National Night Out: Neighbors get together in Northeast Houston

WOODGLEN CIVIC ASSOCIATION members pose for the Northeast News/North Forest News camera. President is Ernestine Jones

NORTHEAST HOUSTON – Neighbors, public officials, police and deputies gathered last Tuesday night, to meet, eat, party, and discuss issues of interest to them.

National Night Out almost got canceled in the Houston area due to Hurricane Ike and the recovery effort that followed, but most neighborhoods were able to make alternate plans that brought them together.

In the North Forest area, Woodglen Civic Association had a backyard party on Sterlingshire Street, with about a hundred attending. Civic club president Ernestine Jones organized the event, which included a music group with her son Kenneth, a moonwalk, plenty of hot dogs and food, and HPD officers that were available to discuss safety and crime prevention in the neighborhood, which is the reason for NNO in the first place.

The “25th Annual National Night Out” (NNO), a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 7, 2008.

The purpose of National Night Out is to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;, generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

NNO has proven to be an effective, inexpensive and enjoyable program to promote neighborhood spirit and police community partnerships in our fight for a safer nation.

In the Aldine area, NNO events were held by the Green Forest Civic Association at the Sheriff’s storefront location, and by Precinct 2 at the Northeast Community Center on Bennington street. At the North East Community Center on Tuesday, October 7nd Harris County Precinct Two, local merchants, and area neighbors celebrated National Night Out.

Special activities included: Finger printing & face painting for the children, a demonstration by the Westfield Volunteer Fire Department, clowns, and music by Jessie Rojas.

At the East Aldine center, events included food, friendship among the neighbors, and presentations by Art Murillo of METRO, state representative elect Armando Walle, Precinct One aide Asdrubal Gutierrez, Green Forest Civic Club presiden Shirley Reed, and various deputies from the Sheriff’s office. Subjects discussed included trash collection and crime prevention in the Aldine neighborhoods.