29th Annual National Night Out | Community Spirit

Take a stand and show your unity in the fight against crime.  On Tuesday, August 7, neighborhoods throughout Muskegon are being invited to join forces with thousands of communities nationwide for the “29th Annual National Night Out” (NNO) crime and drug prevention event.    National Night Out, which is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and co-sponsored locally by area police agencies, neighborhood associations and Target, will involve over 15,000 communities.  In all, over 37 million people are expected to participate in ‘America’s Night Out Against Crime’.  NNO 2012 is being supported in part by Target, the national corporate sponsor.

National Night Out is designed to: (1) Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; (2) Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime efforts; (3) Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and (4) Send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

From 7 to 10 p.m. on August 7, residents in neighborhoods throughout Muskegon County and across the nation are asked to lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the evening outside with neighbors and police.      

In addition to asking residents to turn on their outside lights a number of neighborhoods are holding special events to bring neighbors together for National Night Out.  Most of the neighborhood events are still in the planning stages as of the time this article was written and you are encouraged to contact your neighborhood association to find out the particulars of each event.  If you do not know how to contact your local neighborhood association, please feel free to contact the Police-Community Coordinator, Mr. Denny Powers at 724-6764.  

Those neighborhoods in Muskegon planning events at this time include:  Sheldon Park, McLaughlin, Nelson, Oakview, Nims, Marquette, Jackson Hill, Angell and the East Muskegon Neighborhood Alliance.   There is also and event planned in Muskegon Heights by the Bethlehem Neighborhood Park Association.

Many of us have reached the point where we no longer know our neighbors and our own neighborhoods.  In order to make our neighborhoods safer, police and residents need to work together.  Get to know your neighbors so you will be better equipped to be able to tell when something is out of place or suspicious and know when to call 911.  We need a concerted effort if we are going to drive crime out of our neighborhoods. Look out for each other. 

Join your neighborhoods in “Giving Crime and Drugs a Going Away Party”.