Kirk Boxleitner, Arlington Times
The National Night Out Against Crime is returning to the Arlington, Marysville and Tulalip communities on Tuesday, Aug. 7.
Arlington’s Night Out Against Crime will run from 5-7 p.m. in a new venue, in the grassy fields just east of the Stillaguamish Athletic Club on 172nd Street NE, which organizers hope will afford the popular annual event enough room to breathe.
“Last year we held it in the Food Pavilion parking lot, which was great, but we wanted a little more space,” said Paul Ellis, assistant to the Arlington City Administrator for capital projects. “It was also important that we site it near the Smokey Point area.”
Last year’s Night Out Against Crime in Arlington drew an estimated 400 attendees, with the local clubs of Rotary cooking up hot dogs and Kiwanis providing popcorn. According to Ellis, this year’s event includes the Arlington School District and the Cascade Valley Hospital and Clinics, and promises the return of not only the Arlington Police and Fire departments — complete with fire engines, medic units and a K-9 — but also that of Snohomish County Parks Rangers and personnel from the Department of Emergency Management.
“We’ll see if we can’t get a ‘Touch a Truck’ going with some of the heavy equipment,” Ellis said. “What we really try to address is personal safety, including pedestrians and bicyclists, and home preparedness for events such as disasters, by helping people build their own preparedness kits for their houses and cars.”
Ellis encouraged those with questions to email him at pellis@arlingtonwa.gov.
The Marysville and Tulalip communities share their Night Out Against Crime, alternating between Comeford Park in Marysville and the Tulalip Amphitheatre as its locations, and this year will see the event returning to the Tulalip Amphitheatre from 6 -8 p.m., with a theme of “Give Crime and Drugs a Going-Away Party.”
“Crime and drugs are in both of our communities, Marysville and Tulalip, and this is a great chance for community members to come together and say that we’re not going to tolerate these behaviors,” said Rochelle James of the Tulalip Tribes’ Police Services. “We’re going to work together to gather information and obtain support from people who share our same values and the belief that ‘enough is enough.'”
James explained that this year’s Night Out Against Crime in Tulalip features an even heavier emphasis on drugs than usual, due to the number of people in the Marysville and Tulalip communities who have been personally impacted by drug abuse.
“It’s the one opportunity a year where our communities can get together and openly talk about the issue,” James said. “More importantly, beyond talking about it, we’ll have agencies, departments and community groups here with the resources for families to help rectify these problems, or at least understand them better.”
In addition to the Marysville and Tulalip Tribal emergency management and police departments, Snohomish County Emergency Management and Search and Rescue will also be on hand, along with Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County, Families and Friends of Violent Crime Victims, the Marysville Fire District and a host of other services from the Tulalip Tribes.
“K-9 units are really popular,” James said. “Special forces for the police departments usually show their equipment, kids like getting in the police cars and taking pictures, and of course, there are usually little treats from each of the vendors.”
James can be reached by phone at 360-716-5945 or via email at rochellejames@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov for more information.