by Kevin Moore
The advice from East Palo Alto Police Officer Terry Brown was as subtle as a slam dunk. "Wake up!" Brown said. "These people aren't playing anymore. If you commit that crime, if you make that choice, then I don't have any sympathy. It serves as a deterrent, and it should serve as a deterrent."
Brown's topic of discussion was California's new "three strikes" law. And his audience was a group of East Palo Alto basketball players who aren't just playing around themselves.
They are part of a three-on-three twilight basketball league set up to help young adults stay out of trouble. Initiated by East Palo Alto Director of Community Services Meda Okelo, the eight-week program reaches out to troubled members of the community by providing information about life alternatives as well as a safe place to have fun and play hoops.
"The object of what we do is to get to some of the players and see what their needs are," said Patrick Brock, one of the program monitors. "We try to show them how to act outside the community. The basketball is just to lure participants in. This is an information center."
In keeping with the educational aspects of the league, members must attend a one-hour workshop before the games begin. Topics are decided on during the first night of league play, and guest speakers are invited to appear.
The "three-strikes" law was the topic one recent evening, and the guest speakers included Brown and Municipal Court Judge Craig Parsons.
"I have an obligation to uphold the law," Parsons told the group that night. "And until the law changes, I'm going to enforce it."
Several members of the audience believed that someone facing a third strike would have nothing to lose by escalating his level of violence as long as shoplifting carries the same penalty as second-degree murder. But Brown said he believes that the law serves as a deterrent to the commission of crimes in the first place.
The twilight league has been in operation for two years, but the Tuesday-night games were moved to the Bell Street Gym and became a three-on-three league because Ravenswood High School fell prey to redevelopment. The Bell Street gym is too small for full 10-player games.
"I like basketball," said Menlo-Atherton High School senior Danilo Armand. "This is a better alternative to hanging out in the EPA area which is known for violence. I wish I could do this all year 'round. This is just for a little while."
The league operates just for two months a year and there are no other programs to fill the rest of the calendar, Okelo said.
For players like Ruben Durham, the league fills a need that would be tough to meet otherwise.
"It gives us an activity to do to get our mind off our troubles, worries and concerns," he said. "It's basically an icebreaker. We can all get together as a team and have fun. I'm just excited about it. I hope it continues."
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