Law enforcement officials joined together with neighborhoods around Houston for the 40th Annual National Night Out Celebration.
The idea is to get people out of their homes to meet their neighbors and police to build relationships and increase safety.
Sandra Massie-Hines is celebrating her birthday with her community this National Night Out.
Massie-Hines has spent her entire life in Sunnyside and dedicated most of it to working with city leaders and law enforcement to help the neighborhood, which has dealt with serious challenges over the years.
“Drugs, gangs, crime. We have been fighting on the ground every day,” said Massie-Hines.
Tuesday night, the community was thankful for unity.
“This is a break for us to be with one another, to be with the people we fight with every day to keep safe,” said Massie-Hines. “Our enemies may be in here, our friends may be in here, homeless people are in this room, you don’t know them because everybody is having a great time.”
The annual event is opening up the lines of communication between police and residents.
“Our officers are great, they do a lot of hard work, but the community is just as important in helping us keep the community safe,” said Kevin Deese, Assistant Chief of Houston Police.
The event also serves as an opportunity to inspire other people to be like the honorary Mayor of Sunnyside, Massie-Hines, who enjoyed celebrating her birthday on the night dedicated to stopping crime.
“Food, fellowship, fellowship, and a great night out,” said Massie-Hines.
HPD held National Night Out events at more than 35 locations across the city.