The communities of Westbury and New Cassel gathered together on Aug. 4 to parade through the streets of their neighborhood in order to send a message loud and clear—that they stand with the police in the fight to keep their streets free of crime and violence.
The 32nd annual National Night Out is a series of annual events that takes place throughout the country, aimed at promoting unity between police and the communities they serve, all in the name of ending the scourge of crime. Neighborhoods nationwide host festivals, parades, block parties and cookouts, and receive special visits and demonstrations from police and fire department personnel.
The Westbury event took the form of a festive and hugely-attended parade that started at the Salvation Army building located at 982 Prospect Ave. and ended at Martin “Bunky” Reid Park about a mile away, where food, music, games and fun were waiting for participants on the sweltering summer evening.
North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth, who marched in the parade, noted that the town was a major sponsor of this year’s National Night Out in Westbury, and that it is a vital way of bringing everyone together for a very important cause.
“National Night Out is a very important event in this community…it’s a wonderful time for the people to come together with the police to make sure that we’re working together to promote safety and living lives free of crime,” she said. “We come together to celebrate the values that we hold so dearly; safety, education, community and family, and this is an evening to celebrate all of that.”
Inspector Sean McCarthy, commanding officer of the Nassau County Police’s third precinct, was representing law enforcement at the event, and said that it’s a great way to really get to know the people they protect on a daily basis on a personal level.
“National Night Out is one of those times where the community and the police department get together and acknowledge how much in common we have,” he said. “We get the chance to meet the residents in a way that we normally don’t, hand out some literature and put a human face to what we do. We always have a really good event at Bunky Reid…it’s one of the events that we always make sure we attend.”
The “Yes We Can” Community Center was a major participant in this year’s National Night Out. Many children from the center marched in the parade holding banners they painted themselves with slogans imploring the end of violence and wrongdoing, according to program developer Elaine Hoskins.
“These are kids from our summer activities program, and these children created these National Night Out banners, all the designs and everything,” she said. “We’re very proud to be participating in this parade today…it’s a great lesson for the kids.”
Bryce, age 8, a member of the “Yes We Can” Community Center, personally helped create one of the banners that he helped carry in the parade, inscribing it with a heart and signing his name at the bottom. He said that he got a kick out of being able to walk the streets with his friends while serving a good cause.
“It feels good to be able to march at the front of the parade and say I don’t want crime in my neighborhood,” he said. “I’ve never done this before, and it’s a lot of fun.”
