Cities and counties throughout the Pine Belt are gearing up for activities for National Night Out Against Crime, a neighborhood initiative designed to enhance the relationship between residents and law enforcement officials.
The kickoff for those festivities will start this weekend and go through the first of next week, beginning with Live at Five from 5-9 p.m.at Town Square Park at 100 Main Street in downtown Hattiesburg. That event, which is hosted by the City of Hattiesburg, will feature live music by Sun Valley Station, food vendors, touch-a-truck opportunities for children and interaction with first responders from the Hattiesburg Police Department, Hattiesburg Fire Department, the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office and elected officials from Forrest County and Hattiesburg.
“When you can put a name or face to a (law enforcement or other first responder) position, it gives it that much more security,” said Tonya Jordan, who serves as neighborhood coordinator for the City of Hattiesburg. “(For example), if I have a law enforcement officer that patrols my area, and I have an opportunity to talk with him in a setting that’s not dealing with an emergency – where I can just have a casual conversation with him – it kind of opens up a door for more trust, so that way you’re able to open up when they need you to help them.
“It opens up the door for a better relationship.”
This year marks the third time that the City of Hattiesburg has joined Live at Five for the National Night Out kick-off event, and the 33rd year that the city has been involved in the nationwide program. Jordan said she is proud that throughout those years, Hattiesburg has ranked in the Top 10 in cities throughout the nation, ranking at either No. 5 or No. 7.
“The City of Hattiesburg actually started the kickoff party; no other state does the kickoff,” Jordan said. “This is where everybody comes together – we separate into our individual neighborhoods for parties, but the kickoff is a huge event where everyone has an opportunity to come together and kind of have one big block party.
“We’re in Category 3 (for National Night Out), which is cities that have anywhere from 40,000 to around 75,000 or 85,000 people as far as population. This year, we have 24 parties, and they’re all over the city. We’ve had (Forrest) County reaching out, we have local businesses who are hosting parties, we have a couple of barber shops that want to host parties, and a lot of sororities and fraternities are collaborating with neighborhoods.”
Hattiesburg’s kickoff for National Night Out will serve as a precursor to its neighborhood parties that will take place from 5-8 p.m. October 3. All neighborhood associations interested in hosting a party on Oct. 3 can sign up and/or pick up party packets at the Live at Five event on September 29.
Neighborhood representatives can also sign up at https://bit.ly/nnohburg2023.
In addition, the Forrest County Sheriff’s Department – along with volunteer fire departments from around the county – will host two nights for National Night Out.
The first night is scheduled from 6-7 p.m. October 3, when the North Forrest Volunteer Fire Department will meet at the Glendale station and the Macedonia and Sunrise volunteer fire departments will meet at Sunrise Community Center. The second night is scheduled from 6-7 p.m. October 5, when the Dixie Volunteer Fire Department will meet at the Dixie fire station, the McLaurin Volunteer Fire Department will meet at the McLaurin fire department, and the Brooklyn and Carnes volunteer fire departments will meet at the Brooklyn Community Center.
Firefighters will offer snacks and items from the grill, along with drinks from Hattiesburg Coca-Cola. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with firefighters and deputies and learn about joining the force.
“We’ll have food, fun and fellowship for all the community to come out and enjoy,” Forrest County Fire Coordinator Chip Brown said. “We all work hand in hand with public safety, and we want to reach out to the community and assess their needs to see if there’s anything we can do better to provide them with public service.
“We want to let them know that we’re here for them, and it builds that relationship between the government and the citizens of the community.”
For more information, call Brown at the Forrest County Emergency Management District at (601) 544-5911.
The idea for National Night Out Against Crime began in 1970 in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The National Association of Town Watch was established in 1981, and in 1984, NATW introduced the National Night Out Campaign.
During the event, neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits and more.
For more information on the national event, visit www.natw.org.
