‘National Night Out’ Oct. 6 at Pecot Park in Franklin

On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the City of Franklin will join forces with thousands of communities nationwide for the “32nd Annual National Night Out” crime and drug prevention event.
National Night Out, which is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and co-sponsored locally by Pecot Park Neighborhood and the Franklin Police Department, will involve more than 16,124 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases around the world. In all, over 38.1 million people are expected to participate in “America’s Night Out Against Crime.”
“National Night Out is designed to: (1) Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; (2) Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime efforts; (3) Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and (4) Send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
A community block party will be held in Pecot Park located at Eagle and Pecot streets on Oct. 6, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Local law enforcement agencies — Franklin Police Department, St. Mary Sheriff Office, Franklin Marshal, Franklin Fire Department, LA State Troopers, Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control and the Magnolia Peace Officers Association — will be on hand to provide information on crime prevention and to promote police-community partnerships. Community businesses, organizations and groups participating in this year’s event are St. Mary Branch NAACP, Chez Hope, Broussard-Harris Line Dance Group, Teche Action Clinic and KBZE 105.9. The community is urged to come out and help celebrate National Night Out and to help send a powerful message about neighborhood unity, awareness, safety and police-community partnerships.
National Project Coordinator Matt Peskin said, “This is a night for America to stand together to promote awareness, safety and neighborhood unity. National Night Out showcases the vital importance of police-community partnerships and citizen involvement in our fight to build a safer nation. On October 6, we invite neighborhoods nationwide to join us in giving crime and drugs a going away party.”
Residents, local businesses, community groups and organizations are encouraged to participate in this community event. For more information on the event, contact Alfreida Edwards at (985) 397-1096.