Most importantly, a park would be a place close to home where neighborhood kids could safely get together and play after school. That may not sound like a lot, but it’s a stark contrast to where McNeese’s children and others given no other alternative have been forced to meet up for a game of catch or to toss a football.
“Without a park,” he says, “all the kids are playing in the street. One of the first things I had to teach (my kids) is, if you see a car coming, yell ‘car!’ and everybody immediately get to the sidewalk.”