PHOTOS: National Night Out Against Crime In The 88th Precinct And PSA 3

This past Tuesday marked the 34th annual National Night Out Against Crime — a day where police precincts and communities across the country get together for a neighborhood block party/festival, reminding everyone present of the human side of both residents and law enforcement.

Here in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, there were two parties/cookouts — one at the DeKalb Avenue/Washington Park corner of Fort Greene Park and one on North Oxford Walk in a Walt Whitman Houses courtyard.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect: just a few days after a fatal shooting at the Whitman Houses, and in the middle of both a series of stabbings and the summer recess for NYPD precinct community council meetings, as well as at the end of a summer that has followed months of protests and heightened awareness about strained police-community relations. It was an opportune time for residents and cops alike to bond over shared interests like eating hot dogs, dancing, icees, and the importance of collaboration.

These photos show some of that letting loose and coming together. Let’s keep them in mind as we go forward into another year of striving to make our homes and communities of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Wallabout safe and full of life.