Advantages of Home Court Clear in East Garfield Park

By Joseph White / Photos by Joseph White on Monday, August 31, 2009

Address: 402 N St. Louis Ave, Chicago, IL 60624

The spirit of conquest is alive and well in East Garfield Park, where Breakthrough Urban Ministries partnered with Ceasefire Chicago and other community organizations to reclaim the St. Louis Playlot, located at the corner of North St. Louis and West Carroll Avenues.


Previously associated with gang activity, the park came alive every Friday night this summer to host Home Court, a 4-on-4 basketball tournament for area youth ages 8 to 18. Breakthrough Urban Ministries transformed the park into a community gathering place, with picnic meals and drinks, hip-hop music with positive, non-violent messages, and arts and crafts activities. And, of course, lots of basketball.

“Not everything that used to go on here at the playlot was bad,” Breakthrough Sports Coordinator Rusty Funk said, “but it was bad enough to warrant concern. Now families know that every Friday night we are here, the playlot is a safe and secure place to have positive experiences.”

Breakthrough hoped that by structuring the event as an ongoing tournament with weekly competitions, their enrollment and attendance would soar. The theory paid off, as more than 150 young athletes registered their newly-formed teams, and the tournament drew an average of 350 spectators per day.

“It’s been a great turnout, very consistent,” said Robin Rankin, Breakthrough’s Community Health/Fitness Coordinator. “The kids really love playing on this court because it’s home for them. Even in our last week (August 15th), we still have kids wandering up to the playlot, asking if they can play.”

The players, whether they were warming up or in the final seconds of a close game, always appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, due in part to their familiarity with their surroundings. Which is why “Home Court” was such an apt name for the program.

“We all live by each other,” 13-year-old Terrance Jones said of his Fulton Superstars team. “We play on this court all the time.”

The Superstars took first place in the 11-14 age division, and Terrance was one of many dynamic talents that the tournament attracted. The level of play was generally advanced, and most teams favored a running offense that mixed the threat of outside shots with high-octane fast breaks.

“These kids are playing at their own level,” said Rankin, a confessed basketball devotee. “They come out here to compete, but they’re just doing what they do every day.”

Still, the organized nature of Home Court meant its participants had to do more than just work on their one-on-one moves.

“If we want to win here,” Terrance said, “we have to play together”

According to several of the young athletes involved in the program, families in the neighborhood were thrilled by the way the program transformed a troubled park into a place of celebration.

“My daddy is really excited about it,” said 10-year-old Emmanuel Allison. “There used to be a lot of fights here, but that stuff has stopped now because of all the adults.”

Minister Timothy White Sr., a member of Ceasefire and coordinator for the security personnel, described Home Court as “the kind of program I wish I’d had access to when I was growing up.”

Of course, those too old to participate in the tournament were still crucial to its success.

 “This really is a great way to reach the community,” Rankin said. “Every weekend we have so many people coming out. I wish I could say what my favorite moment was, but there were too many great games to pick just one.”

Support for the program was wide-ranging, as Breakthrough successfully recruited a multitude of different community groups as partners, including the Carol Care Center, Lighthouse Christian Fellowship, and Missionary Baptist Church. Each week, volunteers from the different organizations came to work the event, cooking and serving the food provided by the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Because of a history of gang activity at the playlot, Breakthrough brought in Ceasefire Chicago, an anti-violence organization which works citywide, to provide security.

“Ceasefire was here to prevent fights from starting on or off the court, but we’ve had very few problems,” said Bill Curry, a volunteer referee and husband of Marcie Curry, Breakthrough’s Director of Youth & Family Services.


Unfortunately, the program could not curb all the violence in East Garfield Park. Away from the playlot, there was a shooting in the neighborhood that injured some of Home Court’s youths, leaving them unable to compete with their respective teams. This only served to highlight the importance of the program to stem the violence, and all of the organizations that participated are say they will return next summer to light up the St. Louis Playlot and again draw crowds of local residents in the hundreds.

“I think it is important the residents see us as like minded,” Curry said. “The partners from the all the organizations were great. I think this is just the beginning of these groups working together.”