‘Basketballs not bullets’: Tournament against street violence held in Melrose

A basketball tournament against street violence is being held in honor of a 17-year-old basketball player who was fatally shot in late June.

News 12 Staff

Aug 23, 2020, 9:55 PM

Updated 1,509 days ago

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A basketball tournament against street violence is being held in honor of a 17-year-old basketball player who was fatally shot in late June.
Organizer Wisdom Champagne says, Basketballs, not bullets.
Champagne says his children were good friends with local basketball player Brandon Hendricks-Ellison.
"Enough is enough, says Champagne. We're just killing each other for what? It's senseless acts for what?"
Champagne and some of his buddies got together to create Third Day, at Flynn Playground on Third Avenue.
"People like myself and others, we need to help our younger generation to guide them in the right direction, he says.
High school basketball player Isaac Santiago tells News 12 that he played with Hendricks-Ellison.
"I don't think nobody in New York that knew him would think he would end up being shot by a gun or die by a gun, he says.
Many kids in the neighborhood are now standing up to gun violence by participating in the tournament, which organizers plan to make an annual event.