Park Station Celebrates Students With 'Peace On The Streets' Event

Park Station Celebrates Students With 'Peace On The Streets' EventPhotos: Walter Thompson/Hoodline
Walter Thompson
Published on December 14, 2015

On Saturday, Park Station sponsored a party to celebrate the holidays and recognize students who participated in the station's "Peace On the Streets" essay contest. The event was held at the skate park at Waller and Stanyan.


30 students from seven area schools were awarded bicycles for their essays, which were supplied by Avenue Cyclery. 26 of the bikes were donated by Splunk, Inc., which also hosted a bicycle-building event to assemble the prizes. The additional wheels were donated by an officers' association, retired Commander Sylvia Harper, and Park Station Capt. John Sanford, Jr.


Several local law enforcement organizations took part in the block party, including SAFE, San Francisco Police Activities League, Officers for Justice, University of California Police, San Francisco Asian Peace Officers Association and Auxiliary Law Enforcement Response Team.


The afternoon-long party included food donated by North Beach Pizza and Escape from New York Pizza. Parents, children and law enforcement officers alike were entertained by the Red Panda Acrobats.


Officer Lily Prillinger (who earned an MFA before joining the force) staffed the face-painting table, while Ryan Crockett, a member of the station's Homeless Outreach Team, ran the barbecue.

Sanford recognized several members of his staff for helping to organize the event, praising School Resource Officer Vanessa Johnson for "stepping up to the plate" and putting the party together. Johnson also thanked everyone who volunteered. "This has truly been a rewarding experience that I will keep with me forever," she said in a statement.