Communities serve up down-home food, block parties across the city in fight against crime
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 7, 2002
The manhunt was hot and heavy Tuesday as Suffolk police officers and other law enforcement officials scoured the area for the subject in question. It wasn’t the usual culprit; however – just some hot sauce to accompany the fried fish and chicken.
Residents at Chorey Park apartments served it up in a grand style, as usual, for the city’s seventh annual National Night Out celebration. Law enforcement across the country designates this time to forge closer bonds with the communities it serves, and to bolster neighborhood crime prevention efforts.
The Suffolk police and fire departments, Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Citizens Police Academy Alumni, Suffolk Citizens Community Services, and numerous local businesses joined hands with neighborhoods citywide for an extended party Tuesday evening.
At Chorey Park, west of downtown…
Suffolk Fire Chief Mark A. Outlaw had a lot on his hands balancing his loaded plate and trying to reach for some of those homemade cornbread cakes. &uot;I’ve got to get some of that cornbread,&uot; Outlaw insisted. And then the search finally ended for the staple of all soul food meals, the hot sauce. It was apprehended in good time as the partakers breathed a sigh of relief.
Residents served fried fish, fried chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans, potato salad, fresh cabbage, and many more delicacies. More than 100 people visited Chorey Park, a public housing complex designated for the elderly and disabled. And the residents did not have to lift a finger because Suffolk police officers attentively waited on them.
Chorey Park Resident Manager Geraldine Diggs, also the civic league president, said she was quite pleased with the turnout.
&uot;This keeps us abreast of our officers,&uot; said Diggs. &uot;We depend up on them for our protection.&uot;
As he surveyed the interaction between the community, law enforcement and other city entities, Councilman Charles F. Brown commented, ‘This is part of the glue that keeps our communities together.&uot;
In Saratoga, South Suffolk…
A good basketball game was in the works at the Ida V. Easter Park, steaks on the grill, hamburgers, and hotdogs. Civic league members said they’ve gained more participation each year. For one in the neighborhood, Tuesday was very quiet, said Sharon Jones, Saratoga/Philadelphia Civic League president. &uot;It’s been very quiet and it’s something we really needed.&uot;
Jones added that National Night Out (NNO) is a good opportunity &uot;to show the children that they can enjoy themselves with no fighting.&uot;
In Kingsboro, downtown Suffolk…
A crowd filled the landscape at Colbourn Park on Tuesday as residents danced to the electric slide, and had their fill of a variety of foods. This is the second year of participation with NNO. After a series of crimes in the community, residents organized a civic league and crime watch program. Civic league president Connie Scott said the neighborhood crime watch has cut crime by as much as 80 percent in Kingsboro, which she describes as close-knit.
&uot;We know all our neighbors. We just want everybody to know us,&uot; said Scott. She added that participation has been enormous, and that local businesses were very generous with contributions to NNO-related activities.
Hoffler Apartments, East Suffolk…
Children lined up to get their chance at a pony ride. Jerry Person owns a ranch in Holland and donated the use of the white pony, Pungo, for the event. Face painting and other activities also awaited the children, as the grills remained fired up to combat any possible hunger. There was enough to go around, and Mayor E. Dana Dickens III got his share filling up on some fried fish, macaroni and cheese, etc.
SRHA Executive Director Clarissa E. McAdoo also joined residents in their celebration, and Board Chairman Mary V. Richardson toured the area before heading back to her Pughsville community in northern Suffolk.
In Olde Town, downtown Suffolk…
Mayor Dickens arrived to share in the ice cream social the community has become noted for, joined by Vice Mayor Leroy Bennett and Police Chief W.A. Freeman. Dickens had stated in Hoffler that he hoped he hadn’t missed out on the ice cream. Dickens left Olde Town a happy man, to say the least. Let’s just say everyone had a cool smile.
Considering the food varieties offered at other locations in the city, Olde Towne civic league president Brenda Wallace said they wanted to do something different. And it’s indeed different: homemade varieties of strawberry, peach, and blueberry.
Mm, mm, good.
Approximately 50 residents and a handful of police and city officials gathered outside 221 Pinner St. on Tuesday to celebrate the feeling of community that has swept through Olde Towne.
&uot;This is a great way to meet people from the city and talk about any problems we are having in the community,&uot; said Brenda Wallace, president of the Olde Town Civic League, during National Night Out festivities. &uot;Community policing has made a big difference here.&uot;
As Wallace began scooping homemade ice cream from eight different freezers, she said the fellowship was an important part of the neighborhood gathering.
&uot;We get together as a community a couple of times a yea but National Night Out is the big thing. People look forward to it every year.&uot;
Her neighbor, Laura Cook, agreed, as she sat with her grandson, Khalil Parson, along a brick wall.
&uot;It’s a good way to get to know your neighbors,&uot; Cook said. &uot;It makes us more mindful of each other, sort of like it used to be.&uot;
Allison Williams, staff writer, contributed to this story.