LAKEWOOD, Ohio — After last year's shootings near Madison Park - residents, parents and even city leaders shared their outrage over gun violence in Lakewood.
The violence even prompted officials with the Lakewood Police Department to remove the nets from the park's basketball courts.
“There was some pressure from members of the community to take the courts away but we made a decision we weren’t going to surrender these courts,” said Lakewood City Council President, Dan O'Malley.
"Families were very upset, they were scared," said Cuyahoga Board of Health Program Manager, Roger Sikes. "I would describe it as a crisis-like situation."
After the Cuyahoga County Board of Health declared gun violence a public health crisis, Lakewood - a community renowned for its diversity - rallied together for change. Included in that rally: city leaders.
"It's really a powerful notion. You have mentors meet youth where they’re at through basketball, powerful connections can happen, “ said Sikes.
Instead of removing the courts from Madison Park, officials invested in its youth through a mentorship program.
City leaders say that creating a safer community using a different approach has proven to be more effective. Through the new youth program, area kids are able to work one on one with mentors like Willie Alvarez.
"It's second nature to me. It's what I love to do - working with youth,” said Alvarez. "A lot of the youth were interested, they were asking questions. They wanted to learn how they could become a mentor and so I can see it being an influence, not only with them doing basketball but with them looking elsewhere to improve themselves."
Sikes says, "this is a practical solution to gun violence, we know that gun violence is concentrated in low income and the unemployed youth. So if we can reach them in Cuyahoga County, we can change and we can build leaders, and public basketball courts is a strategic way to do that."
Now, the community sings a different tune as gun violence and racism in the Lakewood community meets a movement of mentorship and a safer place for its youth and families.
“To meet youth and, I would say in some ways be a father figure, in some ways be a mentor or a social worker to youth who are going through a lot of issues for a lot of youth who came up to Madison Park, that basketball court was their stability. So if you have physical presence and mentors there it creates a dynamic connection that can really lift youth up,” said Sikes.
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