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I noticed out of state cars at my local park one day, so I asked a chap why he was here. He responded that the children could play safely without the worry of gun fire.
I recounted that we hear of children getting caught in the crossfire of rival drug gangs on the television news where they may be injured seriously or dead. It was very disquieting to imagine a five year old baby being confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life because his spin was shattered from a stray bullet in a gun fight between two gangs.
The issues become where can children play safely and how do you keep the potential of gangbangers out of your neighborhood playground areas?
One Wilmington, Delaware community concluded that basketball and babies do not mix well in their local park. Thugs passing through the neighborhood disappeared when the basketball hoops got taken down.
I thought this recipe was a bit draconian; especially, considering I played basketball at this same park as a youth. We respected the neighborhood in those days. Today, I could not question the decision because it proved correct for the times.
I was walking in the park of another neighborhood where years back I would stop to rest and look at the young men play basketball. I also played basketball on this court as a youth. This Wilmington Park had just completed a state-of-the-art playground for little children. I wondered why there were no basketball players running up and down the court.
I needed to sit down to rest my feet for 15 to 20 minutes as I am relearning to walk distances after a major sickness that destroyed my ability to walk more than 30 meters. I had this eerie feeling because quiet was out of place on a basketball court on a nice day. Then, I noticed the basketball hoops had been removed, in effect turning the park over to the babies.
What was clearly obvious is that Wilmington communities have an evolution underway to give small children a place to play safety. This may be an excellent tourist attraction for out of state families seeking an old fashion playground that is free of thug violence. On the other hand, you might have parents getting on the kids’ toys and even hear comments of someone overhearing another person discussing personal drug use.
I think little kids deserve a place to play, so there ought to be a law giving serious time in prison for anyone caught selling or using drugs in parks. Why should inner city communities remain urban concentration camps where children are shot for daring to play like children?
