National Night Out offers good time for neighbors against crime

Rosie Garcia has helped organize National Night Out events in Modesto for seven years. As a Modesto native, her love and effort for these annual events goes way beyond that.

But she points to the resilient residents she encounters who keep these annual events going while raising awareness about crime prevention.

Garcia, a community service officer who has worked for Modesto police for more than 18 years, remembers how the economic crisis nearly shut down one neighborhood’s crime-prevention efforts several years ago. Most of the homes along Bobcat Court in west Modesto had become vacant.

For neighborhood watch groups, strength is found in numbers. The more eyes and ears looking out for each other, the better. It’s at these National Night Out block parties where neighbors meet each other and form small crime-prevention networks. If they see or hear something suspicious, they call police and each other.

Garcia said the Bobcat Court residents who remained organized a small National Night Out party. They pulled in neighbors from nearby streets.

Last year, she attended the Bobcat Court block party. Garcia said the block has improved, and the group’s coordinators were still there enjoying their neighborhood.

“It was so heartwarming to see Bobcat Court full of life with all the houses filled with happy, exuberant neighbors,” said Garcia, who works with the department’s Crime Prevention Unit.

Garcia recently explained how National Night Out has changed over the years and what sort of neighborhood parties are planned this year from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 4.

Q. What are some of the more memorable National Night Out moments in Modesto in the past several years?

A. For me, a memorable NNO was one of my first NNOs when I had gone door to door around Cesar Chavez Park to organize neighborhood watch. We had such a great neighborhood response. The neighborhood watch groups organized a National Night Out committee, and we had several blocks around the park participate. Another memorable moment is when Sen. Barbara Boxer visited Modesto at the Maddux Youth Center for National Night Out.

Q. In terms of crime prevention, what are some of the changes you’ve seen after a neighborhood hosts a National Night Out block party?

A. We find that after a National Night Out party, neighbors feel more connected to each other and excited to live in their neighborhood, as well as having more of a sense of ownership of their neighborhood. The neighbors look out for each other. This is important, because when neighbors know each other and keep in touch, they are more prone to know when they see something that doesn’t look right. They call in suspicious activity and inform their neighbors on what they see.

Q. How have the National Night Out gatherings changed since you started participating in the annual events?

A. Years ago, the events were many but small. Now, I think with technology it makes communicating and organizing much easier. Neighborhoods are also expanding and combining several blocks into one party. Also, there used to be only one or two park parties. This year, there are six park parties that encompass several streets that surround the neighborhood parks. There are also several multihousing communities having National Night Out parties.

Q. What would your pitch be to a group of neighbors considering organizing their first National Night Out block party?

A. National Night Out is a great time to gather together for a fun night of getting reacquainted with neighbors and meeting new neighbors. The parties don’t need to be big. In fact, I recommend small parties for your first National Night Out, so you can bond with the neighbors closest to you before reaching out further into the neighborhood.

Q. What’s the most rewarding part of helping residents put together these National Night Out events?

A. Their enthusiasm to partner and pull resources together to organize National Night Out parties is astounding. I love it when there are neighbors who have lived in the same neighborhood for years who don’t know each other. After a National Night Out party, they are now not only neighbors but friends who go for walks together and build lifelong relationships.

Q. Can you tell us what kind of National Night Out events are planned this year?

A. There are several park parties this year. One is Lakewood Park, where neighbors collaborated with the city to buy replacement parts for their playground. Volunteers from the neighborhood did the work under the supervision of the city. This collaboration could extend the life of the old playground at least five years. This is the sense of ownership I was talking about, where neighbors know each other and work together to make their neighborhoods a great place to live. There are the neighborhood block parties with potlucks, jump houses and barbecues. There are the parties where the neighbors are meeting over ice cream to update and exchange contact information, so they can stay current on their contact lists.

Q. What are some of the goals for National Night Out events in Modesto in the future?

A. We want to continue to educate our community on how to prevent themselves from becoming victims of crime. We want to continue to increase our neighborhood watch groups, and grow our numbers of neighbors who organize and hold National Night Out parties.

This story was originally published July 26, 2015 at 4:54 PM with the headline "National Night Out offers good time for neighbors against crime."