Many National Night Out events put police at the forefront

If anything illustrates that a positive relationship between communities and police is more than a pipe dream, this conversation Tuesday nailed it.

Chuck MacArthur wanted to know how much marijuana he can legally possess at home now that recreational use is legal. So, he asked Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green.

Two pounds, the chief said.

From Duluth to Rochester, Twin Cities suburbs to south Minneapolis, National Night Out activities across Minnesota showed once again that the relationship between law enforcement and communities can be positive. Friendly, even.

So it was at a cookout on Parkview Boulevard at the border between Robbinsdale and Golden Valley where police from both departments mingled with children etching large chalk drawings in the street while the kids' dads played cornhole.

Georgia Ridgway talked about how moving to Robbinsdale a year and a half ago from the Chicago-Lake streets area in Minneapolis — the center of 2020's civil unrest — has given her family the space they needed to heal.

"I'm seeing some growth with the police relationship with the community," she said, referring to the restraint that Minneapolis and Park Board police practiced on July 4th despite teenagers launching fireworks at them. "Just seeing how they de-escalated versus shooting, I was hopeful."

A dozen kids milled around the neighborhood of two-story homes built in the '60s. Resident Mary Ellen Storms, 93, moved into her new home in 1960 and still lives in it. She said the area is "wonderful, always has been," and shared stories about when the end of the street was still a farm.

As the kids sat on the curb, Police Chief Brian Sturgeon walked up and began flinging free blue "West St. Paul Police Department" bracelets at them.

In St. Louis Park, as a police car pulled up, several children on the block ran to say hello to the officer. But National Night Out, started in 1984, has goals beyond positive relationships between communities and police. It seeks to help forge neighborhood camaraderie.

Moving to St. Louis Park from south Minneapolis was a relief for Amal Abdi, thanks in large part to welcoming neighbors.

"I don't worry about letting my daughter go outside," Abdi said. "All the neighbors are very close and we look out for each others' children."

In the Corcoran neighborhood of south Minneapolis, two dozen neighbors gathered in the middle of the street to color with sidewalk chalk and eat baked treats — part of a bake-off competition whose winner made a chocolate raspberry cake.

Sheila Foster, one of the organizers, said she's lived in Corcoran for 30 years because of "the excellent neighbors."

"It's a tight-knit community area here," said Linda Cobb, an eight-year resident. "We push cars [out of the snow] in the wintertime."

In Duluth, where the city and the Police Department are poised to release the results of a racial-bias audit conducted by an outside firm, officers divvied up neighborhoods for drop-ins. Officer Andrew Park returned to a residential area in West Duluth, the neighborhood he patrolled until a recent job shift to investigator.

"We took a lot of pride in knowing people, knowing who's who," he said, while spooning out a root beer float at Jesus Is Life Church near Grand Avenue.

"People's spirits are up a bit," Stone said. "People's spirits seem more at ease."

Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa, Mayor Emily Larson and City Council candidate Jenna Yeakle crossed paths a few blocks away at Memorial Park. Neighbors gathered at the pavilion to claim a swirl of cotton candy or get a butterfly wing painted on a cheek.

Corrine Johnson, 35, noted that high-profile crimes have occurred near the park, where she has seen discarded needles in the park. But she has had positive interactions with local law enforcement. They came quickly when a man with a gun showed up at the nearby day care where she works.

In Rochester, counts went down for most types of crimes last year after increases almost across the board in 2021, and residents at several parties Tuesday said they generally feel safe.

Ruth Tear, 25, and other residents said they feel safe walking the streets at night, even if they see activity at playgrounds or nearby gas stations.

"I just feel like a lot of crime happens in the downtown area than in the outskirts, just because there's a lot more people there," she said.

In South St. Paul, Ron and Sue Morgan have held a National Night Out get-together at Northview Park for either seven or eight years. About two dozen people, almost all adults, hung out under three tents eating hot dogs, fruit, veggies and pork egg rolls. The egg rolls went fast.

"I just like to bring people together to make sure everybody watches out for everybody," said Sue Morgan.

Some neighbors used the night simply as a chance to gather, to build community.

In a sunny green garden surrounded by industrial buildings in Minneapolis' Prospect Park, police weren't front of mind, in contrast to some other National Night Out events. Poets, singers and comedians entertained the neighborhood as people signed up for community garden plots and took home free tomato plants.

Still, Castillo said, it was good to see the police officers who showed up at the event, and even better for children to see the police in a positive way.

"They know their place, they're here to connect and to be part of the community, not to oversee the community," Castillo said.