More than 100 Oakland community members gathered Tuesday at Lowell Park to celebrate the fourth annual Night Out for Safety and Liberation event as an alternative to National Night Out, an annual community-building campaign that promotes cooperation between police and their communities.

The event was organized by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights — an Oakland-based nonprofit that aims to improve community safety, incarceration and poverty — to highlight local initiatives to combat police violence and bring community members together to redefine public safety.

Night Out for Safety and Liberation was held in 25 cities across the country. According to the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights website, the aim was to discuss alternative pathways to safety besides law enforcement.

“We’ve seen National Night Out happen for decades, and it hasn’t increased police-community relations,” said Tash Nguyen, event organizer and local advocate at the Ella Baker Center. “We’re here to broaden the conversation about what public safety means, and it means resources in our community.”

Organizers cited the recent investigation into the Oakland Police Department that revealed several police officers sexually assaulted, exploited and trafficked a teenager as reinforcement of the lack of community trust in law enforcement.

“The Oakland Police Department respects the independent choices of the community, especially when they’re motivating community members to come out and engage in dialogue,” said Oakland Police Department spokesperson Marco Marquez. “We want to connect with the community and say, ‘how can we better serve you, what are your needs and how can we be of service to you?’”

The event featured several performers including Fantastic Negrito, the Turf Feinz, Hip Hop for Change and DJ Slowpoke. There was also a craft station, healing practitioners, family activities, food, dance and spoken-word performances.

“I think bringing communities together to celebrate public safety and have a discussion about how to improve that safety is really important,” said Payel Patel, a volunteer at the event. “It’s a subject that is really dear to my heart.”

Sarah Brown, an attendee at Oakland’s Night Out for Safety and Liberation, emphasized the importance of such events for community bonding, particularly in communities that feel the most helpless against authorities.

The event was held in response to National Night Out, an annual campaign to promote partnerships between police and community to make neighborhoods a safer place to live. According to a press release from the Berkeley Police Department, in 2015 people gathered in 15,728 different communities across the country including in Berkeley, which had more than 100 neighborhood, business and community groups participate in the event.

“The success of the event was getting the community together with neighbors breaking bread and having a meal together,”  Marquez said. “Any time you get the community out enjoying the company of each other, it’s always a success.”