NEW ORLEANS — Various city and parish leaders are heading out into their communities tonight, aiming to work together with residents to reduce crime for the 38th Annual National Night Out Against Crime. Many events are set to take place across our area tonight.
Over in St. Bernard Parish, the sheriff's office has been partnering up with the First Pentecostal Church in Chalmette for the last 13 years. This is their first year back since the coronavirus pandemic.
"Every year there is a different reason for it but this year we believe we are connecting our neighbors," said Pastor Otto Martin III. "A party like this brings them together and introduces them to our great Sheriff's Department here in St. Bernard where they can have a conversation in a non-stressful situation."
The church will host the kickoff event that will start at 6:00 pm, but there are also a dozen other community events happening throughout the parish. Sheriff James Pohlmann said his officers will have a presence in every neighborhood.
Pohlman said, "It means a lot for us to be able to bring people together in our community for a common goal."
Pohlmann has been sheriff since 2011 but has been working with the Sheriff's department for 38 years. Throughout that time he has seen the law enforcement change, making events like National Night Out events critical when it comes to connecting with the community they serve.
"Our job gets harder and harder every day. As we know across this country it's very difficult to find people who want to get into law enforcement," Pohlmann said. "We have a good community who is not scared about calling in suspicious activity and trying to help prevent crime before things get out of hand."
Just up the road in New Orleans East, the HYPE Academy is also hosting their National Night Out Event at their campus from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Arianne Craig Jolla, Co-founder of the private school said they want to connect the community and make sure everyone's voice is heard in the conversation.
Jolla said, "our kids today are being blamed for much of what's going on here in the city of New Orleans, specifically. It's important to make sure that our kids are involved on both ends, we can't be so busy blaming them, and don't include them in the solution."
HYPE is an acronym for 'Help Young People Excel'. It's a mission the school has been living by for the past 11 years. Jolla said her staff strives to have conversations with their students every day to ensure that their voices are heard. Tonight's event at their campus is a reflection of the work they do year-round.
"We’ve got music and food, it’s going to be a very exciting time! We’ve also got resources, the Louisiana Federation for a Children, Son of a Saint, so all of the things that are necessary to make a holistic effort to make sure that these kids and the families get what they need," said Jolla.
Crimestoppers President and CEO Darlene Cusanza said parishes are hosting hundreds of events across the area all with the same goal of reducing crime and connecting the community.
"This is an opportunity for people to come out and meet law enforcement and I'm going to thank enforcement. We want you to be a part of the eyes and ears and be a part of the team. It's all positive, it's a great way to show zero tolerance for any kind of activity that doesn't belong in your neighborhood," said Cusanza.
The City of New Orleans is hosting another 'national night out' event at the Sam Bonart Playground in the Lower 9th Ward. Mayor LaToya Cantrell and NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson will be there, along with some city council members. That starts at 5:00 pm.
On the Northshore, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office is hosting a 'National Night Out' in all four of their districts. They'll be in Slidell, Mandeville, Covington and Bush.
In St. James Parish, an event will be held on the main street in Gramercy, starting at 5:00 pm.
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