What's a Block Club?

Block clubs provide a venue for community members to get to know one another, welcome new residents, and partner with the local district councils and the Saint Paul Police Department to keep their neighborhood safe from crime and increase the quality of life for all.

Crime prevention specialists and police officers will often attend block club meetings to talk about specific incidents that have occurred in the neighborhood, provide tips on how respond to and prevent crime, or just to answer questions about the police department.

A block club may be just one block on two sides of a street, or it may cover a larger area. The size and shape depends on your area and what seems to work for the people who live there.

Block clubs provide the social structure and are a vehicle for sharing information important for the safety and well being of the block. Crime is less likely to happen where neighbors know each other and are watching out for one another. A well-organized block club can address multiple neighborhood issues and become a strong voice to implement needed change.

Block clubs can meet as much as once a month, when needed, or to plan an event such as a National Night Out party. A block club can involve organizing alleyway lighting, one-company garbage collection, or a cooperatively owned snowplow. A block club can help elderly neighbors, welcome new neighbors, plant a community garden, create a community garage sale, organize sporting games, or just hang out together.

The possibilities are endless - it's up to those involved!

Check out the UPDC Block Leadership Handbook online!

What to "green" up your block gatherings and parties?  Check out this Ramsey County resource!