By Brett Callwood
On Tuesday, August 5th, the City of Gardena hosted the South Bay’s largest “National Night Out” celebration which, according to a coyote statement, “turned the evening into several hours of a vibrant block party organized for the public.”
“The event highlights public safety and neighborhood unity connecting the public and law enforcement from the Gardena Police Department,” a statement reads. “An evening of free delicious food from vendors, entertainment, dancing, giveaways & prizes, family-friendly activities and over 60 booths from community partners, local businesses and public safety agencies, with special appearances by city and state officials. This year once again promises to be epic and full of community pride and connections. (Shh, with so much to offer, we often see elected officials and residents from neighboring cities like Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Palos Verdes and more—at this event!)”
Following the event, Gardena PD Chief Todd Fox told the GVN that, “We’re so thankful and proud of the support from the community as they celebrated with us. This was our biggest National Night Out yet, and it was a team effort having all our city departments contribute and present that evening. I’m not sure if Gardena is unique in that type of support but it definitely makes a difference for us. I couldn’t be prouder seeing our team pull it off once again. And with major support and involvement from our Mayor Tasha Cerda and other partners, sharing with our Gardena family happens organically and better.”
Lt. Alex Rivera coordinated the event. “This year’s National Night Out was our biggest yet, and we’re incredibly proud of the strong relationship we have with our community,” he said. “We’re thankful for the support from Mayor Tasha Cerda, our city departments, and everyone who made the night a success. Gardena truly shines when we come together.”
A representative from the City of Gardena noted, “The premise of National Night Out is built on creating relationships with community but in Gardena, those relationships are constantly being created and cultivated, so tonight was a way for both community and police to show their support and appreciation for one another. It truly goes both ways in our city, and our police department is highly conscious of the involvement we get from our residents.”
Finally, Mayor Cerda added, “National Night Out this year was phenomenal. It was bigger than it’s ever been and that’s an obvious sign as to just how much our community loves coming out and supporting the police department and our other departments too. We all work better together and the community knows that. I think it was a great testament that we had Congresswoman Maxine Waters and District Attorney Nathan Hochman join us for our national night out and they both stated that this was the biggest one that they’ve been to in the South Bay.”
