Tyreek Counts had an concept — to make use of basketball as a solution to fight violence in Kensington and all through town. So final 12 months, he pulled collectively a gaggle to carry a match, hosted by the New Kensington Group Growth Company.
“Me and my workforce sat down and we did our Weapons Down Now Basketball Peace Event on September 21 of 2024, and we had an enormous turnout,” stated Counts, the outreach coordinator for NKCDC. “We had over 140 those that confirmed up.”
Quick ahead to this January and the launch of the Treatment Violence basketball league, a protected place for grownup males to return collectively to socialize, get in some train and be taught social and teamwork expertise. There have been no registration or participation charges.
This system, a partnership between Esperanza Well being and NKCDC’s Treatment Violence program, fills a group hole for males between 18 and 40 years previous, Counts stated.
“There’s quite a lot of issues for the youth, there’s quite a lot of issues for the senior residents, however for that age group, they’re deemed as problematic and that they will’t come collectively and work with out violence,” he stated. “So we wished to indicate them that they had been fallacious.”
Counts stated this system goals to be a brilliant spot for Kensington.
“Lots of people see the drug epidemic and the homelessness and issues of that nature, and so they suppose that’s all Kensington has to supply,” he stated. “However there’s quite a lot of nice issues going round amongst the chaos that’s going round.”
Vivid spots
Kensington has seen some promising change over the previous 12 months. Knowledge launched earlier this 12 months confirmed a 57% discount in shootings in the neighborhood between 2023 and 2024, and a 17% discount in violent crimes resembling rape and murder.
When Mayor Cherelle Parker entered workplace in 2024, she instantly launched an effort to deal with the opioid use epidemic within the Kensington space and revive the group. Town shut down an encampment within the Kensington neighborhood in Could 2024, and supplied assets and therapy for these experiencing homelessness or combating drug habit.
Whereas some say they had been dissatisfied with the execution of those ways, there have been some indicators of progress.
The league is only one piece of Treatment Violence Kensington, a group violence intervention program that treats gun violence as a public well being concern. Treatment Violence is an extension of the New Kensington Group Growth Company, which has served the communities of Kensington, Fishtown and Port Richmond since 1985.
A profitable first season
The league’s first season began January 13 and ran till the tip of March. Counts stated there was a powerful turnout for gamers and groups.
“We had eight groups with about 9 guys whole to every workforce from Kensington and all through town,” he stated. “And so they got here Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m., with two video games per day. And so they practiced and all these issues.”
One of the necessary components of the league, Counts stated, was permitting residents to work collectively positively and collaboratively.
“We follow the social expertise half, so we are able to discuss to 1 one other and allow them to know all the things doesn’t have to finish in violence,” he stated. “We will sort things with communication, in order that’s one factor that we wished to precise. We wished to precise teamwork, additionally, with coming collectively to perform one thing as a unit.”
There was quite a lot of positivity throughout the season’s video games, stated participant Tyreese Whitaker.
“I had a wonderful time, simply time to get away, operating up and down the court docket with a lot of laughter and many smiles,” he stated.
Whitaker has lived in Kensington for 17 years. He stated he sees this league as a novel alternative to flee the troubles of the day.
“Lots of people got here there and nobody is aware of how folks’s days go, however I can inform you all of us had fun after we received there,” he stated.
A broader image
The league gives a lifeline for people who find themselves in want of leisure, low- or no-cost actions, stated NKCDC vp Amy Perez.
“There are usually not leagues like this for grownup males that you simply don’t need to pay for,” she stated. “And the individuals that we recruit are individuals who haven’t quite a lot of more money to pay for their very own league or one thing. They’re paying payments and supporting their households.”
Counts stated the league additionally encourages teammates to speak by way of points, fairly than resorting to violence. He heard from group and league members that the affect of this system was notable.
“That is the primary time they stated that they’ve seen a gaggle of groups coexist and be capable to break bread and eat collectively on the finish of the league,” he stated. “And discuss even when they didn’t win.”
The league makes use of Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Affiliation referees. Perez stated one referee was shocked by the sportsmanship of the groups on the championship recreation.
“One of many refs stated to me, ‘I’ve by no means been after a championship recreation the place I can sit down and the 2 groups that simply performed one another are all consuming collectively, and I’m not being escorted to my automotive,’” she stated. “So it was not simply us that seen, however the ref was actually noticing the distinction between the dynamics with this league versus different leagues that he refs for.”
Whitaker stated there have been some “intense video games,” however a part of the league’s success was in dealing with these moments effectively.
“Tempers flared a couple of instances, however everybody remained civil and I feel that was the most important a part of the entire thing,” he stated.
“Once they come right here and no matter goes exterior and so they play basketball, it’s sort of like a child on the playground, and nothing issues proper now,” he stated. “And we wished to present them again that thought and that reminiscence of after they had been teenagers, and so they didn’t have these issues that adults have with payments and dealing with issues and youngsters and issues of that nature.”
The way forward for the league
The league is presently funded by way of grants and Esperanza Well being, which additionally supplied fitness center house.
“So we partnered with Esperanza for house and we used their house, and so they shared among the prices, however most of it was paid for by a grant that we now have from the Division of Justice,” she stated.
The cash coated the winter season and an upcoming summer season session, Perez stated. She hopes this system might be prolonged.
“Shifting ahead we hope that funding will proceed, however positively we’ll be in search of anybody who needs to fund this,” she stated. “We had been capable of fund for the previous season and for the summer season for certain, however after that, the atmosphere proper now for funding is unsure.”
Dates are presently being set for the summer season season. Counts sees this system as instilling quite a lot of constructive values.
“Lots of us received longtime buddies by way of sports activities,” he stated. “Lots of us met folks from completely different walks of life and completely different backgrounds by way of sports activities. In sports activities, they construct self-discipline, they construct character, they construct teamwork, they construct sportsmanship by way of successful and shedding. I need that mission to proceed to develop.”