National Night Out a big hit

Sisters Heidi DeChenne and Veronica Coleman have lived at the Richard Allen Apartments in East Central Spokane all their lives. But this was their first National Night Out.

The 25th annual event brings neighbors together for potlucks and barbecues to discuss crime issues and prevention.

Police officers, firefighters, city officials and even McGruff the Crime Dog visited parties around town to visit with neighbors and gather support for anti-crime programs.

“It’s something for the little kids to do so they know police and firemen aren’t always the bad guys,” DeChenne said. “Lets them know the city does care just a little bit.”

The siblings agree that the low-income apartment complex, known for its crime rate in past years, hasn’t really changed.

“There’s too much drug activity in the area,” Coleman said.

“Nothing really amazes me anymore,” DeChenne said, noting murders have taken place in the complex. “But we love this neighborhood. This is our ’hood.”

Charles Williams, who oversees youth programs in the area, said it’s a progressive, family community.

“It’s getting cleaned up,” he said.

Five or 10 years ago there was no sense of community in the area, said Janice Medlock, who visits her sister at the complex.

“People aren’t scared of each other anymore,” she said. “They talk to each other.” Spokane police Lt. Brad Arleth said “top crime areas” depend on people’s perceptions, not the number of 9-1-1 calls.

“Any area can generate a lot of calls for service but it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a bad area,” he said. Neighborhoods with block watch programs or areas with more apartments, thus more people in less space, can lead to more calls.

“A 50-unit apartment building can mean 50 cars and 50 residences,” Arleth said. “If I was a burglar, that’s easier pickings in a way.”

At the Peaceful Valley Community Center party, residents discussed crime with Arleth and employees of the Department of Corrections.

One-year resident Sheri George’s vehicles were broken into and vandalized. She also stopped walking along the waterfront because of suspicious people that often loom nearby.

Despite that, 25-year resident Barbara Morrissey praised the neighborhood’s “I’m not gonna bother you, you don’t bother me” attitude.

Since its inception in 1984, National Night Out has grown from 2.5 million to 35.4 million participants in 11,310 communities last year.

In 2007 more than 6,000 Spokane residents participated, said city spokeswoman Marlene Feist. As of Tuesday morning, 110 parties were registered; eight parties from last year combined this year, said Maurece Vulcano, program coordinator for Spokane COPS.

Patricia Hansen’s party is a local favorite. Organizers expected 400 people to fill 10th Street between Madison and Monroe on Tuesday night – and it’s only the second year. Last year they expected 100 people and 250 showed up.

“We thought, this year we gotta get more organized,” she said.

With the help of sponsors, the party featured free pizza, an overflowing potluck and a band playing in a nearby front yard. Children darted in and out of the crowd, chasing each other and dancing to rock ’n’ roll beats.

“There’s so much community here,” said Cody Marquart, a recent Las Vegas transplant.

Russ Branham’s family situated their folding chairs and blanket in a shady spot next to their neighbor Anne Putney and her family.

“It’s the best kept secret in Spokane,” Branham said of their South Hill block. Residents don’t just focus on improving their own homes, but the entire neighborhood, he said.

Putney added that even without the event, the night’s agenda wouldn’t have changed much.

“All of our neighbors are always getting together anyway,” she said.