Rim discrimination
Today I sent an email to some neighbors who were on an email list from the meetings when a few blamed all problems in the neighborhood on the youth and youth adults who play full court basketball at the County Park across the street. I told them about the theft of the rims on the full court. Sadly a few wrote back cheering on the theft of the rims on the full court. One of those is man with a young family who grew up in the neighborhood and who played basketball at the park. Now he was one of the few in the neighborhood who blame all problems in the neighborhood on youth and young adults playing full court basketball. Once I did a study showing how when the basketball courts were down for park renovation or in the winter time there was a high crime rate in the neighborhood than when the full court was in operation. Facts did not matter the basketball players were blamed for all the neighborhood ills.
So what changed the attitudes of a few residents? The major variable has been the race of those playing basketball. From all white basketball players there was an addition of Asian Americans and then African Americans. When African American youth and young male adults were added to the mix the scapegoating and stereotyping of basketball plays caught hold.
In the beginning some neighbors had legitimate excuses, like loud noises, foul languages and occasion fights. When I became aware of these complaints my first instinct was to go to the basketball courts and check it out. When I asked those who opposed full court basketball play unconditionally if they had ever asked the players to stop inappropriate behavior or warned the players they said no. So for awhile they were able to keep down one of the rims on the full court.
However, this year the park system put up all the rims on the basketball court and some of us talk with the youth about behavior. The ones I talked to understood the concern about bad behavior by a few and were appreciative to get a second chance. All was going well this year and even one of the major opponents told how much better the behavior was this year. A few continued to blame the basketball players for everything even for any noise even when it was dark and impossible to play basketball.
No one blames the old white guys who play golf at the park par three golf courses, the children and parents who use the playground or the high school girl’s soccer team that uses the soccer field for any ills in the park or neighborhood. But multiracial youth and young male adults are the cause for most of the neighborhood ills.
All my adult life I have fought discrimination and injustice and I tried to be in solidarity with marginalized groups like young adult African American males. So this year when all was going well in the park we had a thief of two rims for the full court basketball playing. Hopefully the county park system will restore the two stolen rims and not allow this discrimination and prejudice stop them from opening the park to all persons, of race, age, sex and religious belief.
Discrimination does not have to be racial to be discrimination. For example it can be based on age, sex or disabilities. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as our Declaration of Independence forbids discrimination but it continues. No one, especially a person discriminating, wants to told they are discriminating.
So fighting discrimination is difficult, be it discrimination based on age, sex, race. However, we are compelled to fight it in every form, even in the case of rim discrimination.
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