Tuesday night was National Night Out, an opportunity for people across the North State to get outdoors and meet their neighbors.
There were several parties across Redding including one at the Martin Luther King Jr. Park, where kids enjoyed face painting, an obstacle course, and booths like that of the Cal-Fresh Nutrition Education program where Lori Coker was keeping people hydrated and using the night to teach people to drink "fewer sugary beverages like sodas and energy drinks and sports drinks and just more good old water,” she said.
But perhaps the bigger purpose of National Night Out than tabling or meeting one’s neighbors was getting the chance to mingle with local law enforcement.
Parent Anthony Gonzalez, who was barbequing at the event, said the small turnout was disappointing, but it was still a good opportunity to meet people and talk to police about problems in the area. He said the MLK neighborhood can be rough, but in the four years that he's lived there, things have gotten better.
"I think they've done a good job of making law enforcement more present, doing their daily patrolling around and really pushing the homeless away from here,” Gonzalez said. “Things have improved here, compared to when I first came here it was pretty bad, but like I said it is improving.”
National Night Out happens annually in August.