Superheroes

I made this photograph on August 2, during the National Night Out event at the Williamsbridge Oval Park.

rawlat.com/adi
aditalwar.blogspot.com

National Night Out

Detective Warren Thompson, of the 46th Precinct, at last year's National Night Out event. Photo by Alma Watkins.

Next Tuesday, Aug. 3, is the NYPD's National Night Out Against Crime, an annual event organized by local precincts' community councils. They usually feature refreshments, music, entertainment and safety presentations from local officers. In addition to being an overall good time, the goal of the event is to strengthen neighborhood relations with the police and to heighten crime awareness.

Here are the details for a few local precincts--

• 52nd Precinct: Poe Park, at East 192nd and the Grand Concourse, from 5 to 8 p.m. Contact community affairs at (718) 220-5824.

• 48th Precinct: In Belmont's "Little Italy" on Arthur Avenue and East 187th Street, from  3 to 9 p.m. Contact community affairs at (718) 299-4522.

• 46th Precinct: Echo Park, at Valentine and E. Burnside Avenues, from 4 to 9 p.m. Call the community council at (718) 220-5234 or Bernice Williams at (718) 933-6555.

National Night Out in the Bronx

Last Tuesday, the Bronx played host to several National Night Out events, including one on Morris Avenue at East 182nd Street (the first five photos) and another on Tiebout at East 183rd (the second five).

Currently its 26th year, National Night Out brings together local residents, community leaders, and police officers, with the aim of "taking back" the streets from criminals, and improving police-community relations.

Across the country, close to 40 million people took part.

Photos by Alma Watkins

Reclaiming a Crime-Ridden Neighborhood

Yesterday, an army of kids, a handful of cops, and a bouncy castle took over a troubled Mount Hope block.

More here.

National Night Out

Today is National Night Out, a crime and drug prevention initiative whereby police and local residents "take over" troubled neighborhoods. In the 46th Precinct, events are being held from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Roberto Clemente State Park, at 175th Street and Townsend Avenue, and at 183rd Street and Tiebout Avenue.

Here's some shots from last year's events in the Four-Six. (Photos by Laura Sayer)

Partying Despite the Pushers

In a kind of passive resistance, neighbors across the 46th Precinct celebrated their sense of community in the face of crime Tuesday night by participating in National Night Out.
Neighbors shared food, teenagers enjoyed good clean fun and clowns transformed babes into butterflies, as local communities joined thousands of others across the country to give neighborhood drugs and crime a “going away party.”
With three sites– the most in the city – these blocks laid claim to their neighborhoods, holding up a vision of community as a united front. Community groups staged block parties on Tiebout Avenue between 182nd and 183rd Streets, the same block on Morris Avenue and at Roberto Clemente State Park “to show the pushers we’ve had enough,” said Nero Graham, of Morris Community Action Programs.
At the Morris Avenue party, resident Angelo Vega said, “they have a slogan around here somewhere,” but whatever it says, the night is really just about taking back the community.
For him, as well as for Graham, neighborhood children freely running about epitomized the point of the evening.
“The kids are really enjoying themselves, and that’s what counts,” Vega said. “You only see a hose spraying water, but it’s so much more to them.”
National Night Out is a time for kids to play without fearing guns or drugs, to really feel “it’s their block,” Graham added. (Photos by Laura Sayer)