LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Here in Little Rock, city leaders, law enforcement, and community members gathered to demonstrate what it means to bridge the gap and promote safer and more caring communities.
National Night Out began in the 1970s, and since then, neighborhoods around the country have come together annually on the first Tuesday of October to show what community-building truly looks like.
"National night out started in Philadelphia as a community building effort between the police of Philadelphia and neighborhoods," Little Rock Communications Director Aaron Sadler said. "It's been adopted nationwide."
Here in Little Rock, city leaders like Mayor Frank Scott have worked to promote comfort when interacting with law enforcement officials, which can be nerve-wracking for many.
That's why this year's National Night Out helped build relationships—working towards those positive interactions in a stress-free space.
"You'll have the ability to come up to meet the people that patrol your streets in a stress-free, easy environment, ask them questions, and learn more about what they do," Sadler said. "They're part of our community, too."
This year, community members also took a different approach to the number of communities participating in the celebration.
"We're having four city-sponsored events," Sadler said. "Those are in MacArthur Park, downtown War Memorial Park, Southwest Community Center, and West Central Community Center."
In addition to close interactions with officers and additional law enforcement, local vendors and businesses were present during Tuesday's community cookout. Families also participated in a number of fun activities.
"Bouncy houses, ice cream cones, face painting for the kids, bean bag toss," Southwest Community Center Supervisor Lee Couch said. "It might do some sack racing. We're going to be doing pretty much whatever you think of. Anything that says fun, we're going to be doing it."
These efforts mean much more than showing positive interactions law enforcement officials have with the community. They're an ode to why communities were built and the impact they hold.