Recent headlines have confirmed what many Camden residents have been feeling - violent crime is on the rise in Minneapolis. While the Minneapolis Police Department and other city agencies are taking steps to address this (many of those steps noted recently in Camden News), there is a vital role for us in the community to play as well. Given the recent crime trends, a strong partnership between city agencies, community groups and individual residents is more important than ever. One of the key ways of strengthening and maintaining that partnership is through National Night Out.
Minneapolis residents have made National Night Out (NNO) a key summer event for 23 years, and this year’s theme “Join the Tradition” reflects that rich and successful history. The event is held annually on the first Tuesday in August — this year’s NNO is August 1. Last year, Minneapolis set a record for attendance with 46,000 residents attending more than 840 neighborhood and community NNO celebrations citywide. For the fourth time in the last five years, Minneapolis was number one in the nation for its NNO participation. But that was last year, and this year the need is even greater.
National Night Out activities help build and maintain Minneapolis’ extensive network of neighborhood watch block clubs by giving people an opportunity to get together with neighbors, build relationships, meet new people, discuss issues and plan for the future. National Night Out is also a great way to encourage folks to start new neighborhood watch block clubs.
Minneapolis is making it easier than ever to plan, organize and hold an NNO event. This year, Minneapolis is waiving the street closure fee for block parties that get their permit application in by July 18. You can apply for a street closure permit by logging on to www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/events-management/residential-blockevents/apply.asp or by calling 311.
Whether you decide to close your street or not, register your event. (Applying for a street closure permit and registering your event are two different things.) You will receive free reminder door hangers, name tags, child/teen ID cards and coloring sheets, and free vouchers for Minnesota Twins tickets. Registration places you on the official list of NNO events that gets distributed to police and other City departments. You can register online at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/nno/register.asp. No Internet access? Call 311 (or 612-673-3000) and the staff will register you. Register by July 11 and you’ll be entered in a drawing for door prizes to be handed out at your event.
Log on to www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/nno and you’ll find tips on planning your event, increasing participation, getting kids involved and much more. You’ll find activity suggestions, planning checklists and other materials to make your NNO event a real community building success.
An organized, cohesive community is a key element in the effort to make our neighborhoods safe. Hosting a NNO event is one small but vital step toward building such a community. If we are going to successfully address our crime problem we need to get involved in our local community and neighborhood organizations, work more closely with law enforcement and other city agencies, hold our public officials accountable, and work to build a community of involved, aware and caring neighbors. These are our neighborhoods. They are what we make of them. National Night Out is one piece of the solution.
Don’t wait any longer. NNO is just around the corner, but it’s not too late to plan your block party. If your block doesn’t currently have a block club, NNO is a great opportunity for neighbors to create their own celebration and could be the starting point for a new block club.
Many people have simple parties in their backyards or on their front porches or lawns where they share some food and conversation and maybe a few games. Nothing big or formal and often they don’t close off their street to car traffic. But many people do like to close off their street.
Get the kids involved! Include activities to generate youth interest and participation, such as volleyball, face painting, bean bag toss or piñatas.
Graffiti
Graffiti is a major problem in Minneapolis: there were more than 1,900 complaints in February of this year. The City of Minneapolis spends hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly to remove it from public and private property. At your NNO party consider forming a graffiti removal crew on your block. Help those who are unable to remove graffiti from their property. Use NNO as an opportunity to talk to the kids on your block about graffiti removal efforts. Let them know that graffiti is illegal, disrespectful and costly.