As part of its Safe Summer NYC initiative to combat gun violence, the NYPD is partnering with different groups to refurbish basketball courts across the city in public housing developments.
Fifteen basketball courts at New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complexes will be restored by August under the program, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. He said the swift timeline will allow for kids to enjoy a safe sports outlet this summer.
“This refurbishment of basketball courts is deeply appreciated by kids, by parents, and the community,” said de Blasio. “It’s so important to give kids these positive options and to show police and community working together for the good of our children.”
One of those courts is opening later Tuesday at the Marcy Houses in Brooklyn. Five more courts are scheduled to open in the coming days at the Sheepshead Bay Houses in Brooklyn, Tompkins Houses in Brooklyn, Wald Houses East in Manhattan, Wald Houses South in Manhattan, and Forest Houses in the Bronx.
While getting people vaccinated is a huge part of the city’s recovery, the mayor maintained, he Safe Summer NYC initiative is also a major part of that effort.
“It’s a focus on community investments, it’s a focus on precision policing and smart efforts by police to address issues, it’s also a focus on our court’s system, all of these pieces together help get us safer,” said De Blasio.
He has often linked the city’s recovery to crime, stating that as the city recovers, crime will dip.
“Recovery is going to help us in so many ways. To ensure recovery we have to keep acting on public safety but as I always say: public safety equals recovery, recovery equals public safety,” said de Blasio.
De Blasio said that more announcements will be made regularly in the future pertaining to the City’s recovery plan.
