The Gainesville Police Department just delivered a powerful course on how to serve its community through basketball.
<br>Black kids were playing basketball "loudly" outdoors, and someone called the cops. We know how this story goes, right?
When Officer Bobby White from the Gainesville Police Department in Florida decided to investigate a noise complaint from a citizen, all he found was a bunch of young kids having fun playing basketball.
So what happened next? Did White yell at them? Pull out the handcuffs? Draw his weapon?
No. He joined right in and played with them.
A cop and kids shooting hoops together. Awesome. GIFs via Gainesville Police Department.
When more kids showed up to see what was up, White decided to show off some of his athleticism.
If there was a police officer dunk contest, White would win in a landslide.
That's right. No discipline or arrests for playing basketball in the streets. Because, as White said, "I obviously ain't got no problem with it."
When the Gainesville Police Department decided to release the dash-cam footage of the encounter on its Facebook page, the message was clear:
"If you call GPD to complain about kids being kids, this is how Officer White is going to handle it. We're going to let kids be kids. We are going to focus on the ones that commit crimes. #HoopsNotCrime"
White warned the kids that if he comes back for another game, he'll bring backup. He wasn't kidding.
That "backup" came in the form of retired NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal.
Shaq is not a small man. Photo by Vincent Laforet/Getty Images.
Shaq loved White's story so much that he contacted the GPD to join them for a rematch with the youngsters.
Here comes Shaq! Image via GPD's YouTube channel.
Needless to say, it was a game that the kids and the officers will remember for a lifetime.
Game on, kids! GIF via GPD's YouTube channel.
To write this off as another feel good story would be missing the point.
Real talk: The relationship between people of color and the police is strained at best.
According to a CNN poll, 42% of non-whites believed that some or most of the police officers in their neighborhoods are prejudiced against blacks. Only 17% of whites agreed.
There's definitely a huge gap.
But here's the thing — there are people who want to close that gap, and White is one of those people. Chances are there are many others just like him who want to do the same.
When the GPD released the #HoopsNotCrime hashtag, it went viral, along with its not-so-subtle message that police should be cracking down on criminal activity, not kids having fun.
That message was received loud and clear.
#HoopsNotCrime like ow, my heart, great job everyone involved, thank you 🏀🏀👏👏👏👏
— Bethany Small (@ohbethany) January 27, 2016
Looks like the #Gainesville police department gets #CommunityPolicing right. #HoopsNotCrime Kudos.
— Nik Carverhill (@nikcarverhill) January 23, 2016
#HoopsNotCrime that video almost made me cry because the interaction between the cops and those kids was phenomenal & necessary.
— ℱree§pirit⊚v⊚ (@CanadaInfluence) January 25, 2016
Many props to Officer White, the GPD, and Shaq for spreading good vibes and helping to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the citizens they are sworn to protect and serve.
And, parents, if your kids happen to be playing hoops on the streets of Gainesville, they may just get dunked on by a police officer. And quite honestly, that's the way it should be.
Check out the full dash-cam video below.
You're the real MVP, GPD! Thumbnail photo from the Gainesville Police Department's Facebook page.
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