Golden State's Kevon Looney and Milwaukee Bucks' Sterling Brown Competed at Up-Down to Raise Money for Sandra Parks
Ward Jenkins (Kevon Looney’s manager), Kevon Looney and Mandela Barnes (WI Lt.-elect) (Picture provided by Ward Jenkins)
As much as we want to ignore the issues of our city, we just can’t. We are forced to face sadness over deaths that could have been prevented if someone would have just put the gun down. Thirteen-year-old Sandra Parks made national news for something she didn’t deserve.
Senseless violence killed this young child who was asleep in her bed on Nov. 19. And what makes it all worse is that Parks wrote a speech and won third place about the same thing that killed her: “We are in a state of chaos. In the city in which I live, I hear and see examples of chaos almost everyday. Little children are victims of senseless gun violence. There is too much black on black crime. As an African-American, that makes me feel depressed.” This quote comes from an essay entitled “Our Truth” Parks wrote back in 2016 for a Martin Luther King Jr. contest.
Honestly, when will the violence stop? There’s no answer for that, but there are people who are finding ways to help heal a broken Milwaukee.
Sterling Brown and Sandra Park’s mother Bernice. (Picture provided by Ward Jenkins)
Kevon Looney, Golden State player, came back to town to compete with Milwaukee Bucks’ Sterling Brown at Up-Down to raise money for the family of Sandra Parks.
“We got a lot of kids that could be great in the city,” said Looney about why he decided to help Parks’ family. He stated that we need to protect our children and be the ones to help them grow.
This prior Thursday, on Dec. 6, Looney and Brown brought their family and friends out to play and have a good time, in honor of Parks.
All token sales and some pizza sales at Up-Down, between 3:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., went to Parks’ family.
Up-Down is an adult gaming arcade for individuals 21 and up. There’s a bar available with the option of pizza and a variety of games, such as giant Connect 4.
According to Looney’s manager Ward Jenkins, $1,500 was raised, with a possible donation from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brown brought his upbeat spirit and competitiveness with him that night. When asked how good is he at playing arcade games, he responded with confidence, “I feel like I’m the best at whatever I do,” he said an interview with Fox 6.
But, it was all fun and for a good cause.
"Our Truth"
By Sandra Parks
Sometimes, I sit back and I have to escape from what I see and hear every day. I put my headphones on and let the music take me away. I move to the beat and try to think about life and what everything means. When I do; I come to the same conclusion … we are in a state of chaos. In the city in which I live, I hear and see examples of chaos almost everyday. Little children are victims of senseless gun violence. There is too much black on black crime. As an African-American, that makes me feel depressed. Many people have Lost faith in America and its ability to be a living example of Dr. King’s dream!
Sandra Parks.
The truth is faith and hope in what people can do, has been lost in the poor choices we make. We shall overcome has been lost in the lie of who we have become! So now, the real truth is, we need to rewrite our story so that faith and hope for a better tomorrow, is not only within us, but we believe it and we put it into actions.
Our first truth is that we must start caring about each other. We need to be empathetic and try to walk in each other’s shoes. We shall overcome when we eliminate the negative and nasty comments people make about each other. We shall overcome, when we love ourselves and the people around us. Then, we become our brothers keeper.
Our second truth is that we need to have purpose. We are the future generation, therefore we must have an education to make a positive difference in the world. We are the future leaders, but if we don’t have an education, we will accomplish nothing. We will overcome, when we use our education to make the world a better place. We will become the next President, law enforcement officers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and law makers. We cannot continue to put the responsibility on other people. It is our responsibility as future leaders!
We must not allow the lies of violence, racism, and prejudice to be our truth. The truth begins with us. Instead of passing each other like ships in the night, we must fight until our truths stretch to the ends of the world.
Kevon Looney and Bernice Parks. (Picture provided by Ward Jenkins)
Park’s mother Bernice said this was the first night she’s went out and tried to enjoy herself since that awful day a few weeks back.
The community came in numbers to support Parks and her family.
The event was through Dream Keepers—a nonprofit founded by Danielle Williams to empower young and adult women.
To find out more about Dream Keepers and how you can donate to Sandra Park’s family click here.