National Night Out 2008: the West Side represents

National Night Out energized the nation on August 5, 2008. The community-based event was initially developed as a creative way to address crime and bring attention to drug prevention. The long list of block parties, public gatherings, ice cream socials, and cookouts stretched throughout local neighborhoods. A powerful movement nestled in the Mississippi riverbank on St. Paul’s West Side was stirring with change -- real action toward solidifying black-white-brown unity.

B FRESH Photography

For many years, the District del Sol has been a growing, predominantly Latino community on St. Paul’s West Side. Patterns across the nation show that inner-city neighborhoods are becoming more and more integrated and diverse. Hmong, African American, Caucasian, Somali, Native American and Latinos gathered at the Neighborhood House’s First Annual National Night Out celebration to bridge the cultural gap, dispel stereotypes and solidify unity across racial lines.