Salinas neighbors come together with police for National Night Out
After recent mass shootings across the nation, the National Night Out gave people a chance to get together and celebrate their community. Dozens of people flocked to Laurel Heights Park in Salinas for the event, which hopes to squash stigmas around policing and develop positive relationships between law enforcement and the public.
Laurel Heights is just one of thousands of communities participating across the country.
On its surface it looked like any other festival with food, arts and crafts and a book mobile by the Salinas Public Library. But there is a deeper message behind the event-the National Night Out is designed as a chance for people to meet the officers who try to keep their neighborhoods safe.
9-year-old Destiney Sandoval met a couple officers with the Salinas Police Department at the event.
“I’ve never been by the cops before so first time,” Sandoval told KION. “At first I was scared and then I was fine just after that.”
She is one of many kids who enjoyed taking photos on Salinas PD officers’ motorcycles.
This personal interaction is about fostering positive relationships-something Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter, a former police officer, told KION is especially important after three mass shootings rocked the nation, including one less than a week ago in nearby Gilroy.
“You see what these other communities are reeling and dealing with. It’s rather devastating; you can’t go to a Walmart or a store or go to an event-Girloy,” said Gunter. “We’ve got to prove to people that we are stronger than that and we’ve got to work together.”
Salinas Police Chief Adele Frese spoke about the impact of community policing and why it’s important to highlight their effort to show they’re just like everyone else.
“We are not separate from the community; we are one with the community,” Frese said. “Just because we wear the uniform, the badge, the gun, and we have the authority, does not make us any different than the law biding community.”
Due to the recent mass shooting, Gilroy postponed their event until October. The police department wrote on Facebook that they want to give people a chance to grieve.
