Madison Park in Albany has become a hotspot for crime in recent months– but one man is on a mission to bring down crime through the sport of basketball.
Gerald Malcom has organized basketball games at the park for the last few years. His league is called the GK NY Mentor League, and the goal is to give young people a sense of purpose and belonging.
“I'm into the educational professional, individual and community development with these guys because that’s what’s lacking, so basketball is just a vehicle to bring them here and once here we do a lot of that good stuff,” said Malcolm.
The GK NY Mentor League hosts games a few times a week for dozens of kids and young adults.
“We have elementary, middle school, high school, women’s, and 18 to 30’s,” said Malcolm.
The games for each division are held on different days of the week. But Malcolm says these basketball tournaments serve a bigger purpose.
“It means a lot, actually, because there’s a lot of people that don't do nothing for the neighborhood or community, so that he’s doing it, it’s an improvement for the community. Hopefully, it’ll slow down violence,” said Breahanda Stratton, who has played in the league for years.
Last week, two 16-year old girls were arrested following an altercation with a police officer at the park. Those at the scene say it started after one of the girls sat on the officer’s bicycle tire and wouldn’t get off.
Malcolm says it’s incidents like that one that make the league's presence all the more important.
“The cops have been a presence, but anytime something goes on, we don't wait for them, we handle it. They're just a presence in the park and I think our presence in the park is needed as we've seen last week,” said Malcolm.
Malcolm says he’s running the program mostly out of his own pocket, with a few contributions here and there, including from the Albany County Legislature.
“He tries to ensure there’s some sort of ability for the kids to be able to work problems out in different kinds of ways, and we know that we need that and it’s very important,” said Wanda Willingham, Albany County Legislator.
But Malcolm says his funds are drying out, and he’s considering downsizing the league. He’s hoping to get funding from the city. Right now, the city offers his league two staff members, along with free-use of the parks.
“Right now, we’re at a point where we can’t function properly,” said Malcolm.
The Mayor’s Chief of Staff tells CBS6 he’s aware of past requests for funding for the league, adding that the Mayor’s Office is happy to have discussions with Malcolm about financial support for the league through the use of discretionary funds from the Parks and Recreation Department.