Six Events Planned to Celebrate National Night Out on August 6

Published on July 31, 2024

Six events are planned throughout Kalamazoo’s neighborhoods for National Night Out, a national community-building campaign to promote police-community partnerships. Public Safety Officers and City staff will be at neighborhood events in the Northside, Vine, Arcadia, Douglas, Milwood, and Westwood neighborhoods on Tuesday, August 6.

Activities will vary between neighborhoods, but each event will focus on building relationships between neighbors and with City staff and Public Safety Officers. Everyone in the community is welcome and encouraged to attend.

• Northside Neighborhood: 4 – 7 p.m. at Northside Association for Community Development (612 N Park)
• Vine Neighborhood: 5 – 7:30 p.m. at Davis Street Park (901 Davis St) 
• Arcadia Neighborhood: 4-9 p.m. at Arcadia Elementary (932 Boswell Ln)  
• Milwood Neighborhood: 6-8 p.m. at Threads Church (2031 E Cork St)  
• Douglas Neighborhood: 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Adda Dilts Peace Park (508 Denner St)  
• Westwood Neighborhood: 6 – 9 p.m. Frays Park (4400 Canterbury Rd) 

“National Night Out is something that our team looks forward to every year,” explained Sergeant Andrew Werkema of Kalamazoo Public Safety’s COPS Division (Community-Oriented Policing Services). “We get to meet with our neighbors and hear directly from the people we serve, whether we're talking about public safety or quality of life issues, what’s happening in the neighborhoods, or just sharing our interests and experiences. Building these relationships is so vital to improve our service and make our community a safer place."

National Night Out is recognized every year on the first Tuesday in August. It looks to enhance the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides an opportunity to bring public safety and neighbors together under positive circumstances.