SFPD Southern Station's edition of National Night Out will take place from 5–7pm next Tuesday, August 4th, at Victoria Manalo Draves Park, between Sixth and Seventh and Folsom and Harrison streets. The event, founded in 1981, is "an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie." It's celebrated in more than 16,000 communities across the country, and several of the SFPD's districts will be participating, including the neighboring Central Station.
National Night Out is intended to give neighbors the opportunity to meet and talk with local officers and learn more about law enforcement, with fun activities for kids. "The families and the kids, that’s what it’s all about," said Katy Liddell, who has served on the Southern Station Community Police Advisory Board (CPAB) since its inception in November 2009. "It’s all about the officers interacting with the families and the children to improve the relationships."
The CPAB, which organizes the station's National Night Out, will feature numerous special guests at the event, including Captain Jerome DeFilippo, Deputy Chief Mike Redmond, District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim and District Attorney George Gascón (who established the CPABs citywide in his days as police chief). Representatives from SFFD's Neighborhood Emergency Response Team, United Playaz and Ronald McDonald House Charities will also be in attendance.
There'll be fun and games, too, including a three-legged race, egg race and water balloon game. And, of course, no kids' event is complete without a bounce house.
Acrobats and other entertainers will delight the crowd; Michael Anthony, former manager of Supperclub, has an "in" with the acts from the former dinner theater venue in SoMa. "He always furnishes jugglers or acrobats, and everyone just loves them,” Liddell said.
Raymond Bobbitt of SF Clubs is supplying the sound system and water, as well as rounding up other donations. "We’re really lucky with our CPAB that these guys are so generous," Liddell added. “I’m sure that our National Nights Out are probably a little more fun than some of the others, just because of these guys.”
They're not the only generous ones. Escape From New York Pizza and Extreme Pizza will provide free pizza, the San Francisco Giants are donating team goodies, and Target is donating a bicycle for a raffle. Neighbors are still talking about last year's National Night Out bike raffle. “The best part last year—this kid who won it was probably 11, 12 years old—he turned around and said, 'I’d like to give this to my little brother,'" Liddell said. "His brother got on the bike and was riding around the park the rest of the night.”
"Vicky Park," as neighbors call it, has a homeless population, and Liddell said they're also invited to join in. "I go around and invite the homeless," she told us. "I say, 'Come on and join us and have pizza.'”
