How Did The National Night Out In Sherman Oaks Go?

The first ever National Night Out at Sherman Oaks brought a crowd of families bringing their children for the free treats at the Millikan Middle School where the event was hosted.

Lieutenant Robert Taylor of LAUSD was there at the event and said the National Night Out was created in 1984 as a way to bring the community together and teach them safety.

“It is a day to partner up with law enforcers and their fellow neighbors and come out and let everybody know, ‘Hey, we don’t accept crime in our neighborhood,  we own this neighborhood and we’re not afraid to walk the streets,'” said Taylor

Children were given free back to school items such as puzzles, erasers, pencils and backpacks. All items were donated for the event; Beyond the Bell, a LAUSD program that offers after school programs, donated the backpacks.

Children also took advantage of the free face painting, including Jessica Tarbinian’s children who were excited to come out to the event.

"They were excited for the face painting but we also came to let the kids know that the police aren’t scary people and they’re here to help,” said Tarbinian.

The event had five to eight stations, almost all of them offering free goodies to the kids, but some of them were educational like the anger management station that taught kids what the term means.

The stations pleased Christy Lee, a mother of two who said, “Its important for the kids to understand safety.”