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# National Night Out cut from Santa Monica
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/national-night-out-cut-from-santa-monica/
- Published: 2003-07-30T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T02:39:45.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Events, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

While Santa Monica normally participates in an annual national crime and drug prevention event scheduled for next week, it won’t this year because of budget constraints.

National Night Out, now in its 20th year, will be held in thousands of cities throughout the country on Aug. 5\. But in Santa Monica, a separate event called “Santa Monica Night Out Against Crime” will be held at the end of August, when the new Public Safety Building is scheduled to open.

On Aug. 5, neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles are being invited to join forces with thousands of communities nationwide for the national event. National Night Out, which is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and co-sponsored locally by Budlong, Juliet and Catalina Block Club, will involve more than 9,800 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases around the world. In all, more than 33 million people are expected to participate in “America’s Night Out Against Crime.” The event is supported in part by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime efforts; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships and send a message to criminals, letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., residents in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles and across the nation are asked to lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the evening outside with neighbors and police. Many neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles will be hosting a variety of special events such as block parties, cook-outs, parades, visits from police, flashlight walks, contests, youth activities and anti-crime rallies.

Budlong, Juliet and Catalina Neighborhood Association, Van Buren Community Restoration Association and Adams-Normandie Neighborhood Association invite the public to join them on a peaceful walk through the neighborhood. The associations’ purpose is to bring attention to the growing blight and alarming wave of lethal violence that has plagued their communities.

The Budlong Tunnel is the designated problem area. It is near the Santa Monica Freeway underpass located at Budlong Avenue and 22nd Street. For more than 15 years the residents have combated illegal dumping at the location.

Groups will canvass through the neighborhood distributing brochures and pertinent informative community information. They will assemble at Salvin Elementary School, located at 1925 Budlong Avenue at 6:15 p.m. with potluck dishes.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 30, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/073003.pdf?ref=smdp.com)