Freshman Senator Supports Community Policing

Pot lucks and root beer floats marked National Night Out across America and that included the new International Zone.

Back in March, after Mayor Martin Chavez signed City Councilor Ray Garduno's legislation renaming the war zone the International, Senator Keller said:

Our desire for a new identity truly has come from the ground up. My constituents find the current label incorrect, offensive and unfairly damaging to businesses and property value. It’s time we shed new light on our diverse community.

The International District’s modern history includes large scale community policing efforts driven by community members who decided to proactively help police make our community safer.

Keller said many areas in the district have been drastically improved because of community policing efforts:

In the 80s, 90s and today National Night has been symbolic show of community unity in the face of crime and meaningful working session for leaders to organize citizen policing efforts with law enforcement.

National Night Out is a community-police partnership held the first Tuesday of every August since 1984 sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in the United States and Canada. It aims to increase awareness about police programs in communities, such as drug prevention, town watch, and other anti-crime efforts. Texas has the option to use the alternate date of Tuesday, October 6, 2009, to escape hot weather. Initially communities held lights-on vigils. Now, many communities hold block parties, festivals, and other events to help bring neighbors together.