This is a story that should never stop being shared. It is an example of a Police Officer who truly cares about the community he lives in and the people he is in charge of protecting. That Officer was Officer Bobby White of the Gainesville Police department(Florida). He responded to call from someone who lived in the area who complained about the noise these kids were making as they played basketball in the street. As he pulled up to the scene he realized one thing, these kids were scared of his presence. You can tell from the heartwarming video below they felt intimidated by the presence of a Police Officer. What he did next shocked America when it first happened and shocked the kids. He walks up to the child holding the ball and asked if they knew who had sent in the compliant. After he asked this he proceeded to play basketball with the kids. As time went on they became more comfortable with the Officers presence. Kids from all over the neighborhood came out to play. They laughed at his dunks and began enjoying themselves and his presence. Once he left he did leave them with one promise “Tomorrow I will bring back-upâ€. We will get back into this.
Original dash cam video:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZiUnh2IqS4]
The video above is more powerful than any words I can use to describe it. With that being said this is only the beginning of our story. Looking back in the story before the video Officer Bobby White told the kids one thing “Tomorrow I will bring back up†he did not let the kids down on this promise.
Video of backup arriving
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el4qyJFJmbI]
As you can tell this is a day that these kids will never forget. But this story does more than just this one isolated event. This story is a story just beginning to be written. Since this day a lot has changed. Officer White decided to improve their court situation. Through donations and hardwork he built them a full NBA size basketball court near the original spot where he first responded to the noise complainant. This initiative did not stop in Gainesville. This initiative has begun to spread all over the United States. Police departments all around the U.S have seen the success this initiative has brought and have used it to strengthen their communities.
This may be older news but it is as relevant today as it has ever been. With the lack of trust between Law Enforcement and their communities it is turning them into places of high crime and misunderstanding. Our cities are becoming more and more dangerous because have lost hope for a better life. They have lost hope in the government and the American dream. This gives us a perfect example of how to fix that crisis we face. It can’t come from one guy. It can’t come from just our government. It has to come from people within these communities. It has to come from people that these communities respect. Whether it be rappers, movie stars, professional athletes or even religious community members. These people need to be the ones that team up with Law Enforcement to release tension between both sides. To get these kids excited about a future in America. A life devoted to helping American society rather than pulling it down. These areas are high in crime for a few reasons. Gangs are the only way these kids can get a sense of family and protection. Committing small petty crimes is the only way many of the kids can eat and survive. They have witnessed their friends, family and fellow community members fall to the temptations of these areas and that’s where the hopelessness begins to set in. This is not a race issue. This is an American issue that can only be fixed with all Americans on board to help fix the issues we see in our major cities. I shared this story because it is a blueprint for how we can fix the issues that plague our society and I hope this video never stops being shared.
If you’d like to donate here is a link to there GO Fund Me page
https://www.gofundme.com/BasketballCop
