Night of community-police partnerships draws big crowds in Twin Cities

Asha Bashir sipped lemonade under a tent with her friends in Sumner Field Park on Tuesday night, as a group of kids danced to music blaring from a coral-colored Prius parked on the grass. Rows of white chairs and tables were arranged for attendees while others readied face-painting tents, food trucks and a vegetable dessert giveaway.

Thsi was just one of more than 2,000 block parties across the Twin Cities for National Night Out, a nationwide campaign aimed at fostering relationships between neighbors and community-police partnerships. Minneapolis and St. Paul have some of the highest attendance rates in the country, with thousands turning out each year to enjoy food, fun and friends.

http://www.startribune.com/a-good-night-for-national-night-out/490313201/