OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The National Night Out at St. Luke's United Methodist Church was a chance to bring neighbors together.
"They're so many things right now that tend to pull homes, and individuals and neighborhoods a part, people don't have a chance to meet each other, and just have a casual conversation, in a place where they may take more than one or two minutes, but actually spend five or ten minutes with somebody that they wouldn't talk to at a normal time,” says Rev. Marshall Johnson, Pastor at St. Luke’s.
Some of those people include law enforcement, firefighters and local lawmakers.
"This how neighbors get together, churches get together and it just makes us special. We're continually rated number one or number two, cities to live in in this country and this is one of the reasons why,” says Rep. Don Bacon, NE-2 Congressman.
Omaha Police use the evening as another opportunity for community policing, something Chief Todd Schmaderer has pushed for years.
"And you"ll see us out for the remaining 364 days, but this is that one special night where it's every part of the city tonight,” says Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer.
So on a beautiful August night. The kids could play, the adults could relax and maybe eat some food. Hopefully everybody would have meaningful conversation.
"Just that re-weaving of the fabric of community,” says Johnson.
"We've got computer games and all the technology, but it used to be that everybody knew each other and this tries to bring us back to those roots,” says Bacon.
