Video showing a Chicago police officer trying to break a basketball hoop before packing it into his SUV and hauling it away has caused controversy in one city neighborhood.
Residents in the Little Village neighborhood say they’ve been playing basketball on the streets in the 2600 block of South Kedvale Avenue for years.
“We play for a couple hours, hour or two at most,” said resident and owner of the basketball hoop Noe Silva. “For fun, exercise, we like playing basketball.”
Silva says that while they have been told before to put the basketball hoop away, the group has always listened and moved the hoop for the curb. But on Thursday, Silva says an officer took the hoop from the street, slammed the metal rim on the ground in attempts to break it, then hauled it away.
“I’m shocked you know, why did he do that?” Silva says. “He could have told us, ‘Hey, put it away, put it inside, we don’t want you playing out here.’”
Video of the incident was posted to Facebook and in less than 24 hours garnered more than 55,000 views.
Alderman Ricardo Munoz of the 22nd Ward said the basketball playing has been the subject of complaints over the years, with residents claiming players often drink on the public way and loiter.
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“That particular block has been problematic because we get complaints from the neighbors when there’s a lot of loitering on the block,” he said.
Munoz admitted, however, that he thinks the officer took things too far.
“We should have gotten rid of the basketball hoop, I just believe the officer crossed the line by destroying it,” he said.
The Chicago Police Department said the incident is under investigation.
"As a Department, we are committed to community policing and fostering stronger relationships, based on trust and understanding, with the communities we serve,” CPD told NBC Chicago in a statement.
Silva says he later found the hoop at a dumpster and plans to continue his warm weather tradition.
“I’m going to buy me another rim,” he said.
