PHOENIX A BRIGHT LIGHT ON NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
Byline: By Alfredo Azula, Staff writer
Phoenix's annual Night Out is a rising star.
The city's ranking in a national competition connected with the Aug. 3 event rose for the third straight year. In Night Out, neighbors come together in a show of solidarity against crime.
Phoenix placed seventh among cities with populations greater than 250,000 in a National Association of Town Watch contest.
''They did a nice job,'' said Matt Peskin, an association spokesman. ''It's a pretty good ranking.''
Peskin said more than 26 million people in nearly 8,700 communities participated in National Night Out activities.
''We try to judge on the basis of neighborhood participation, law enforcement involvement, promotional campaign, media campaign, special events and their post-project report,'' he said.
''We try to get a feel for how the city achieved its goals.''
Richard Fox, president of the Phoenix Block Watch Advisory Board, attributed the city's high ranking to better organization, and greater civic and community support.
''We approached the whole thing differently this year,'' he said. ''But the real winners are the neighborhoods who participate in Block Watch year-round.''
Cynthia Schwartz, who chaired a Phoenix citizens committee overseeing the event, said this year's effort benefited from more Police and Fire Department participation.
Firefighters and police were present at nearly every event.
''I'm sure crime has a lot to do with people becoming more organized,'' she said. ''National Night Out is important for us and the city, and we need to be heard.''
The number of events registered with the Block Watch Advisory Board was triple that of last year. Phoenix placed 16th in the competition in 1992 and 18th in 1991.
Organizers estimated more than 20,000 Phoenix residents took part in ice cream socials and block parties in hundreds of neighborhoods.
Washington, D.C., won top honors, followed by Boston, San Antonio, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Memphis and Phoenix.
Fox, whose organization spent about $3,000 on this year's event, said he's begun raising money for next year's.