Night out for safety, liberation set
As part of a community wide effort to address issues that go beyond but also include policing, prisons and the state of punishment laws in Texas, organizers are calling on the public to attend a special evening event.
On Tuesday, Aug.1, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Pauline Espinosa Community Hall, at 170 Charles Austin, community members will come together for the Night Out for Safety and Liberation.
This free community event seeks to offer not just food, but instead a sharing of community resources, a live music performance from Centro Cultural Hispano, and raffles that may bring the community together to reimagine what safety and joy is without policing.
The night is an annual national event to redefine what safety is for local communities beyond policing, prisons, and punishment.
Officials said the event will feature a panel with community members who are impacted by immigration, criminalization, housing insecurity and the lack of access to mental healthcare, thoughtfully highlighting the intersection between each of these local issues.
Local organization, Mano Amiga will be on hand and will provide food, other refreshments, as well as offer craft activities for children.
There will be additional opportunities throughout the event for community members to get involved in advocacy efforts related to each of the outlined issues, organizers stated.
This night out is held as an alternative to the police-centric National Night Out, Night Out for Safety and Liberation, an event that was started in 2013 by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin.
In contrast to that event, this San Marcos event is designed to shift the narrative around, and rethink the notion of community safety through an effort that is more about reinvesting in Texas communities and in doing so, celebrate the concepts of care and resilience.
Since 2013, this event has spread across the country with in excess of 50 organizations participating last year alone.
