Newark Celebrates National Night Out

Newarkers were treated to a night out Tuesday at Riverfront Stadium where they enjoyed baseball games, ball-park fare and a special visit from Batman.

The Brick City community came together for the 28th Annual National Night Out, a nationwide campaign to raise awareness about crime prevention, which kicked off with the Newark Police Department crushing the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, 11-2, in . Outside the stadium, Newark police motorcycles and mobile command units, along with a vintage fire truck, were stationed for the public to marvel, while a Batman impersonator and McGruff, the anti-crime dog, greeted the crowd inside.

Eight residents were also honored Tuesday by Acting Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio for their outstanding support for the Newark Police Department (see some pictures above). Residents were awarded for creating anti-crime blogs, providing services to the needy and for speaking out against violence in their neighborhoods.

"We are here to manifest Newark's determination and unity to eliminate crime, drugs, and violence from its sacred streets," said Newark Mayor Cory Booker. "We have the power to make our cities safe and strong. We are rejecting crime, we are rejecting violence, so tonight, let's celebrate our City, our hope, and our destiny, a Newark that is safer, stronger and prouder."

National Night Out was capped off with the Newark Bears taking on the Pittsfield Colonials at 6 p.m. (Bears went on to lose, 14-9), while various church organizations joined together to host services across the city.

The annual event comes just days after a Virginia school teacher died after being  hit by gunfire in Newark's South Ward Friday night. The multiple shooting occurred around the same time a man  a few blocks away on Shephard Avenue. Early Sunday morning, Debora Ferreira, an off-duty Essex County corrections officer, in downtown Newark. No arrests have been made in any of the murders.

The spate of shootings raised Newark's murder tally to 12 since June.

"Has the initiative shown progress and hope? Absolutely," said Booker of Newark's "" initiative — a program designed to help quash the city's violence during the summer months. "But will I ever be satisified when people are being murdered on our streets? Never, ever, ever, ever.

"There are a lot of constructive things that have been done this summer that we can grow upon and that I'm learning from, but there's obviously a need to do a lot more than what's being done right now."

The following Newark residents were honored Tuesday:

• Annette Berger, 4th Avenue Neighborhood Association
• Abraham Maury, Park Avenue Neighborhood Association
• Regina Oliviera, Down Neck Crime Watch President
• Dr. Seth Grossman, Ironbound Business Improvement District
• Charles Thompson, Vision of Souls Ministries
• Bishop Jethro James, Paradise Baptist Church
• "10-4" Evans, South Ward community activist
• Frank Murchison, South Ward community activist