MP Walk & Monticello Block Party

The walk was a fantastic success last night! We had some 52 people participating, including a handful of kids and babies (plus some 5 or so dogs)! We concluded the walk at the 3000 block of Monticello, where the grill was already fired up, and enjoyed hotdogs, hamburgers, salads and mixing with our generous Monticello Avenue hosts!

Most of the Maxwell Park N'hood Council board members and NAT committee members and chairs joined neighbors representing many streets throughout Maxwell Park: Knowland, Fairbairn, Herriott, Redding, Morcom, Maxwell, Brookdale, Monticello, Walnut, Lilac, Madera, Courtland, Allendale, Camden, Birdsall, Best, Kingsland, Roberts, El Camile, Fairfax, etc.

We were joined by Councilmembers Desley Brooks & Jean Quan & Claudia Jimenez from Councilmember Quan's office Local Fire Fighters with a fire truck attended the block party and brought fun plastic fire helmets for the kids (and grown-ups!). We were also visited by Araina Richards, our Neighborhood Services Coordinator; and LOTS of police officers stopped by, including: Oakland Police Chief Tucker, Lt. Gibson, Problem Solving Officer Johnson, Sgt. O'Rourke, Officer Patterson, and CRT Officers Jones and Saunders.

Many thanks to ALL the participants last night, and to the City Council, Police and Fire representatives who attended the walk and Monticello Block Party & also to our Maxwell Park Walk Coordinator, Walter Williams, who helped in the planning.

Special thanks also to Barbara, Richard, Shirley & all the members of the Monticello block who welcomed the suggestion that the Walk end at their Party!

Nommi, Allendale Ave
NNO Walk instigator, and Beautification NAT Chair.

 

I just wanted to share that the 2600-2700 block of Rawson also held a block party last night and it was a smashing success! It was obvious with the number of people out on the street that most of the neighborhood joined in on the fun that went well past 9pm. Each neighbor came armed with a platter of food to share. We had everything from good ‘ol fashioned hot dogs to home grown peaches and fresh fruit to delicious brushetta and caprese salad. No one walked away hungry.

We also took this opportunity to collect contact information from each residence so that we all have a way of reaching each other in case of an emergency. As we all know, the best way to keep our neighborhoods safe is to get to know those that live around us.

Police Chief Wayne Tucker, & many officers from OPD also stopped by and chatted with us about what we could do as a community to make our neighborhoods safer and they also listened to some of our concerns. Although we were not expecting a visit by the Fire Department, that was a great surprise for the neighborhood kids (and those kids young at heart).

I strongly believe our block party was such a success because each person out there made a conscious effort to step outside of their home last night and meet their fellow neighbors. I can say with great confidence that we will be doing this again next year!

Leticia, Rawson Street

 

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