Legend has it that the George (Dew) Brown basketball league was the 4th longest running African-American basketball league in the country. That is before it was suspended 2 years ago in the wake of shootings associated with the league. The Community Coordinators from the Hill District felt it was critical to the community to bring the league back. This was what they needed to do for their community. If the league was going to work this time, there had to be a zero-tolerance violence policy and the Community Coordinators had to put their reputations on the line to make sure it was a safe and successful event. With the help of YouthPlaces, the City of Pittsburgh Police Department, the City Housing Authority, and Councilman Sala Udin, the league was a tremendous success. Eight mens teams from neighborhoods such as Garfield, Homewood, the Hill District, and even as far away as West Virginia participated in the league which drew a large crowd. Literally thousands of people came up to the field for the games. There were sandwich, rib, and shave ice vendors. People brought chairs up and made a night of it. Kids of all ages ran around playing and the environment was safe. Bringing back this historic league attention, just keeping them occupied is a win. The Academy ended with a day-long cookout and ceremony.
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