Fighting Crime and Having Fun in the West Precinct of Seattle

Church of Scientology Seattle’s National Night Out block party brings community together with law enforcement, first responders.

The enticing smell of barbecue cooked on the back of a vintage 1924 Ford “Model T” truck and the festive music of the Viewpoints band created the perfect elements for a successful block party, hosted by the Church of Scientology in celebration of National Night Out Against Crime in Seattle’s West Precinct.

Held annually since 1984 in cities throughout the U.S., National Night Out is described by its sponsor, the National Association of Town Watch, as a “community-building campaign” established to promote “police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, better places to live.”

In that spirit, city officials and local residents joined in the fun outside the Church of Scientology of Seattle on West Harrison Street. The evening featured dancing, activities for children, an array of foods and a fire engine from Seattle’s Station 8—the center of attention for kids and adults alike who climbed aboard, sat in the cab and received honorary badges from the firefighters.

The Church of Scientology, a block watch captain in Seattle’s Uptown community, hosted the party and Church volunteers manned a drug education booth. Guests were invited to pick up copies of The Truth about Drugs booklets to share with family and friends. The materials present the unvarnished facts about commonly abused drugs in a youth-friendly format—part of Scientology’s worldwide campaign to tackle drug abuse and drug-related crime.

Seattle has long supported National Night Out and this year’s celebration saw a record number of events in West Precinct’s neighborhoods and some 1,380 registered events throughout Seattle.