Everyone at last year’s annual Carlotta Street Halloween block party remembers the scene.Police — some on foot, some on horses, some in cars — tried clearing people out of the streets because there was no permit for the party. By the end of the night, no one could get to Carlotta or Chimes streets. Cars were at a standstill, and people on foot weren’t much better off.But this year, the Baton Rouge Police Department got a little help from the Northgate Merchants Association to make the party happen — legally. The Northgate Merchants Association stepped up and paid $1,500 for a permit, which includes an insurance policy, police presence and the ability to close streets.”It’s our neighborhood. We want it to happen,” said Jared Loftus, president of the association.The Northgate Merchants Association deserves major props for its involvement in this situation. And BRPD did well in picking the right group to make this happen.Without the permit, everyone — including BRPD — knows residents would have still tried to have the party. And another ugly scene like the one from last year might have happened again. It was obviously in BRPD’s best interest to find an answer to this on-going problem. It doesn’t make their unit look too good when officers try to break up a well-known annual party and start tasering and arresting people.Partygoers may need to curve some of their normal behavior because of more police, but at least the party’s tradition will stay intact for another year.—-Contact the Editorial Board at [email protected]