Dept. of Education forces "Night Out Against Crime" to find new location!

Despite Hurdles, Night Against Crime to Go On at New Location

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Rockaway Times in News // 0 Comments

The 32^nd Annual National Night Out Against Crime will now be held at a new location. On Tuesday, August 4, the event will take place in the parking lots on Beach 94th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard directly across from the 100^th Precinct, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Face Painting at the 2014 NNOAC

Originally scheduled to take place at the athletic fields of Beach Channel High School, Danny Ruscillo, president of the 100^th Precinct Community Council and a key organizer of the event, said many issues arose with the Department of Education that led to the change. “This caused me a lot of headaches,” he said. “I’ve been president of the board for eight years and I’ve never gone through this before.”

Last week, an article in the Rockaway Times stated that the DOE had chosen not to waive permit fees totaling more than $2,000. While Ruscillo said that the DOE eventually agreed to waive the fee, but they also requested for a far more expensive insurance policy, vendor licenses, and other regulations that made it untenable to hold the Night Out Against Crime at Beach Channel. “I was just trying to be a liaison between the police, the community, and the youth,” Ruscillo said. “I felt that [the DOE] was trying to push us away.” Ruscillo also stated that the Mayor’s office did not provide adequate support and that these issues ultimately forced a change of location.

The National Night Out Against Crime is held annually to promote cooperation between police the communities they serve. Each year, residents and families from the Rockaways, Breezy Point, and Broad Channel come together with the members of the police and other community agencies and organizations for a night of performances, activities, and fun. In 2014, more than 40 million people nationwide participated in the Night Out Against Crime.

Rockaway Jiu-Jitsu performing

This year, the attractions include free cotton candy and ices; face painting, caricature portraits and carnival games; a karate and jiu-jitsu show; and perhaps the most fun, a dunk tank featuring Assemblyman Philip Goldfeder, Detective Brian McCabe of the 100^th Precinct, Officer Carl Borgi of Transit District 23, and Rockaway residents John Cori and Glenn DiResto. A 50/50 raffle will take place and prizes will be given out. The 100^th Precinct and Transit District will also present their respective Cop of the Year awards.

Ruscillo thanked Assemblyman Goldfeder and his staff for their support as well as his colleagues on the community council and the NYPD, FDNY and the Parks Department. “The Mayor along with the DOE will not stop our National Night out Against Crime in 2015,” he asserted. “Going forward we are about Rockaway and we are about police and community coming together.”