tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post7930592733601395836..comments2024-03-28T22:15:17.067-05:00Comments on Every goddamn day: 03/29/24: Basketball has a shot as alternative to gangsNeil Steinberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-70391242887437008862015-10-06T02:29:36.506-05:002015-10-06T02:29:36.506-05:00Gaining respect,having a positive reputation and b...Gaining respect,having a positive reputation and being a valued member of a group or a team is incompletely the reason I'm the place I am today; I was taught I could accomplish these virtues by playing on a basketball team.An excess of our kids try to accomplish them by being in a gang.We need to teach our young people that respect is given and never taken,that reputation originates from doing honest work and not hard time.They have to know the main group worth being a piece of requires giving back through teamwork.<br /><br />-Kevin Hall.How Community Basketball Changes Liveshttp://www.amazon.com/Improving-America-Basketball-Game-Time-ebook/dp/B00A55PEQ0/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-22450239918244143422014-07-28T15:54:27.516-05:002014-07-28T15:54:27.516-05:00Would be nice to see (via photography or printed c...Would be nice to see (via photography or printed column) African Americans and other persons of color in professional roles that most can aspire to. (i.e. businesspeople engaged in commerce)<br /><br />NBA is a cool fantasy that results in nothing for most youths.<br /><br />Greg in Westlake.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-46979987095601717282014-07-28T09:06:45.579-05:002014-07-28T09:06:45.579-05:00"We can put a cop on every corner, and maybe ..."We can put a cop on every corner, and maybe we should. But ..."<br /><br />(Sigh) This reminds me of something back in the 90's - I forget the actual names involved but after the riots that followed the Rodney King verdict there was a high profile case where the police flooded the streets as a caution on the day the jury came back with a verdict. No riots, but crime nosedived.<br /><br />I have no objection whatsoever to efforts like the basketball program and something is always better than nothing, so long as it doesn't become a substitute for what's needed. I don't pretend to know what will work, but I do know we need much more boldness in large scale experimentation. What if for just one year we could flood these neighborhoods with police and see what happens? What if we could set up military-style schools for elementary students somewhere away from the city in the boonies, perhaps as an option for very young first time offenders, or maybe for non-offenders as I suspect a lot of parents would voluntarily agree to send their kids there. A massive summer jobs program enough to give a job to any teen/young person who wants one for one city for one summer - again, to see what happens? And of course (and as Tate O/John might agree), our drug laws are directly correlated to this madness. Anon-not-Anonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-2578492080867151182014-07-28T08:20:17.856-05:002014-07-28T08:20:17.856-05:00"...drugs are the best part of their day.&quo..."...drugs are the best part of their day." Just like the rest of us, but our drug of choice is alcohol and when it was banned, we saw how far people would go to get that drug. I've played basketball with gang members, but that would not be possible today because of the foresight of enlightened members of my community who have torn down every rim in the nearby parks where basketball used to be played outside.<br />John tatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06215684866966011198noreply@blogger.com