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National event reignites neighborly spirit
Published October 4, 2009
The first year I lived in Rosharon, my blood pressure spiked when I came home to a firetruck parked in my driveway. There was no smoke, only laughs as I drove up. It was National Night Out, the firefighters said, and they were just driving around to visit and shake hands.
Back in the good old days, that visit wouldn’t have been so jarring. Then, life was slower, people left their doors unlocked and neighbors got together more often. They kept each other’s children in line, checked each other’s mail and otherwise got in each other’s business, in a good way.
The neighborhood lawman joined in for coffee and danish, and he was in tune with community concerns because people flagged him down to tell him what was on their minds.
That’s what I hear, anyway, but besides the firefighters laughing with my husband, that’s not today’s reality.
As a child, I knew my neighbors. We didn’t socialize, really, but we waved hello and my parents knocked on their doors when the need arose: to check on a woman down the street recovering from a heart attack, or to learn the cause of the garage fire next door.
I had a lawyer-turned-judge for a father, so we knew a lot of police officers, and my parents raised me to respect them. Sometimes they stopped by the house, and we saw them at fundraisers and neighborhood parties.
As an adult, though, I hardly know my neighbors. It’s a byproduct of more space between our houses, less time to visit and more immersion in electronics, I guess. When we do walk the block, it is with iPods and earbuds. We wave when we pass in the car and occasionally share pleasantries about health and children’s activities, but that’s rare.
Because of my job, I know tons of police officials, and my respect for them and ease with them remains.
Still, there are people we know with a deep distrust of law enforcement. Others are so shy, or so wrapped up in themselves, they have never spoken to their neighbors.
We might not think about it, but not knowing our neighbors and not trusting that police are there to protect us actually is making us less safe.
Without neighbors who know us, no one will notice when someone who shouldn’t be at our house is snooping around. If we walk away from police rather than approach them with our concerns, it becomes harder for them to do their job.
That’s where National Night Out comes in. Billed as a night to strengthen neighborhood spirit and trust for law enforcement, the event began in 1984 and has grown to include 37 million people in 15,449 American communities.
It’s a strong concept, and there are tons of ways to observe the night out, which this year is Tuesday. Some Brazoria County cities have parties at the park, others rely on neighborhoods to host block parties where police stop by to visit.
A list of National Night Out events is running in What’s Going On, on our community page.
If we are missing any, please e-mail us at community(at)thefacts.com, or call our office to let us know, and we’ll add your event to our list.
Go to a party at the city park to meet police, fire and EMS officials, and take time on the way there to greet the folks on your block.
I think I’ll use the day as motivation to finally take cookies to the people who moved in across the street. After all, a small gesture can make a big difference someday.
Yvonne Mintz is managing editor of The Facts. Contact her at 979-237-0144 or yvonne.mintz(at)thefacts.com.
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