National Night Out from two angles in Greensboro

Officers MA Overman (left) and WD Coble, with the Greensboro Police Department's police neighborhood resource center — official speak for cops assigned to public housing — were surrounded on all sides by children at Claremont Courts earlier this evening for National Night Out.

Some firefighters stood along the street next to an engine and the children had new Greensboro Fire Department coloring books. They wanted to get them autographed by the police officers. Overman and Coble appeared to be the stars of the show until K-9 Officer JD Frazier appeared with bloodhound Ellie May, who was gentle and friendly.

National Night Out provides citizens an opportunity to interact in a casual setting with police officers, firefighters and EMTs, and Overman said the dynamic is different than in the normal course of his duties.

"These kids walking up and wanting autographs," he said. "On a day-to-day basis, sometimes they're reluctant. This gives them a chance to where they can walk up to us and ask us our names, and we can ask them their names."


Meanwhile, Greensboro Justice Summer held a "A Night of Thousand Conversations" concurrent with the official National Night Out to encourage dialogue about public safety and police accountability with five publicized discussions. This is the group that has been highlighting assertions by Capt. Charles Cherry and Officer AJ Blake of double standards, hostile working conditions and retaliation within the department.

Due to a scheduling conflict, a Greensboro Justice Summer event was canceled at the East White Oak Community Center and Beloved Community Center organizer Joe Frierson was redirecting people to Ole Asheboro, which had become a convergence point.

At 7:30 p.m. a sizable group was gathered in the meadow on Bragg Street. Greensboro Justice Summer organizers Cherrell Brown and Wesley Morris were playing soccer with a group of children.

Some police officers had stopped by earlier, Brown said, and the activists and police appeared to come to an uneasy accommodation. Brown said a lady was speaking critically about the police in earshot of the officers, who moved away.

Brown and Morris were in high spirits about neighborhood canvassing the group is doing on a daily basis. Morris said the activists have already covered Hairston apartments, Smith Homes, Jonesboro and some other neighborhoods, and plan to visit the residential area near NC A&T University area next. The canvassers say they have been met with uniformly positive reception from the residents, who have eagerly shared stories and concerns, including suspicion that the police were involved in a murder and frustration that the police don't seem to be adequately investigating another murder.