Too Much Shooting On Courts, City Says Sacramento Officials Take Down Hoops To Cut Down Crime

City Hall is cracking down on an unlikely activity to stop neighborhood crime: basketball.

The hoops at Valley Hi Park came down in May. City crews remove the nets in William Land Park on Sundays. Rims also have been dismantled periodically in public parks in Colonial Heights, Curtis Park and Strawberry Manor.

In each case, the courts became hot spots for troublemakers, officials and residents said. Many people who gathered - ostensibly for basketball - drank alcohol, sold drugs, fired weapons, caroused late at night and left broken glass, litter and even used condoms.

The courts typically are reopened after a “cooling off” period of one to four months, but Sacramento officials acknowledge the action penalizes innocent players and fans.

“It’s unfortunate that the legitimate basketball players seem to be the ones who are the victims here,” said parks and recreation manager Vic Edmisten. “But if it can help make the park a more desirable place for kids and families, it’s worth a try.”

Officials have not received similar nuisance complaints about other sports facilities in city parks, Edmisten said.

Targeting crime by aiming at basketball is not done lightly in Sacramento, where the sport’s longtime popularity peaked this year with the Kings in the NBA playoffs. Pickup games among neighborhood kids, downtown workers and weekend warriors are common sights in parks citywide.

“It’s just cool,” 16-year-old Darrell Long, drenched in sweat, said simply during an afternoon break on the court in McKinley Park. “Michael Jordan does it.”

But troubled communities sometimes have had to give up their basketball courts to reclaim them.

In Colonial Heights, a neighborhood group has taken down the rims at Colonial Park five times in the past dozen years to drive out courtside hoodlums who scared off children and families.

“We’re very protective of our basketball court,” said Shirley Johnson, president of Colonial Park Arts and Recreation Effort.

“We got flak from people who didn’t understand why we did it, but we explained that it was the best thing for the community right now,” Johnson said. “Overall, a good 90 percent of people supported it.”

This month, recreation officials began a 30-day experiment by removing the hoops in William Land Park on Sundays after Broadway cruisers began hanging out at the court, which is next to a playground for toddlers. City crews put the rims back up each Monday.

But a 60-day moratorium at Valley Hi Park has sparked controversy. A neighborhood group is leading a petition drive to bring back the rims that officials took down after another residents association complained basketball games were drawing gangs and drug dealers.

City Councilman Robbie Waters, who represents Valley Hi, is sponsoring a community forum in the park July 3 to discuss basketball and public safety in the park.

The hoops came down after a gunfight broke out May 6 near Brentford Circle, which abuts Valley Hi Park. No one was injured, but police found 20 spent shells in the area.

Since then, peace and safety have returned to the neighborhood and the park, residents said.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Scripps-McClatchy Western Service