It started with a dashcam video from a police car, and my initial reaction, when I saw the first video of officer
Bobbie White approaching kids playing basketball in the street, was the thought
that they were in trouble, as someone had called in a complaint about their
noise and probably the fact that they were playing right in the middle of the
road. It didn’t take long to see from
watching the video that his approach wasn’t one of condemning, but of making
sure things were ok and letting the kids know that they weren’t in
trouble. Why he chose to handle the
situation this way gives a few things to ponder on. So many times the news is full of people
committing crimes and doing things wrong.
That is what the nation is used to seeing. The dash cam recording showed something quite
the opposite. Officer White could have
easily come down on the kids, but instead chose to allow them to be kids. He even played a bit with them in the street
and promised them he would come back with reinforcements for a rematch. Why did he choose to handle the situation in this manner?
It is interesting to see the response that came from this
experience. Why would NBA star Shaquille
O’Neal choose to visit this neighborhood?
Why would he take time to go and
get involved? In the video you can
listen to him tell the kids that he grew up in a neighborhood just like
theirs. The kids had an experience they
will never forget. Not only being able
to play ball with him, but listening to his advice and getting $100 for making
a basket was really amazing for them!
The opportunity to attend an Orlando Magic game in person may have been
the chance of a lifetime for some of these kids.
The power of social media is evident, as this video went
viral, it reached big names in the basketball world, who then chose to respond,
making an even bigger story and events in the aftermath that have done a lot of
good to benefit kids in Gainesville.
For instance, the donation program that Officer White started has been
helping many families and communities. A
new basketball court was built by a local Gainesville, Florida business in a
neighborhood backyard of one of the kids that played in the street to help with
neighborhood noise and to give the kids a place to play. Harlem Globetrotter’s star Buckets Blake
attended the opening of the new court and played ball with the kids. His advice to everyone was to “pay it
forward” and to “remember the little things in life no matter how successful
you become”.
Since this incident, a Basketball Cop Foundation has been
created, which accepts donations to benefit local neighborhood kids and
apartment complexes that can use new basketball equipment. A family that lost everything to a fire on
Christmas Eve received a portable basketball hoop and balls for their kids, who
had to move to a new area and start over.
The mother of this family of 4 boys said that she hoped this would help
her children make new friends as others would come to play with them. A
religious institution, Upper Room Ministries, is in need of a basketball court
at their facility. Officer White is
asking for help to make this happen by appealing to the nation’s generosity. A gofundme account has been set up at https://www.gofundme.com/basketballcop Almost $6,000 has been raised of the $25,000
goal.
As I have researched the hash tag, #hoopsnotcrime that was
created, it shows just how much publicity has come from this story. The community has rallied around the police
department, and the kids are being invited to participate in many events. They were invited to attend a University of
Florida Gators basketball game, where they were brought out and recognized at
center court.
Think about the person that made the call to complain. Think of what that call started. Had the man not complained, maybe none of
this would have happened. I wonder how
he feels now with all the publicity that has come from his one call. His neighborhood got a lot noisier if
anything. Do you think he feels happy
about it, or does he continue to grumble just like he may have done when he
made the initial complaint call to the Gainesville Police Department?
A Facebook post by Kim Groves read: “These were my kids and their
friends simply playing basketball at a friends house and a neighbor across the
street had a problem with it. I advised
that neighbor I would rather them be playing basketball versus them being
involved in a criminal activity and he begged to differ so he called the cops.”
This was a true “feel-good” story, and a nice change from
all the negative coverage we routinely see on the news. Social media was a big contributor to the
success of Officer White’s campaign, and continues to be so as more stories
emerge from Gainesville. What might this
lead to in other communities around the nation?
Hopefully, more good news!
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