It's lit: Des Moines' nighttime basketball league fosters community under the lights

Addison Whitaker had one objective Thursday night at Evelyn K. Davis Park: Beat Des Moines police officer Mike Moody.

Their battles on the basketball court date back to last summer, when volunteers launched Summer City Hoops, a 10-week nighttime basketball league.

“That’s really what I live for, to beat Moody,” said Whitaker, a 16-year-old Roosevelt High School student. “He’s scared to play me, though.”

The program gives kids an opportunity to stay active and interact with police in a positive setting during the summer.

It kicked off its second season last week.

“Are you talking stuff about me?” Moody asked his teenage rival. “...You know, I beat her and never heard a word about it.”

Standing between the two basketball courts at Evelyn K. Davis on Thursday night, Whitaker said she’d probably be sitting on her couch if she weren’t playing basketball.

Her neighbor told her about the drop-in games last year, so she decided to give it a try.

“During the day, everything is programmed pretty well,” said Izaah Knox, the executive director of Urban Dreams, one of the program's sponsors. “It’s that nighttime stuff where there’s not a lot of programming.”

Providing opportunities others don't have 

There were 11 teams on hand Thursday night for the league's opening games.

A shirtless boy in jean shorts and Jordans worked on his crossover on one court. One of the older players shouted after missing a jumper on the other.

Last summer's games drew an average crowd of 200 players and spectators to the park each week.

The program started as a conversation among neighbors who wanted to provide an activity for children.

It has gained support from community groups such as Urban Dreams, A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy, United Way of Central Iowa, Mid-Iowa Health Foundation and the Des Moines Police Activities League.

Volunteers contributed more than 300 hours over the 10-week summer league last year.

"Everybody is really committed to getting this place together, getting this park the opportunities other people don't have," said Amarre Negussie, the park's programming director.

A similar program at Martin Luther King Jr. Park on the city's east side also launched last year, with neighbors paying for snacks and drinks out of their own pockets.

It has joined with the Evelyn K. Davis Park program this summer.

Charice Williams, a teacher and one of the organizers of the MLK Park program, said there is little else for children in her neighborhood to do during the summer.

At least one night a week, kids can play basketball, four square, soccer or just hang out with friends in a safe space.

Otherwise, they would be out roaming around, Williams said, and when kids don’t have anything to do, they’re more likely to get into trouble.

“It gives a positive thing for the kids to do, a positive thing for the residents to do and a positive way for police and community members and government officials to come out and interact with people,” Knox said.

Challenging perceptions in the community

Organizers said Summer City Hoops is a chance for residents to change the perception of the parks as dangerous places in the summer.

“We’re trying to do our best to continue to bring events and things to the park, trying to change the image of what people think about it,” Williams said.

Having people at MLK Park on summer nights keeps away those who might otherwise cause trouble, she said.

"It's also (about) safety," she said of the program.

It’s a similar story at Evelyn K. Davis. Shootings have occurred near the park in recent years.

Councilman Bill Gray compared the north-side park to a “desert” that no one wanted to visit in decades past. That was a stark contrast to Thursday night, he said, with dozens of basketball players on hand for the opening night of games.

Janelle Mueller, who’s lived near Evelyn K. Davis for more than 30 years and is one of the event's organizers, said the neighborhood doesn't deserve its reputation.

“It’s flipping to what it once was,” she said. “It’s always been a happy place, but happiness was lost amidst what was happening around us, which was the focus of the media.”

Lighting the parks

Des Moines is shining a light on the program this year, literally.

The city recently added permanent light towers at the Evelyn K. Davis basketball courts to replace the temporary lights used last summer.

Martin Luther King Jr. Park will get temporary lights for the first time this year, allowing games to go past dark.

Those lights add safety, Williams said. Bad things aren’t likely to happen under bright lights, she said.

The hoops program also draws Des Moines police officers, who play pickup games with the young players.

On Thursday, officers handed out stickers shaped like police badges to the youngest participants.

“We want officers to have positive out-of-car experiences with the community,” Knox said. “And we need to intentionally create those (opportunities) if it’s basketball or if it's other events we do in the community.

“It can’t just be a one-time thing. That’s why we do 10 weeks of this every Thursday.”

Get involved

Summer City Hoops is a volunteer program. To learn more or to volunteer, visit urbandreams.volunteerlocal.com.