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Katelyn Toohig Location: Submitted At: 10:39am 04-19-21 While I respect the initial urge to act, given the spike in violence, as our community begin to "restart" our lives out of"lockdown", the actions that the police have suggested, including taking down of the basketball courts is unhelpful at best and out of date and racist at worst. Basketball is one of the few activities that children are able to play alone and/or without needing money for equipment, making it an ideal activity for any member of Lakewood. Shutting down the hoops in the park does a HUGE detriment to the children of our community. What is preventing the police from having to police the park on foot? There needs to be better solutions, other than ones used 20 years ago that target low income community members. Robert Holland Location: Submitted At: 10:18am 04-19-21 I'm opposed to violence. Regrettably our culture has always been steeped in it and now our society is flooded with guns. How the reactionary forces of more policing and surveillance will solve this problem is beyond me. Fundamentally I support the second amendment, with what I think are common sense caveats. That said I think it wise to remember- basketballs don't kill people. People kill people. Stop criminalizing basketball. Colin McKay Location: Submitted At: 9:04pm 04-18-21 1 oppose the removal of playground equipment as a deterrent to violent crime. The act of re-establishing these courts 3 years ago was a statement of community solidarity after several years of vacancy. The act of removing the rims in such a swift manner this week was a statement of power and misdirected show of force by our community leaders. A stronger police presence at our densely populated parks/public spaces on days in which there is a higher likelihood of outdoor activity is public safety 101. Removing the ability for people to congregate at a basketball court does not address the violent crime in the community, it simply redirects it to somewhere else. Addressing gun violence in our community is a difficult task, removing playground equipment as a solution was simple- minded. After a year of people being denied outdoor public goods and services due to the pandemic, young people are clammering for things to do. We are sending the wrong message to our active youth by denying them their ability to play with their neighbors and blaming their activities for the violence that they are also victims of. Jordan Tadic Location: Submitted At: 8:10pm 04-18-21 PERSONAL VIEW: I oppose the removal of the hoops. Basketball is healthy, social, & inclusive. We need more courts ASAP so Madison Park doesn't have to bear the entire city's demand of full courts. After a year of COVID-19, this court is going to be more important for our city's social/physical health than ever. As stated yesterday by a nearby resident, "If the solution to gun violence in America is closing basketball courts, then we're a lost cause." (ref: https:Hyoutu.be/hylvPNMDttE). There are many preventative measures we can take other than depriving our residents from outdoor activities. WHAT I KNOW SO FAR: We have been told the hoops were removed due to an ongoing investigation, but I cannot imagine a scenario where someone would come to the park with malicious intent, see that the hoops have been removed, and turn around and go home. Can we get some clarification on these details? Everything I've heard about the most recent event is that it happened on the north end of the south parking lot (near the soccer goals that are still installed/functional), and that it was unrelated to the basketball hoops.