Out of harm's way: Kids play kickball to escape violence
Posted October 18, 2018 7:00 am
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) - A Florida couple is providing a safe haven for at-risk kids in two crime-ridden suburbs of Miami: group kickball games.
For more than a decade, Samantha and Leon Mitchell have picked up kids from their homes and brought them to an overgrown field where they can take a break from the violence in their neighborhoods in Florida City and Homestead.
Parents in these communities say they're hesitant to allow their children to play outside.
The 2018 National Council for Home Safety and Security report ranks Florida City as the fourth-most-dangerous community in the United States. Homestead is ranked 41st.
The program is named KICKS, or Keeping Inner City Kids Safe. The organizers also monitor the kids' progress in school, organize trips, and host game nights at their home.
This Aug. 23, 2018 photo shows Samantha Mitchell, 35, dropping off a group of kids outside their home after an afternoon of playing kickball, in Homestead, Fla. For the last 11 years, Mitchell and her husband have organized kickball games for children in Homestead and Florida City, which include some of the highest-crime cities in the state. (AP Photo/Ellis Rua)
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This Aug. 23, 2018 photo shows Elijah Everett, 12, left, and Kendalle Conyers, 10, are they are driven to a field to play kickball n Homestead, Fla. For the past 11 years, the informal program KICKS, or Keeping Inner City Kids Safe has organized kickball games six days a week that serve as a safe haven for children in two high-crime Miami-Dade county cities. (AP Photo/ Ellis Rua)
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This Aug. 8, 2018 photo shows a group of kids playing kickball at a field in Homestead, Fla. For the last 11 years, Samantha Mitchell and her husband have organized kickball games for children in Homestead and Florida City, which include some of the highest-crime cities in the state. The games started as a way to encourage their children to exercise, but blossomed into a safe haven for local children who often are wary of playing outside. (AP Photo/Ellis Rua)
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This Aug. 23, 2018 photo shows Elijah Everett, 12, left, greeting Dedrick Melvin, 10, and Sedric Melvin, 11, before a game of kickball in Homestead, Fla. For the past 11 years, the informal program KICKS, or Keeping Inner City Kids Safe, has organized kickball games six days a week that serve as a safe haven for children in high-crime cities near Miami. The organization was started by Samantha Mitchell and her husband as a way for local children to play outside safely. (AP Photo/Ellis Rua)
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In this Aug. 23, 2018 photo, Dashawna Sherman, 7, aims at the ball during a game of kickball in Homestead, Fla. For the last 11 years, Samantha Mitchell and her husband have organized kickball games for children in Homestead and Florida City, one of the highest-crime cities in the state. The games started as a way to encourage their children to exercise, but blossomed into a safe haven for local children who often are wary of playing outside. (AP Photo/Ellis Rua)
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In this Aug. 8, 2018 photo, Mykerria Tillman, 11, left, Leonna Mitchell, 10, Jamari McIntyre, 16, Kendalle Conyors, 10, and Ariel Dent, 3, right, stand together after a game of kickball in Homestead, Fla. For the past 11 years, the informal program KICKS, or Keeping Inner City Kids Safe has organized kickball games six days a week that serve as a safe haven for children. (AP Photo/Ellis Rua)
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In this Aug. 23, 2018 photo, children play on a broken bench between games of kickball in Homestead, Fla. For the past 11 years, the informal program KICKS, or Keeping Inner City Kids Safe has organized kickball games six days a week that serve as a safe haven for children in two high-crime Florida cities near Miami. (AP Photo/Ellis Rua)
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This Aug. 23, 2018 photo shows Samantha Mitchell, driving schildren home after an afternoon of playing kickball in Homestead, Fla. For the last 11 years, Mitchell and her husband have organized kickball games of kickball for children in the Miami suburbs of Homestead and Florida City, Florida, which include some of the highest-crime neighborhoods in the state. The games started as a way to encourage their children to exercise, but blossomed into a safe haven for local children who often are wary of playing outside. (AP Photo/Ellis Rua)
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This Aug. 31, 2018 photo shows children eating pizza at Samantha and Leon Mitchell's home in Florida City, Fla. For the last 11 years, Mitchell and her husband have organized kickball games of kickball for children in the Miami suburbs of Homestead and Florida City, Florida, which include some of the highest-crime cities in the state. The games started as a way to encourage their children to exercise, but blossomed into a safe haven for local children who often are wary of playing outside. (AP Photo/Ellis Rua)
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