Building Bonds through Basketball

The Gulfport Police Department has a new game plan to build relationships within the community. News 25’s Laurene Callander gives us an inside look at the Blue Crew basketball team and the real purpose behind the league.
What started in a group chat between Gulfport students and Police Chief Leonard Papania officially hit the court. Gulfport High School senior Joshua Simmons passed this idea along to Chief Papania to have a police basketball team challenge kids in the city, but the games come with an underlying goal. “I really want the community and police just to come together so we’ll never have to have one of those police shootings or riots while walking down downtown Gulfport, stuff like that,” said Simmons.
Simmons may be smiling and playing around with Gulfport police now, but his opinion about law enforcement has not always been positive. “I really didn’t like police, but I like police it was just like they’re going to come after me next.”
Simmons quickly learned not to jump to conclusions about police officers. “It’s not about your color or anything like that. It’s about if you do something, yeah they’re going to come after you so stay out of trouble,” said Simmons.
The games don’t end at the school gymnasium. The police department hopes to start pickup games with kids out in the community playing in their neighborhoods. Gulfport Police Officer Tony Alves said, “When somebody finds out that there’s five cops down the street playing pickup basketball against a bunch of kids. People are coming. While they’re there they can talk to us and express to us what problems they have.”
Which is exactly why the students’ team is called “Solution.” It’s a message to the community that change starts at home.
Before the Blue Crew takes on the Gulfport Admirals Solution, these officers have a message for their opponents. “Look man, when we’re out there playing and I’m stealing the ball from you and I’m just like dunking on you and stuff and you scream ‘help, call the police,’ we’ll be right there. It will be the greatest response time in the history of police,” said Officer Alves.
Gulfport police hope the turnout at Monday night’s game and the bonds they build with Gulfport youth is a slam dunk.