SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Community and business leaders in San Francisco's Chinatown on Sunday launched a program of free block-party events to create safer and more livable neighborhoods in the oldest area inhabited by overseas Chinese in the United States.

The serial events, Sunday Play Streets, which began on Aug. 11 in the heart of San Francisco Chinatown, is part of fun-filled open-street block party festivities that turn blocks of usually car-congested streets into car-free community spaces for kids to play, seniors to stroll, organizations to connect, and neighbors to meet, organizers said.

During Sundays from August to September, residents and visitors will be offered opportunities of watching art performances by local groups such as Wilma Pang, costumed parades, lion dance shows, tasty foods, and games for kids, as well as other educational programs covering topics on health, safety, history, art and culture in the Chinatown area.

The program is sponsored and supported by Livable City, a San Francisco non-profit organization dedicated to making San Francisco more attractive to both locals and tourists with cleaner streets, safer communities and beautiful spaces.

The initiative is seen as a new effort to create a sense of more security for local residents and visitors after a series of crimes in the area over the past few months.

On July 15, two community leaders were robbed and beaten at a busy district in Chinatown in broad daylight, causing panic and grave concerns among locals.

Last week, a white woman with a knife attempted to rob a shop owned by an overseas Chinese businesswoman in Chinatown. The robber fled with a black man in an SUV after their robbery attempt failed.

The weekly events in San Francisco Chinatown will last from Aug. 11 through Sept. 29. Enditem

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