The annual Unity Basketball Tournament returned to Bordwell Park on Wednesday evening, celebrating 10 years of building connections between local youth and police officers through sport and dialogue.
The free community event featured mixed teams of officers and students competing in basketball games, alongside resource booths and opportunities for engagement.
The initiative began under then-Police Chief Sergio Diaz during a period of heightened tensions between police and communities across the country.
“A lot of the kids I was working with felt very fearful of the police officers,” said Sharron Lewis-Campbell, first vice president of the Riverside NAACP, who initiated the program.
Rather than having youth play against officers, organizers created mixed blue and yellow teams—a choice made by the participants themselves.
“The kids came up with that. They thought it would be cool to do blue and yellow,” Lewis-Campbell explained, noting those are the NAACP’s colors. “We mixed in the police officers to be on both teams, and they would still be very competitive. That’s how they really bond with the youth.”
The competitive spirit fostered unexpected connections.
“They would say, ‘Let’s beat the yellow team!’ or ‘No, we’re going to beat the blue team!’” she said.
Five years ago, the program expanded to include “Breaking Bread” dialogue sessions, where participants discuss concerns in comfortable settings.
“The young people were saying that we should have a meeting where we could just sit down and talk, because at basketball, we’re bonding, but we’re not having the important conversations,” Lewis-Campbell said.
A decade in, the program continues to yield positive results. Lewis-Campbell recalled one ninth grader who, after participating, said, “Police officers cool. I’m thinking about becoming one one day.”
“It really brings positive hope to young people,” she said. “That’s important—for people to see the value of a police officer and see them in a relaxed setting, but also be able to ask some tough questions.”
Current Police Chief Larry Gonzalez has maintained the program, which has become a model other cities have expressed interest in replicating.
