With Greenwood experiencing its latest surge in gun violence, some community leaders are calling for more investment in recreational opportunities as one way to address the issue.
When the pandemic struck last spring, the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwood, the Greenwood Community and Recreation Center and other vital youth programs were suddenly put on pause. There were 23 homicides in Leflore County last year — 22 involving guns — the most in at least a decade, according to reporting by the Commonwealth.
After a week that saw nine people shot and six murdered, including a 21-month-old toddler, Greenwood is on pace to surpass last year’s record numbers.
Boys and Girls Club Director Synthia Hoover is among many who believe that the lack of local recreation is contributing to the crisis.
“They go hand in hand,” Hoover said. “If your safe place was the Boys and Girls Club — and now it’s not — but two blocks from here is this huge house where everybody hangs out and does drugs, that’s your new safe place. And you’re going to go there and do what they ask you to do because that’s your safe place. That’s your home away from home.”
Those who couldn’t afford expensive dues at private gyms were left with few options. Even the basketball courts became off-limits after rims were removed at every public park and school.
“They should have never taken the rims down,” said Hoover, a 2004 graduate of Greenwood High. “They should have taken the opportunity to be on a bullhorn in the middle of the park and say, ‘Hey, social distance, wash your hands, let’s be safe.’ You don’t take the rims away. That’s going too far. Even the commercials on television encouraged you to go outside and do outside activities. What are you going to do on a basketball court with no rims? Fight.”
Shun Pearson, a community activist who has spent nearly two decades working with at-risk youth, sees plenty of potential.
Part of the problem, Pearson says, is that teenagers have lost access to the stages they’re accustomed to competing on.
“We’re talent-rich in this area, so we might as well tap into it,” Pearson said. “We’ve had back-to-back state champions at Amanda Elzy. We just had state championships at Delta Streets, Greenwood High, Greenville Christian. All that is a representative of us. That’s who we are. We’re f*****g ballers, man. We godd*** struggle and we got some fortitude that won’t give up.
“There’s some kids in Hayes Homes and in different areas just as strong and fast, but they don’t have a stage to compete on,” added the 48-year-old Pearson, who played college basketball at Mississippi Valley State University. “When you eliminate the stages, this is what happens. We eliminated stages, we eliminated places where they’re supposed to be. We eliminated things that they’re supposed to get and turned them into things that they have to buy or beg for.”
Fortunately, it seems as if there’s a light appearing at the end of the tunnel.
The Greenwood Community and Recreation Center reopened at the beginning of May, and Hoover’s Boys and Girls Club is set to follow suit on Tuesday. The New Stone Street baseball league and youth football organizations such as the Bullpups are also back in action this summer.
Many of these groups provide more than just athletics. Along with STEM, robotics and GED prep programs, the Boys and Girls Club offers conflict management courses.
“We’re going to teach these young people how to address the conflict when the conflict starts,” Hoover said. “Before the problem comes, we have already talked about it here so they can have resolutions already programmed in their mind.”
Unlike Greenville, Grenada and other nearby cities, Greenwood does not have its own recreation department. As hard as people like Hoover and Pearson try to fill that structural gap, they say more help is required for underserved youth.
“The city needs to have recreation,” Pearson said. “Sanction recreation with a staff and parks and rec people working. It creates jobs.”
“What the city needs to do about community recreation is the things that we do have, expose us, promote us, talk about, visit us, give us more money so we can look shinier and better and entice children to come,” Hoover said. “Encourage teachers and schools to talk about the Boys and Girls Club, the Recreation Center, Bill Clay and any other entity that supports the community. We all work as separate entities but the city should support us all.”
“The parks definitely need to be updated,” she added. “Most of the swings are torn up or broken down. There are no lines on the basketball courts.”
At a municipal candidates forum on Thursday, the subject of renovating the city’s parks was brought up multiple times.
“Most of our parks haven’t been updated in decades, so increasing our recreational options … can give adults and youth across the city something to do in a positive way,” said Nick Onyshko, a Ward 3 City Council candidate.
Nathan Wright, an independent candidate for mayor, echoed the sentiment: “Our parks need major renovation.”
Parents like Joshlyn Lacy just want more recreational options for their children. Lacy has to drive an hour to Cleveland so that her daughter can have affordable access to gymnastics classes.
“I know how important it is, so I’m going to go the extra mile for mine,” Lacy said. “It doesn’t matter if I have to go to New Mexico and back. But every child deserves the opportunity to get involved in something they like to do. What options do they have? There’s not that many options.”
Another parent, Antonio Jones, said the lack of recreational opportunities — specifically in the area of performing arts — is making him consider relocation.
“I’m afraid for my son’s desired future,” Jones said. “He’s an inspired choreographer, he loves music, loves to dance and play. Greenwood provides nothing in the area of performing arts.
“Every child doesn’t play basketball or football,” Jones added. “Those two sports are highly supported here. Relocation is highly considered for my kids’ future. Greenwood has limited resources and funds and it’s not conducive to non-athletic kids.”
The Boys and Girls Club will be open Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Hoover still has a few slots available for a variety of summer programs. Call 662-453-5678 for more information.
“It’s up to us as adults now to reassure these kids that they do have safe places,” Hoover said. “We have to push them to want to do better things.”
The Greenwood Community and Recreation Center is holding registration for its summer youth programs from Sunday at 3:30 p.m. until Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Call 662-299-5193 for more information.
- Contact Riley Overend at 581-7237 or roverend@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow @OverendOut on Twitter.
