Tag: national night out

After a weekend of violent crime in Fort Worth claimed the lives of four people and injured several others, residents of the southside Glencrest Civic League neighborhood got together for a barbecue.

The gathering at the C.R. Bradley Community Center on Tuesday night was one of a number of events citywide marking National Night Out: an initiative aimed at getting neighbors to know each other and their local law enforcement.

Outside the community center, a Fort Worth fire truck parked in the street. Police vehicles and a constable’s car filled the parking lot. Inside, residents and first responders milled about, chatting with each other and fixing plates of food.

Longtime community organizer Marie Love flitted back and forth, setting up platters of dessert and passing out bottles of water.

Love has been organizing National Night Out events for over a decade, she said, and the annual get-together is her favorite.

The events are important because they allow residents in the area to “know who’s rolling around in our neighborhood,” Love said. Some residents are afraid to come out of their homes, and the events help those residents get comfortable with their neighbors and law enforcement, she said.

Tuesday’s event was about more than just getting to know the area police officer. At a table in the back of the room, a representative helped older residents with questions about Medicare coverage.

A table near the door was stacked with city pamphlets on everything from smoke detectors to trash pickup and preventing car burglaries.

One incident from the weekend’s spate of violent crimes occurred not far from where residents gathered for the event.

An 18-year-old woman, Jenny Rosales, was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Don’s Seafood restaurant roughly a mile away. Police arrested a suspect, who they said shot Rosales after an argument following a minor car accident.

That kind of violence isn’t new to the neighborhood, Love said, citing a couple of instances of drive-by shootings since the beginning of this year. She’s satisfied, though, with how the Fort Worth Police Department is handling things, she said.

What Love does think the city needs to improve on is code enforcement, she said. She’d like to see an increased effort to pick up discarded tires in the neighborhood.

As Love went about setting up the food, Fort Worth City Councilman Chris Nettles waited to make himself a plate.

A lot of the weekend’s violence in North Texas and nationally, Nettles said, could’ve been prevented by “meeting it before it happens” with changes to gun laws.

Despite initial reservations about the process that resulted in the hiring of new Police Chief Eddie Garcia, Nettles said he believes Garcia is focused on safety in the community.

“If there’s any programs or things that we can do as a city, he’s going to present those to this council,” Nettles said. “And this council has historically supported the police department with any efforts that they try to do to curb violence.”

Nettles said the Glencrest event was the second of six National Night Out gatherings he planned to attend in his district.

“It’s important to make these relationship connections by just talking about whatever and eating a hot dog,” Nettles said, adding that he believed all of his colleagues on the council were attending events in their district, as well.

Neighborhood police officer Roger Cannon, who is assigned to the Glencrest neighborhood, sat and chatted with residents.

Cannon has been assigned to the neighborhood since August, and prior to that, worked in the Eastern Hills neighborhood for two years.

He likes the Glencrest neighborhood because it’s a quieter part of the city with an older population, he said.

Cannon hopes Tuesday’s events help the Fort Worth community get a better sense of the department’s community-based approach to policing.

“I get my power from the people,” Cannon said. “Without them, this badge doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a piece of metal.”