Neighborhood Cafe with RISE Southeast!

At our latest Neighborhood Café, residents gathered near Panorama Park to share stories, surface concerns, and dream up solutions together. With a theme of #SummerinSoutheast, the event opened with a conversation about what makes this neighborhood special, and it was clear that the people and the park are at the heart of it all.

RISE Southeast kicked things off by sharing the history of Panorama Park and its remarkable transformation. Once underdeveloped and underused, the 13.5-acre park has become a citywide destination thanks to an $8.5 million renovation led by RISE, the Trust for Public Land, and the City’s Parks & Recreation Department. Neighbors celebrated the beauty and purpose of the new space, while also naming real concerns: traffic congestion during large events, safety issues near park entrances, and late-night activity in the park after hours.

The highlight of the evening was hearing from residents deeply invested in the wellbeing of their neighborhood. One neighbor proudly shared how she worked with the City to get a gate installed at the park entrance to curb nighttime issues. She now keeps the contact info of every person she spoke with posted on her refrigerator—a symbol of persistence, pride, and the power of community voice. Another neighbor described putting out cones to reduce street congestion, and others floated ideas from traffic calming to more visible police presence.

The group agreed to keep the momentum going with follow-up meetings every two weeks, and many expressed interest in becoming even more involved as Neighborhood Leaders, RISE VIP volunteers, or members of advisory committees. The energy in the group was undeniable, and it reflected exactly what Hey Neighbor and RISE Southeast stand for: connecting neighbors, building relationships, and creating meaningful change.

A big thank you to our coffee sponsor, Kangaroo Coffee, for keeping these neighbors hydrated and caffeinated!