A caravan of fire trucks, police patrol cars, motorcycles and ambulances with their sirens blaring as they traverse the neighborhoods, does not necessarily mean they are going to an emergency if it happens on the second Tuesday of August like every year. It is a sign that they are celebrating National Night Out. For children, getting on these apparatus has always been the highlight of the night.
National Night Out is a wonderful opportunity for our community to foster collaboration between police and community crime prevention and camaraderie among neighbors.
Although National Night Out, or Night Against Crime was introduced nationally in 1984, it was not until 1992 that it began to be held in Lawrence in an effort to raise awareness and strengthen citizen participation in efforts against local crime with the event that culminated the first Tuesday of August.
As in previous years, Lawrence/Methuen Community Coalition under the leadership of Harold Magoon, with the cooperation of neighborhoods and volunteers, did a fantastic job organizing such a massive event.
Now more than ever, it is important to participate in this event that despite the years we have been celebrating it, we haven’t been able to eliminate crime and violence. To this, we must add the terrorism that is out there, latent and can occur at any time, in any city.
Getting to know our neighbors is the first step in making our neighborhoods safer, free from crime.
Let’s extend it for the rest of the year!
