Photos: Dragons Fight And Children Play At 61st Precinct’s Night Out Against Crime

Members of the 61st Precinct Community Council and Captain John Chell pose with NYFK Sport Center’s Chinese dragons, which danced during the event.

The officers, auxiliary force, leaders and community council of the NYPD’s 61st Precinct celebrated another stellar Night Out Against Crime, with hundreds of children and their parents taking to the precinct’s lot and adjacent street to celebrate a safe community.

With a heated election year, there were tons of local elected officials and candidates on hand, hobnobbing with neighbors while their children ate free burgers, danced to the DJ, were dazzled by a musician, and took home their own personalized airbrushed t-shirts.

It was the 30th year of the event, and the 61st Precinct is known to throw one of the most extravagant affairs of all the Brooklyn precincts. The event is celebrated in more than 15,000 communities across all 50 states, representing the communities reclaiming their streets from violence and crime.

While there was a lot to love about this year’s event – did you see the dragons?! – my favorite part was the impromptu performance by 3-year-old Jordan Wong, who burst out in dance to Gangnam Style and drew a large audience. We caught most of it on video, below, and Jordan was eager to do it for the crowd again, a not-so-uncommon occurrence according to his father Kuey.

“He’ll do it again. He’ll do it any time. He’s crazy about it,” Wong said about his son. The Wongs live in Bensonhurst and came along with NYFK Sport Center, a group based on 20th Avenue, which performed during the Night Out.

Here are some of the photos of the event, shot by me and Erica Sherman.

swastika graffiti
Abhorrent swastika graffiti on playground equipment at Adam Yauch Park. November 18, 2016. (Photo courtesy of Kate DiMarco Ruck)
Adam Yauch Park
Adam Yauch Park, Brooklyn Heights. November 19, 2016. (Photo by Justin Fox / BKLYNER)