Meet Your Neighbors at a “Night Out” Block Party on Aug. 2nd

Each year on the first Tuesday of August many residents of Broadview hold block party events to socialize with their neighbots and build awareness about crime prevention. “Night Out,” as it is called is a national event. It is designed to heighten crime prevention awareness, increase neighborhood support in anti-crime efforts, and unite our communities. It is a great chance to learn about crime prevention, while also celebrating your community and spending time with your neighbors.

Seattle has had a long history of supporting Night Out. The program has been growing every year, with over 1,200 neighborhoods participating in 2010. This type of community participation is what makes Seattle a great place to live.

The event is a unique opportunity to bring your neighbors together, welcome new neighbors, talk about crime prevention and Block Watch efforts, and mainly just have a great time with food, music, games – whatever you want. The creativity we’ve seen of what neighborhoods come up with is amazing. Some gatherings are just a few households; others expand into large block parties.

This year the theme is “Celebrating Crime Free Neighborhoods.” If you have a neighborhood that has seen a decrease in crime, it is a time to celebrate your achievements. If you have ongoing crime problems you are working on, it is a chance to renew your focus, start a Block Watch if you haven’t already, and take a public stand against crime in your neighborhood.  It’s also a good opportunity to encourage emergency preparedness.

The Seattle Police Department has lots of information about Night Out on its website http://www.seattle.gov/police/Nightout/default.htm  You are also encouraged to register your event, especially if you need to restrict traffic on your block while the event is going on.  To do so click on the REGISTER button on the above web page.  Then invite your neighbors, get some involved in setting up a table for food and so forth, and enjoy!