Marcy, Tompkins Houses Getting New Basketball Courts, Mayor Says

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Two public housing complexes in Bed-Stuy will get brand new basketball courts to play on this summer, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The Marcy Houses and Tompkins Houses are among 15 New York City Housing Authority developments that will get refurbished basketball courts through a "Safe Summer New York City" effort led by the city and the NYPD, the mayor said.

The first of the courts, at the Marcy Houses, opened Tuesday. The rest will get their upgrades by August, the mayor said.

"Everyone says, wherever I go, 'We need better options for our kids, we need places for kids to go that are positive,'" the mayor said during his Tuesday briefing. "This refurbishing of basketball courts is deeply appreciated by kids, by parents and by communities."

The court upgrades are part of a list of "community investments" the city announced in April as part of the Safe Summer program, which aims to curb an ongoing spike in gun violence both in Brooklyn and across the five boroughs.

Other investments include "Saturday Night Light" games, anti-violence fairs and increasing summer youth anti-violence employment.

The program also includes court and police investments, including patrols on the 100 blocks with the highest rate of gun violence.

Gun violence in New York City during the coronavirus pandemic hit levels not seen in years, despite an overall drop in crime.

Shootings remain much higher this year, including a 250 percent spike in incidents the week de Blasio announced the Safe Summers program.