Recent Gang-Related Violence & Threats Cancels Annual Basketball Games In Aurora
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A night meant to showcase some of Aurora's best and brightest high school basketball stars will not happen for the second time in three years. On Sunday, Sentinel Colorado announced its annual A-Town All-Star Boys and Girls Basketball Games would not be played Monday night because school and police officials worried about violence and social media threat specifically targeting either the game or the venue.
The games were cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sentinel reported.
A spokeswoman for Cherry Creek Schools tells CBS4 the decision for 2022's event was made "in collaboration with law enforcement, and out of an abundance of caution."
Anyone with information about potentially dangerous behavior is encouraged to contact police or Safe2Tell.
"This is due to recent gang-related violence along the Front Range and social media threats," Cherry Creek Schools said in a statement to CBS4. "This event is sponsored by an outside organization and is not a district event. The safety of our students and staff, as well as our entire community, is always our highest priority."
The annual games include local athletes, but are not school-sponsored. This year, they were scheduled to be played at Overland High School.
In a statement to CBS4, a spokeswoman for Aurora Police said the department was planning to increase its presence at the all-star games, due to recent incidents of youth violence in the Denver metro area.
"In our conversations with Cherry Creek School Staff, the Aurora Police Department was confident with the additional security measures and left the final decision to cancel the event in the hands of school officials," the department spokeswoman said.
The decision to cancel the game comes more than a week after a 16 year old was killed in a shooting along the 12700 block of E. Asbury Circle, which is a few blocks away from Overland High School. The incident marked the city's eighth homicide of the year.
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"There's been shootings in broad daylight. There's been shootings by young people," said Jason McBride, a secondary violence prevention specialist for the Struggle of Love Foundation. "We're in late March and we haven't even gotten to summer and we're already starting to see the level of violence that we see in the summer."
On Monday, McBride and other employees of the nonprofit were doing outreach in a northeast Denver neighborhood where there was a fatal shooting in January. While he acknowledged the concerns over potential violence, McBride said he didn't agree with the decision to cancel the game.
"I just feel bad for the kids," McBride said. "We need to have these things. We need to host these things. We need to be at these things. We need to support these kids that deserve it, and we'll show the other community that is involved in these things. We're not going to stand for it."
On Saturday, Struggle of Love will host a safe haven event in response to recent violence in the community. It is scheduled for 3-5 p.m. at 5800 Ceylon St., and anyone is the community is invited to join.
