Basketball leagues are not an official component of CRED’s anti-violence efforts. A league was formed in a matter of days in early September, as CRED staff was at a loss to squash a violent feud between gang factions on the South Side.
The games have given CRED’s outreach team a few hours with young men they otherwise might be lucky to spend just a few minutes with on the street.
Based on CREDs analysis of recent shootings and arrests, along with information outreach workers recruit from the streets, any of the 16 players who showed up for the game rank as roughly 25 times more likely to be shot than an average Chicagoan. Most are not aware of the exact figures that go into CREDs formula, but they are acutely attuned to the unique risks they face in trying to find a basketball game.
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