Long Beach’s Midnight Basketball program will hold its mid-season All-Star Game tonight at Poly High School. The event is free of charge and neither tickets nor reservations are needed. The program All-Star teams will play against local police officers at 7:00pm, then follow it up with a game against local firefighters at 8:00pm.
The Program has been the subject of much speculation after a recent gang altercation left a player and coach involved in the program injured. The coach tried to stop the group from attacking the player, when the fight turned on him.
The program is meant to keep young men away from trouble, and many in the community have recently spoken up in support of the program.
A recent Press-Telegram article suggests that the program has taken a turn for the worse in the last few years, and many fear that the recent fight will discourage funding for the much-needed program.