COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Dozens of central Ohio communities held National Night Out parties Tuesday night. The goal was getting to know your neighbor and police.
National Night Out is all about building community between residents and with police. After a tense and violent year between police and the public, people we spoke with say coming together is what we all need.
“God loves you and we love you.”
That’s what Franklinton resident Kenneth Grant had to say to Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs.
“I told her we appreciate her and that we work together… this community can be saved one block at a time,” said Grant.
We witnessed similar moments at packed block parties at Avondale and Scottwood Elementary Schools.
“The more the community gets involved with policing efforts the easier it gets for authorities to do the job they need to do. And so this is all about them knowing each other and building relationships,” said Trent Smith, a Franklinton resident who organized the National Night Out event at Avondale Elementary.
Chief Jacobs said she thinks the only way to get through these tough times is to be together.
“The more people that they know like me, more police officers that get to know community members and vice versa, the more they can trust us and get to know what our intentions are,” said Chief Jacobs.
Grant said the parties remind him of how things used to be. He said he hopes people in his neighborhood keep talking.
“I want the community of Franklinton to have each other’s back,” he said.What others are clicking on: