Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was in town over the weekend with Team USA basketball to get ready for the Rio Olympics.
Sunday, at Staples Center they beat China and tonight they'll play them again up in Oakland.
Yesterday, though, was an off-day, so, what did Anthony do? Rest? Relax?
He could have...instead he organized a meeting in South Los Angeles with LAPD officials, community leaders, young people and his teammates on the men's and women's Olympic squads.
Corey Dantzler is executive director of the Challenger Boys and Girls and was at the meeting.
On how much of this was Carmelo Anthony's idea
I think the majority of it was his as a result of his talk that he had at the ESPYs with Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade and Lebron James. It seemed he was definitely the focal point for this, with getting both the men's and the women's team here. Which was quite a task. But I think it was important for him to be the focal point. And [the teams] all just really fell in line and saw him as that leader.
On the lack of media in the room
That was the thing that gave everybody [something] to feel good about... there was no cameras, even the youth that were involved, [they] didn't have they're cell phones out, there was no tweeting. So it was just really an opportunity for us really to be open and share. No opportunities to grand stand or do anything like that... It was just all real talk. It was really healing and cleansing to have law enforcement in those circles talking as well. I think it really humanized things for our youth to hear that police officers want to go home to their families as well and how they have fears.
On the impact that this could have on the youth who attended
This will be something that they'll never forget in their lives. I mean, to be able to be in that room that way and to be able to share and talk is something that they will never forget. I came to the club as a kid [myself] and I remember meeting Magic Johnson when I was 13. I still have the picture and I still remember it...It means that much. For those types of athletes to be here, to give them a hi five, is something they'll never forget. I think it's really going to catapult them into continuing to be able to have these types of dialogue and to be able to know that they can be confident enough to be in a room talking to those kids as well.