This is very funny to me that there are children wanting to play and be active and the answer from the city is a loud no. A security camera will do no good... just as its done no good for the Madison park playground where I personally have chased foul mouthed kids out. How about having more supervision instead of just closing It? If they aren't hanging out at the Parks or playing basketball they will just go somewhere else... bothering others...

@LakewoodPatch - Source??? City press release? Nothing on onelakewood.com. LOBC has nothing about this on their website. Also: headline says "eyes" which, to me, means "being considered" while the body of the story says "Mayor Michael Summers has decided"

A poor overall plan has resulted in city hall trying to put the genie back in the bottle. In my view, a big part of the blame for this situation rests at the door of LOBC. It would also be advisable for LOBC to stop pointing fingers at those who have expressed dissatisfaction. The only solution may be no outdoor basketball in this community.

Go down to the skateboard park and see how many security cameras they have surrounding their activity. It says much about the sport of basketball and what it attracts in Lakewood.

This is not a "basketball" issue. We, as a community/society also need to look at the root of the problem. This is not about foul-mouthed playing basketball in an unruly way. That is merely a symptom. Disrespectful behavior is a manifestation of much deeper/serious ills. My contention is that unruly, disrespectful, lawless behavior is the result of what I consider to be the root problem: poor parenting skills coupled with our ability (as a community) to instill good values, a strong work ethic, compassion for others, and respect for our neighbors in our young people. The basketball court is merely a platform for such behavior. And the fact that LOBC is having a hard time attracting volunteers to monitor the courts for a mere four hours a day is a sad statement about our ability as a community to rise up and "be there" for our youth.

I just reached out to LOBC to volunteer my time. Anyone else?

My other concern is this. .. to the best of my understanding LOBC has agreed to provide supervision during "peak hours" (4pm to 8pm), but the courts are open daily 10am to 8pm. What happens between 10 am and 4pm? No problems? No swearing? No altercations?

Jerry- If we lived in perfect "Leave-it- Beaver," white-picket-fence, mom-stays-at-home-while-dad-goes-off-to-work-to-earn-the-bacon community ... sure, I'd agree that parents should step up to the plate. Growing up in the '60s in Small Town, New England my dad coached me in Little League, etc. ... but this is 2011; Lakewood is an inner-ring suburb; the economy sucks, so on and so on.

Has LOBC dropped the ball? Not really; they've tried to do something positive. Is LOBC perfect? Not really; they have to rely on a volunteer base that is not responding. (Remember, their committee, too, is a group of well-intended volunteers).

I still contend that the citizens of Lakewood can do better. Not just for this basketball issue; not just for our children; but as Mayor Summers said at the June 6 City Council meeting (and I paraphrase) "52,000 people live in a very concentrated area; and there will be problems, but we most all compromise."

Lakewood is a REALLY cool place. It could so much cooler!

@ Colin - Thanks for the clarification. (I wasn't trying to "call you out" ... and I know you weren't trying to be misleading.) I truly appreciate this site/venue/platform. Keep up the good work.

Jerry - I appreciate your opinions ... and your willingness to share them. I'm not sure what you mean about your statement: "It says much about the sport of basketball and what it attracts in Lakewood."

I would love to work with LOBC and other citizens to figure out how we can raise enough money to add a basketball court to Lakewood Park. That's the best place in the city to have them.

In reading all the comments, I fear that this is being viewed by some as a racial issue. I think it is more accurately addressed as an issue of youth culture. I have witnessed groups of teens of many cultures all over Lakewood using profanity as part of everyday language- even in the presence of adults. Does this feel like disrespect to those of us who would never have dared speak that way in front of adults (but maybe did among our peers) ? Absolutely. I get that dealing with that on a daily basis can be extremely frustrating and anger-evoking. I lived for seven years with unsupervised backyard neighbors (teens) and all their friends performing "Jackass"-like stunts all day long. Every other word was profanity. Every single one of them was white.
From what I have observed, the basketball courts at Kaufman Park do seem to be heavily utilized by African American youth. I say that's awesome. The city of Lakewood and LEBL has accomplished something great with that. AA adults and kids alike are at significantly higher risk for chronic disease and obesity. Any opportunity the community can take to help counter that is a positive one. Surely there must be some health-related grant money out there to support a program like this and it's supervision. Maybe it could even include cultural (including generational) awareness work for players and neighbors alike. I am so proud of Steph and the LEBL gang for their work and dedication and have faith in a mutually beneficial solution.

One of the poignant, bittersweet joys I've discovered about growing older is watching "kids be kids." Who among us didn't do stupid things during our youth? :) That being said, I feel that over the past two decades or so, there has been a slow and steady deterioration of what young people deem respectful behavior - whether toward their elders, their peers or the community in general. (and I'm sure folks in the generation before said the same thing!)

I hope this whole "situation" breathes new life into the discussion (nay, actions) regarding what we as a community CAN do for our young people. And, again, I am not talking about just basketball. Is it time for a city-sponsored "Youth Summit" which can address a multitude of important interrelated issues?

The residents really want this program to succeed, but that can't happen at the current location. We are looking for ways to help LOBC succeed and have made contact with the program and our elected officials. Resident input that was given prior to the hoop placement was not adequately distributed to the people that needed to see it. Now we are all back tracking trying to fix a rather unfortunate situation. Had the hoops been placed in Lakewood Park as originally requested by LOBC, this wouldn't even be an issue. You can't expect children to congregate unsupervised in an isolated area already known for its crime problem and have a successful program. There aren't enough volunteers to go around.

@ Missy - yep, too close!!!