LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Clark County leaders and local law enforcement came together to host a peace walk and a family fun festival on Saturday.
The event took place in the area near Arville Street and Pennwood Avenue, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief Jose Hernandez said it’s important to show up for the community.
“This is, historically, one of our vulnerable neighborhoods,” Hernandez said. “So, we do quite a bit of work here to communicate with the residents that live here ensuring that we can continue to improve the quality of life.”
That work looked like a peace walk through some of the apartment complexes and giving toys to children and food to families. At the end of the walk, there was a festival in the park with community support resources.
County leaders and first responders told 8 News Now that the goal of the peace walk is to get face-to-face with the community and tell them they’re here to help.
“We’re trying to make sure that if they help, they’re helped too,” Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom said. “This is the backbone of Las Vegas as far as, these are the people that do the work, make us all rich. But we want to show them a little support too.”
Segerblom also said that coming to the people is also an effort to build their trust in elected leadership.
“A lot of people distrust government,” Segerblom said. “Worried about things, afraid to come out of their house. We’re trying to say, ‘No, this is a great place to come out’. We’re here and we start to develop a relationship. If problems arise they can reach out to the government.”
For law enforcement, a goal of the peace walk was to live up to its name — boosting peace in the neighborhood.
“For us, it’s an opportunity to bring those resources here to address things like, you know, perhaps drugs, gangs, whether it’s, gang violence or just anyone who’s sort of violence that occurs in the neighborhood,” Hernandez said.
