Despite immigration raid fears, officials plan National Night Out

Despite the fear by many due to the immigration sweeps during this year’s summer in L.A., local law enforcement is moving on with the National Night Out (NNO), an annual event focused on creating trust with the community. 

In Los Angeles, the majority of the 21 LAPD divisions are participating in the annual NNO this Tuesday. Others like the West Valley are participating on Wednesday. The events allow an opportunity to get police and residents together in one night of celebration. 

In Southeast LA (SELA), one of the areas most targeted by immigration officers since June, is celebrating with a sense of caution. 

Bell Gardens Councilman Marco Barcena said the council decided to reactivate some programming after they were canceled for several weeks in an abundance of caution due to the raids. 

“We did cancel a lot of the concerts at the park. We canceled the Fourth of July celebration,” said Barcena. “But now that we're starting to slowly have our programming, we're trying to see what actually works if people are going to come out, if they're feeling a little bit less scared.”

Other cities like South Gate and Lynwood will also have the event on Tuesday night from 5 to 8 p.m.

South Gate Councilman Gil Hurtado said the city feels comfortable hosting the NNO, as they have been having events during the summer without any ICE-related incidents. 

“We had concerts at the park, and nothing happened. People showed up and had a great time,” he said.

Hurtado said he’s very aware of the situation with the immigrant community, but they just have to be vigilant and cautious. 

Events for Wednesday and Thursday

In Cudahy, NNO will be held on Wednesday from 5 to 9 p.m. with kid-friendly activities and a backpack giveaway that will end with a free fireworks show.

John Peraza, assistant to the City Manager in Cudahy, said they have been hosting the event for decades. This year, he said, it’s important because it gives an opportunity for residents, city staff,  the sheriff department and other groups to get to know each other and build a sense of community.

“We want to encourage all of our residents to come out. We didn't host our Fourth of July in abundance of precaution, but the city feels a little bit more confident now that we are able to provide a welcoming environment for our residents,” said Peraza.

In Maywood, the NNO will take place on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.

Maywood Councilman Eddie de la Riva said that, just as many other cities, Maywood is participating in NNO because it will allow the community to connect with the sheriff department, which oversees Maywood. 

“Especially with everything that's going on now, I think that's more important than ever for our community to come out and be able to talk to our deputies, be able to talk to our command staff and get a feel for what's happening and what's going on,” he said.

De la Riva said that up until now, he hasn’t seen or heard of any collaboration with ICE from the sheriff overseeing Maywood. 

Huntington Park cancels

The city of Huntington Park decided to cancel this year’s NNO in abundance of caution. The city said that the organization of the event takes about two or more months to organize and that was the time when Huntington Park was facing the most difficult moments with the ICE raids. 

Huntington Park Councilman Jonathan Sanabria said that the community was hit harder by ICE operations than other neighboring cities.

“Many of our residents are still in the process of healing from that trauma,” he said. “We believe public safety must be rooted in trust and that takes more than a single evening event.”

Sanabria said the city’s focus remains on supporting year-round efforts that create meaningful, safe connections between residents and those who serve them. 

The NNO campaign was officially introduced in August of 1984 to enhance relationships between neighbors and law enforcement agencies. The event is officially held on the first Tuesday of August, but some cities have opted to expand it or move it. 

Millions of people participate in NNO across the 50 states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide. Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, backpack giveaways and more.