In what is becoming a common occurrence, the basketball hoops at Ohio’s Reese Park were removed following reports of shots being fired in the area, according to Cleveland.com. Officials generally cite public safety as the reason to either close the courts or remove the basketball hoops, but the public usually sees things differently.
Reese Park is in Bay Village, about 13 miles from Cleveland.
Following a similar incident in Lakewood, Ohio, protests erupted from community members as well as elected officials.
“I think there is an element of bias to why the hoops were the only thing removed,” community activist Susannah Selnick said. “The sentiment of taking down the basketball hoops is saying that those that are playing on the hoops are not people we want playing at our parks.”
As part of an investigation, the basketball hoops at Madison Park in Cleveland were removed following reports of gunshots in 2021. Mayor Meghan F. George released a statement following the closure of the basketball court.
“While we understand the importance to the community that our basketball courts serve as wonderful recreational outlets, my obligation as safety director is to ensure a safe environment for all patrons of the park. We look forward to reopening the court as soon as possible.”
In Bay Village, however, there is a pickleball court right next to the basketball court which has remained open. Pickleball, according to The New York Post, is the hottest sport among the wealthy, ergo, it is seen as a sport that white people play.
This lends credence to the views of Selnick and members of the Bay Village community who say that the basketball courts are an important part of their lives and should not be closed, particularly in cases where there were no injuries reported. Some community members like Brad Thompson, who routinely use the court were stunned.
“I actually drove through [Sunday] and saw police so I knew something happened,” Thompson said. “I came up here like, ‘What is going on?’ This is my life!”
At present, there is no expected date for the park’s courts to reopen.
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