Proclamation 6006—National Neighborhood Crime Watch Day, 1989

Communities across the United States bear testimony to the great things Americans can accomplish through their own resourcefulness and the help of neighbors. In business, government, education, and social services, the ingenuity and hard work of individual Americans have been both the foundation and the catalyst for progress.

Individual private citizens represent a particularly important force in our Nation's fight against crime. Last year, crime struck one in four American households. While law enforcement officials do all they can to apprehend and prosecute those who prey upon innocent victims, the cooperation of law-abiding citizens is vital to their efforts.

Today, more than 19 million Americans participate in neighborhood crime watch programs. They remain vigilant against criminal activity in their neighborhoods and report suspicious behavior to the police. They also keep special watch over elderly persons and others who might easily become victims of theft or violence. These Americans who look out for their neighbors and make a personal commitment to help fight crime serve as positive role models for young people, thereby demonstrating not only respect for the law, but also active concern for the well-being of others. Participants in crime watch programs affirm that, as communities, we must not and will not tolerate contempt for civil order and disregard for the rights of innocent people.

On August 8, 1989, millions of Americans will join their neighbors in "National Night Out," an evening sponsored each year by the National Association of Town Watch. This event provides citizens an opportunity to demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of community participation in crime prevention efforts. During the "National Night Out," families spend the period between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on the porches, steps, or lawns of their homes as a notice to criminals that their communities are off limits to drug trafficking and other illicit activities. "National Night Out" is a way for all Americans to express their determination to protect and enjoy the security of their homes and neighborhoods.

To encourage all Americans to join with their neighbors in such crime prevention programs, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 136, has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating August 8, 1989, as "National Neighborhood Crime Watch Day."

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim August 8, 1989, as National Neighborhood Crime Watch Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fourteenth.

GEORGE BUSH