Community Clean Up Day at Rogell Court
On Saturday, October 27th the residents of Rogell Court along with PCRC staff, San Mateo Police Department’s Lt. Passanisi, Police Activity League’s Jennifer Wilson, and Donn Lovell of Code Enforcement all came together for the bi-annual Community Clean Up Day. Instead of enjoying the surprisingly sunny weather, residents and their families were hard at work with one goal in mind – beautifying their community.
Thanks in large part to the organizing of PCRC’s Community Facilitator, Evelia Chairez, by 9AM that morning, Rogell Court residents, including mothers and their children, all had their sleeves rolled up, latex gloves on, and a “ready-to-work” mentality.
From families sweeping the pavement and picking up bags of litter to fathers and doing the heavy lifting by dumping unused furniture into a large dumpster from San Mateo’s Recology, residents of Rogell Court were able to finally get rid of the stuff that had been stocking up since the last clean up day.
From a community engagement standpoint nothing says I care about my neighborhood more than the collective and impressive effort made by the residents and their families during this Clean Up Day. Simply put, their actions demonstrated loud and clear: “We love Rogell…We care about our community!” Wow, what an inspirational way to spend a lovely Saturday afternoon!
-Domingo Jarquin
Read MoreFormer PCRC Violence Prevention Manager Featured in SF Chronicle
Luis Aroche, former PCRC Violence Prevention Manager and current Alternative Sentencing Planner for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office was featured on page one of the SF Chronicle. Follow the link to read about his work: Ex-gang Member Gives Prosecutors Insight, SF Gate.
Congratulations Luis!
Read More2012 National Night Out in South San Francisco
When asked to describe how things were going with the planning for National Night Out (NNO), South San Francisco’s Vice Mayor, Pedro Gonzalez answered with an optimistic “Great, we are on it!”
This “we” is the South San Francisco Community Coalition for Safe Neighborhoods, a group of stakeholders encompassing city officials, South San Francisco Police Department, and local community based agencies, leading violence prevention efforts in South San Francisco. The Coalition has been diligently working on the NNO activities, a nation-wide celebration of violence and drug prevention efforts of public safety agencies and of positive relations between police and community residents.
South San Francisco’s NNO: Community in Unity Walk was a huge success thanks in large part to the Coalition members, PCRC, and the estimated 100 community residents, stakeholders and cooperate donors like Target, Safeway, and Specialties. In addition, local businesses such as Panaderia Hernandez and Chavarria’s Market also chipped in by donating fresh baked Mexican pastries and fruits as refreshments.
The event, which featured a unity walk in solidarity towards peace in South San Francisco was, “exactly what the community needed” as stated by many participants. As far as next year’s NNO goes, Vice Mayor Gonzalez’ is already thinking, “we could have block parties and have a neighborhood cookout!” Now that sounds like a great plan!
Read MoreSan Mateo’s National Night out was a success!
“Come one, come all…” PCRC joins over 400 residents to unite against crime and drugs in North Central San Mateo.
On Tuesday August 7th, there was just enough popcorn, hot dogs, face paint, music and raffle prizes to go around Martin Luther King Center as over 400 youth and adults gathered to “take back” their neighborhood. Children of all ages welcomed San Mateo Chief Susan Manheimer, City Manager Susan Loftus, and McGruff the Crime Dog as they arrived in a vintage police car. District Attorney Steve Wagstaff and Council Member Jack Matthews joined in the festivities, recognizing the neighborhood’s enthusiasm and diversity, which make North Central the largest of 53 National Night Out celebrations throughout the City of San Mateo.
As an annual nationwide event, National Night Out intends to raise crime and drug prevention awareness; strengthen neighborhood spirit and unity; and develop partnerships between the City and the community on the “block level.” PCRC hosted the festivities for a 3rd year with the generous support of Target and our strong community partnerships with San Mateo Police and Fire Departments, San Mateo Police Activities League and San Mateo Park and Recreation.
Communities such as North Central San Mateo have not always been a place where children and families felt safe to walk and celebrate freely. It is nights like National Night Out, which remind us of why we do what we do. Why we advocate for authentic communication. Why we bring diverging perspectives to the table. And why we invest in the social capital of others. We hope you join us again next year on the 1st Tuesday in August, from wherever you are, as we come together and unite against crime!
PCRC to Celebrate National Night Out on August 7
It’s that time of year again-National Night Out is right around the corner. Though it’s goals of crime prevention, neighborhood spirit and partnership between the police and community are always incredibly important, it is especially evident this year, in the wake of the Colorado shootings.
San Mateo
Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center is, as always, doing more than its share to help the community. Malissa Netane is coordinating National Night out in San Mateo, which is being held at the Martin Luther King Center for the third year running. The community will gather for food, fun, arts & crafts, and games, all of which are free to the public. The tagline for the night is “Come one, come all to unite against crime!!” You can join in the fun on August 7th from 5-8pm at 725 Monte Diablo Road in San Mateo.
South San Francisco
Marco Durazo and his team are leading a less traditional National Night Out in South City on July 7th from 5-7pm. Community members will be rallying together in unity to address the extreme violence that has recently been plaguing the city. Both the Mayor and the Vice Mayor are to speak. There will be many notable people in attendance, namely the Chief of Police and mothers who have lost their children to gang violence. There will be a resource table filled with materials from PCRC and other organizations. The night will conclude with a walk through the neighborhoods that especially need to be “taken back.”
Regardless of where you end up on July 7th, we encourage you to think about your neighborhood and those around you. Take a minute to remember those who have lost their lives to crime or drugs. Think about all of the safe and positive things that help make your community strong and enjoy a night of reflection and celebration.
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