The event will also feature speakers urging the public to stop the violence in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, PA (August 25, 2021): Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (Second District) is partnering with Philadelphia City Councilmember At-Large Isaiah Thomas, All City Classic, Born Leader Family, and the Ralph Brooks Community Basketball League to host the “Peace Not Guns” Basketball Tournament on Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28, 2022.
The two-day tournament will begin on Saturday, August 27 at 1 p.m. at the refurbished outdoor basketball courts at the Francis Myers Recreation Center, 5801 Kingsessing Avenue, in Southwest Philadelphia. The games will begin with remarks from Councilmembers Johnson and Thomas.
On Sunday, August 28, the Championship Rounds of the tournament will be played at Ralph Brooks Park, 20th and Tasker Streets, in South Philadelphia. Those games will also start at 1 pm.
A total of eight teams —all boys — will be playing in the tournament. The boys’ teams are made up of middle to high-school-aged players. All the teams are made up of young people from throughout Philadelphia.
Community leaders will also speak to the players and the public during important breaks at each game on August 27-28 to stress the need to stop the violence impacting Philadelphia. Community organizations will also set up tables to provide anti-violence information to the public. Johnson and Thomas will also take time at approximately 3 p.m. each day during the Basketball Tournament to support and honor families who have lost loved ones to violence in our city.
“I have lost friends to gun violence as well as having friends disabled because of the senseless shootings that take place every day,” Johnson said. ” I am using my voice as a City Councilmember as a platform to address the issue of gun violence impacting Philadelphia through workforce development, education, economic development, and violence prevention policies and strategies.”
Stopping gun violence and the impact it is having on Philadelphia has always been one of Councilmember Johnson’s top priorities in City Council.
According to Philadelphia Police Department statistics, as of August 24, 355 people have been the victims of homicides this year and more than 1,525 people overall have been shooting victims. The overwhelming majority of those doing the shooting and dying in our city are young men mostly between the ages of 18-30.
This Peace Not Guns Basketball Tournament continues Councilmember Johnson’s commitment to encouraging young men and women to make positive choices so that they can be productive members of their community.
Councilmember Johnson invited Councilmember Thomas, who is also a basketball coach, to join his Peace Not Guns Basketball Tournament event because of their shared vision of using quality programming to occupy, supervise and mentor our young people.
Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson, a former Pennsylvania State Representative, represents the Second Council District, which includes parts of Center City, South Philadelphia, and Southwest Philadelphia. He is Chairman of the City Council’s Committees on Rules and on Transportation and Utilities, as well as the Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention.
