"Catch Me Doing Something Positive"

Community Partners United (formerly Hayes Valley Community Partners) is gearing up for the 6th Annual Western Addition National Night Out Event, August 7, 2007. The theme for the evening will be “Catch Me Doing Something Positive.” This year we will use the event as a way to gather our diverse neighbors to celebrate the positive things our youth and seniors are doing to reverse the damage crime and violence has had and continues to have on our neighborhood. National Night Out (NNO) is celebrated in all 50 states with over 10,000 cities participating in this national event.

All too often on the streets, in City Hall and in the media, we hear the negative impact that crime and violence has on the Western Addition community. This year Community Partners United is highlighting the positive activities our youth and seniors participate in. The main focus of the evening will be safety, along with representatives from various City departments, neighborhood groups, community-based and faith-based organizations present to both promote and do outreach for the various services they provide to the Western Addition. The evening program will showcase the talent of our local youth and include speeches given and proclamations awarded by elected officials, a resource fair and refreshments for all.

Come to this month’s HVNA meeting and hear about the events being planned to celebrate NNO on Tuesday August 7. If you are unable to make the meeting please visit the HVNA website at hayesvalleysf.org for details of scheduled events.

HVNA is planning its August general meeting to focus on Public Safety. We hope to bring together residents and policymakers to talk about what is working and what is not. We then will be working with SF5 Together, a coalition of the neighborhood associations throughout District 5, to sponsor a forum in September with our elected and appointed public safety officials. We are all part of the problem and part of the solution. Your participation in these events will help us get our message across to those we have put in place to keep our City safe and provide opportunities to all.

Community Partners United’s mission is to Foster a Safe and Caring Community for All. The essence of our group is to bring City Hall to the people and work together to find permanent solutions to the crime and violence in the Western Addition. We achieve this by bringing together Supervisor Mirkarimi, Mayor Newsom’s Office of Neighborhood Services, Captain Dillon and a cooperative of several community based organizations, faith based and neighborhood groups throughout Hayes Valley and Western Addition.