Mayor Horrigan Hosts 36th National Night Out Against Crime
More than 60 community partners come together to plan 16 events across Akron
City of Akron Press Release
From the desk of Ellen Lander Nischt, Press Secretary
Published: 07-30-2019
Akron, Ohio, July 30, 2019 – On Tuesday, August 6, 2019, Mayor Dan Horrigan and the City of Akron will host the 36th annual National Night Out, a unique event celebrating the importance of neighborhood engagement in our city. This year’s local theme is We Care.
National Night Out (NNO) is an annual community-building campaign, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, that promotes police-community relations and neighborhood unity. The goal of National Night Out is to strengthen participation in local programs that prevent and deter crime, in an effort to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live.
“As public officials, one of the most important ways we can combat violence and drug addiction is to remind each citizen how much we genuinely care about them, their family, and their neighborhood,” Mayor Horrigan said of this year’s theme. “So much of what we see in the media and popular culture encourages us to fear or distrust one another. But when we take the time to get to know our neighbors, we learn how much we truly share in common. Every year I look forward to seeing police officers, fire fighters, community leaders, and citizens of all ages and backgrounds share information and ideas. I always leave the night with a renewed sense of hope for the future, and faith in the ability of engaged citizens to transform their neighborhoods for the better.”
The NNO program has deep roots in Akron, where the first NNO event took place in 1984 in East Akron. Today, with a total of 16 sites, and more than 60 community partners, Akron has the most coordinated NNO events of any city in Ohio. The 2019 NNO event features two new site locations at the Summit Lake Community Center and at Edgewood Village in Southwest Akron.
The National Night Out campaign involves citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic/religious groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials. In all, more than 38 million people are expected to participate in NNO in more than 16,000 communities across all 50 states and beyond.
The August 6th NNO events in Akron start as early as 4:30 PM and run as late as 9:00 PM. All Akron sites will provide information on safety, health and other issues of concern, and most sites will also feature music, games, and free food and refreshments. A list of 2019 NNO sites and times is available here.
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