Community Corner
Fort Greene Park Hosts National Night Out Against Crime
Event seeks to foster relationships between NYPD and the public in keeping Brooklyn safe
Yesterday evening, Fort Greene helped Brooklyn take a bite out of crime.
Fort Greene Park, in conjunction with the 88th Precinct and the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, was one of the sites throughout the borough and the country that took part in the annual National Night Out Against Crime. The event featured appearances from some of the most recognizable figures in the city including Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.
Hundreds of people turned out for the event which included carnival rides, live music and free food.
Find out what's happening in Fort Greene-Clinton Hillwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"Community involvement in keeping Brooklyn safe is part of the reason we went from being voted the fifth most violent area in the country back in 1990, to being voted by Money Magazine as one of the 10 best places to live," said Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes.
The goal of the event is to help foster a partnership between the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the general public in helping keep Brooklyn streets safe. Hynes credited Raymond Kelly, Commissioner of the NYPD, with playing an instrumental role in bringing community based policing to the neighborhood.
Find out what's happening in Fort Greene-Clinton Hillwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Hynes also said that the implementation of 30 programs that did not exist before 1990 has also helped reduced crime in the borough, including preventive drug treatment for those arrested on drug possession charges, preventive community service for kids who have been charged with crimes, and a re-entry program for incarcerated criminals who are being released.
At the end of the evening, Bloomberg issued a proclamation declaring August 2, 2011 as National Night Out Against Crime Day.
"Working together as a community has resulted in public safety gains that have made this area a great place to be for hard working families, and helped make America's safest big city even safer," said Bloomberg.
Kelly said that crime has dropped nearly 40 percent since September 2001, but asked those in attendance to continue working to help keep the borough as safe as possible.
"I urge you all to attend your local community council meetings," said Kelly. "This is how we get information on what's going in your neighborhood."
