Chicago residents fight to bring basketball courts back to Beverly

CHICAGO (CBS) —  Kids and adults in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood are fighting to return basketball courts to their local park, and Juneteenth Festival is partnering with Jahmal Cole, founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, where they’re hoping to bring the first outdoor basketball courts back to Beverly.  

It’s a simple game of basketball that Beverly young men want to play in their neighborhood, Ridge Park.

“It, like, brings out another version of me,” said 11-year-old Jordan Hester. 

Ridge Park does not have basketball courts, and Shanya Gray, lead festival organizer for the Juneteenth Festival of Beverly/Morgan Park, said courts have been gone for decades.

“The courts for our neighborhood were removed in the 70’s for no rhyme or reason, which also coincides with when our community started to integrate,” Gray said. 

She said there’s a stigma when it comes to basketball courts.

“We often hear, ‘Oh, basketball courts encourage loitering and encourage gangs.’ We hear all these stereotypes, which has never been proven.” Gray said. 

This is why her son, 13-year-old Elias Gray, has also been pushing for a change. Before school ended, he had to do a community project that helped the neighborhood.

“I got over 500 signatures so far and still just working to bring back basketball,” Gray said.

The Juneteenth Festival is partnering with Jahmal Cole, founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, where they’re hoping to bring the first outdoor basketball courts back to Beverly.

“It’s not fair. Parks belong to everybody. How are you going to find the next Derrick Rose, the next Ayo if you ain’t got no basketball, you’re not going to find that. People like me. We couldn’t afford to go to a camp or play AAU,” Cole said. 

Temporary hoops will be set up for this weekend’s events. Cole and Gray said they’ve also contacted the city’s park district to bring back permanent basketball courts.

“Mistakes have been made. They know it. Let’s move forward, and let’s improve,” Cole said. 

The fifth annual Juneteenth Family Festival in Beverly will be held in Ridge Park on Saturday, starting at 2 p.m. It will be held in collaboration with My Block, My Hood, My City, where they will lead a basketball skills training workshop and a three-on-three tournament.

CBS 2 contacted the Chicago Park District for a response but has not heard back.