Midnight basketball

Midnight basketball was a 1990's initiative to curb inner-city crime in the United States by keeping urban youth off the streets and engaging them with alternatives to drugs and crime. It was founded by G. Van Standifer in the late 1980's. Young people, mostly men of a minority, could go and play basketball from the prime crime hours of 10 pm to 2 am, and then attended informative programs that gave them helpful skills for everyday life. It was a way for young men to form a sense of community, get out of a dangerous environment, and give them a sense of hope for the future. Midnight basketball helped decrease crime in the neighbourhoods where it was run, and it was positive outlet for many young men. It helped many stay out of trouble and off the streets.

Crime began to rise rapidly in the 1980’s and 1990’s. There were many minorities that were discriminated against, including Irish, Greek and African Americans, and many turned to crime. Crime became an organized system when groups began to form their own gangs. African Americans were especially affected by this because they were the lowest of the socioeconomic status, and were motivated by discrimination and poverty. Most African-Americans were often violent towards their own, and racism was a big contribution to this. It was also concerning that there had been a lot crimes being caused by teens. Many came from single parent families and didn’t have a male figure in their lives. Many committed crimes for money, power, and objects that they couldn’t afford, known as "crimes of fashion". It became such a big deal that minors were sometimes tried as adults because they had to show teenagers that their actions had consequences.

Midnight basketball began in Glenarden, Maryland, in 1986, when crack cocaine first came to Washington. The program was started when Van Standifer noticed that the crime rates were incredibly high especially during the hours of 10 pm and 2 am. He observed that young men had nothing to do, as many did not have jobs, were living in poverty and could not always afford to do something. He opened Glenarden Recreation Center, funded by both private donations and public funds. They ran during those specific hours, where young men could come and play basketball. It was run by volunteers and supervised by officers to make sure everything was alright. Even the officers complimented how well the programs were working and what a benefit it was to the community. Afterwards, participants would have to attend workshops that informed them about different necessities for living. It lowered crime rates in the area, and the programs were found to be incredibly helpful to the young men. Soon other communities saw the merit in the program and started to adopt Midnight Basketball themselves. It was later added to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and was signed by President Bill Clinton.

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