NEWBURGH – Celebrated on the first Tuesday of August every year, National Night Out is a campaign that is supposed to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and their community.
But, even during an enjoyable evening event, Newburgh City Manager Todd Venning enforced his gag order with the media. As Police Chief Anthony Geraci was about to be interviewed by Mid-Hudson News, Venning swooped down and whisked him away.
Longtime resident Schnekwa McNeil was excited to be at the Night Out event.
“This is an outing for Newburgh to get together and be informed on the different programs and things we have here,” she said. “Since we couldn’t have the (Newburgh) Illuminated, I think this was a great idea.”
Elected councilmembers, did, however, share their thoughts. “The City of Newburgh has gotten a bad rap, but our crime numbers are actually going down,” said Councilman Anthony Grice. “That’s what tonight is about, but it is also about building community. When it comes to crime, we have to make sure people have decent and affordable housing, we have to make sure that people have jobs, we have to make sure that people have events like this for people to go to. We do support our police, but we are not going to over police our neighborhood, we are not going to under police our neighborhood.”
“We can come out as a city, as a community and have a safe fun time,” said Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey.
“Everything is getting better in the city of Newburgh, and we’re going from ninth worst to ninth best,” said City Councilman Omari Shakur.
Hundreds if not a thousand people filled the stretch of Broadway between Liberty and Johnston street for free food, activities, and dancing, to mingle with their neighbors and friends and to dunk members of the city council and police force in a dunk tank. Sorority sisters hula hooped with children, police officers did the “Cha Cha Slide,” kids played gaga ball next a boxing ring set up by Hook…
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