Former Providence Friars star Jamel Thomas (jamel530), a Brooklyn native who constantly returns to his Coney Island roots to give back to the community, recently held an event there that allowed local youth and police officers in the area to interact and engage in a positive manner through the game of basketball. It was held at NYC prep powerhouse Lincoln High, which counts Thomas along with Stephon Marbury, Sebastian Telfair, Lance Stephenson (who made a special appearance) and recently drafted Isaiah Whitehead as alumni. Below Thomas explains the motive behind hosting such event. See above for photos:
The reason why I did this event is because I wanted my community, Coney Island, to get familiar with the police officers that work there to protect us. In Coney Island, we too often have a lot of violence during the summer time. My message to my community is that it takes a village to raise a child and police officers are always involved in helping us grow. We want that relationship back.
