We will not achieve community safety nor a sense of real community in Lakewood by removing resources like the basketball hoops from Madison Park. Madison Park is a vital resource to our community. It is already woefully under-resourced compared to parks in some of Lakewood’s more affluent neighborhoods. Further reducing resources available for recreation to Lakewood residents in the neighborhood only creates further inequities in our community. This is the opposite of a solution. The mayor, her administration, and city council members need to engage with the community, especially those residents living in the Madison Park neighborhood, to come to long-lasting solutions for safety, security, and community-building. Reinstating the basketball courts and adding to the resources available for residents at the park rather than removing them should be included in that discussion.

I would like to speak in support of the recent grass roots movement to promote safety, fun, and inclusion at Madison Park, at the basketball court and the park in general.