SB Nation Chicago always tries to keep things light, though we will freely admit it's a big, scary world out there once you leave the warming glow permeating from the computer screen. If the frugal fiscal policies of Jerry Reinsdorf's pro basketball team happen to be one of the bigger concerns in your day-to-day life, then it's safe to say life is just fine. A story like the senseless murder of former CPS basketball star Michael Haynes has a way of putting everything in perspective, though. Chicago is a fine, booming metropolis, but real danger lurks in the south and west reaches of our fair city. Homicide rates seemingly reach new levels every year; already in 2012, there have been more than 300 lives taken. It's a sad reality that can't be ignored, no matter how much we'd rather complain about frivolous matters based around Kirk Hinrich.
It's a welcome sight, then, that the latest from SB Nation Studios focuses on cleaning up Chicago's ravaged streets. Jordan Brand's #RiseAbove series comes to Chicago's Little Village neighborhood with trucks full of basketball hoops. The "B-Ball On The Block" program aims to give the youth of Little Village something to do in what's deemed the "most densely populated neighborhood in Chicago with the least amount of public park space and highest percentage of children".
Watch the video, after the jump...