at spots throughout Southern California, including Buena Park, Manhattan Beach, San Bernardino, Tustin, West Covina, and Woodland Hills. The Glendale News Press predicts some 2,000 people will "about 40 events" across the city, while other towns and neighborhoods will offer a complement of get-acquainted, get-informed activities. Find the full list of registered participants for the year here.
Past activities surrounding National Night Out, which is traditionally the first Tuesday in August in most parts of the country, have included cookouts, block parties, and other gatherings that get neighbors visiting with neighbors (and kids running around lawns and sidewalks and under the street lamps as they begin to glow after dusk).
Want to find out more about National Night Out and ways you can incorporate its important messages on every day of every month? Info on Dog Walker Watch and building local ties through Project 365, which is about observing National Night Out's tenets the whole year long, are all part of the campaign's mission.
