PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Music blasted from speakers near the 22nd Police District in North Philadelphia Tuesday night as kids, their families and Temple University students gathered for National Night Out.
The annual event helps shine a light on what both the police and community are up against, and how they can work together to achieve a safer neighborhood. The event was an opportunity for police, local elected officials, and other law enforcement officers to interact with the community.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw helped kick off the 40th anniversary.
“I think this is an opportunity for us to see each other,” Outlaw said. “Community sees the human being behind the badge, and we see the residents that live in our communities.”
The commissioner joined local elected officials to kick off this year’s National Night Out.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland briefly swung by and spoke to some community members and law enforcement officers in private.
Attendees were just steps away from where Temple Police Sgt. Christopher Fitzgerald was shot and killed in February.
“We wanted to do something fun, we wanted to do something to reclaim this block in his honor, but also in the honor of the folks who are moving in,” said Aissia Richardson, deputy chief of staff for Senator Sharif Street.
Fitzgerald’s wife, Marissa, spoke at the event, noting just how important an officer's role in the community is.
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“Police officers are not bad. They're amazing people who put their lives on the line every single day,” she said.
“They do their job incredibly well and we need to just start trusting them because, like my husband, he was an amazing man, an amazing cop. And he wanted to do the job as best as he could and he did that. And all of the officers do that.”
Scott Charles, the trauma outreach manager for Temple University Hospital, recognized the toll gun violence takes on the community, which is why he sat at one of the tables handing out free gun locks, one of the many steps being taken in an effort to make the city safer.
“We lost a precious two-year-old just last week who's the victim of an unintentional shooting,” he said. “So we want to make sure that families have the materials they need to help keep their children safe.”
“I mean, we are all having to come together and fight this fight on a unified front.”
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