COMMUNITY
City ready for ‘biggest National Night Out’ in 35 years >>
TRENTON » A display of unity against crime could not have come at a better time for the capital city.
After a weekend of gunplay that left one person dead and injured at least four others, city residents geared up Monday for the annual National Night Out (NNO) event, where citizens gather in streets and parks to build neighborhood camaraderie around making communities safer.
“There has been an unfortunate spate of gun violence here lately, but for the community to come out and take back their street [tomorrow] night can be very uplifting for the city,” Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said in an interview with this newspaper at the NNO kickoff event at City Hall.
Dozens of residents packed the City Hall atrium Monday evening as lawmakers raffled off four bounce houses — one for each ward — and touted the largest NNO participation in the history of Trenton.
“This is the biggest National Night Out in the 35 years [of the event],” Mayor Reed Gusciora told the packed room. “We have 120 streets that are going to be representing our city.”
The mayor, who has been in office a little more than a month, said he isn’t surprised at this year’s participation in the event because he “felt the energy” throughout his campaign.
“When I was walking around during the campaign, people wanted to
roll up their sleeves and help make this city work,” Gusciora said. “They felt the city was stagnant for too long. I think the fact that there’s 120 sites for National Night Out shows that these are times when neighbors are coming together to address crime, the lack of hope and provide an outlet for us to talk and solve our problems collectively.”
Even Senator Shirley Turner (D-Mercer/Hunterdon) attended the kickoff event and described Gusciora as the “coolest mayor in the entire state,” before telling residents that “we cannot have a safe city without all of your help.”
“We have to take back our city house by house, street by street and ward by ward,” Turner said. “We cannot turn over this city to the gangs and to the druggies. We have to be out there, not just tomorrow night, but every night. If you see something, say something.”
Acting Police Director Pedro Medina echoed the senator’s sentiments regarding NNO being an every night event.
“We need to gain the confidence of the residents so they know we’re not just going to worry about one night to make them feel safe,” Medina said. “We need the people to see that we are human, that we care, that we suffer like they suffer, and that we want them to be safe like we want our own families to be safe.”
Medina said that over the past month he has made several changes within the department to place more officers and supervisors on the streets, and that the rank-and-file seem energized and ready to tackle the myriad of issues residents face each day.
“It’s not an easy task, but it has to be done.” Medina said. “We have to connect with the people so they feel that the police department has a heart and truly cares. It’s not just about arresting people.”
The annual National Night Out event starts around 5 p.m. Tuesday. Numerous city streets will be blocked by barricades to allow children and adults alike to celebrate without fear of motorists.
City officials, including the mayor, police department brass and city council members plan to visit as many gathering sites as possible.
TPD used forfeiture funds to provide participating groups vouchers to purchase food at City Beef.
Millions of people across the United States take part in National Night Out, which is held on the first Tuesday in August, except in Texas, which celebrates on the first Tuesday in October. Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events.