Precious Lives

Stories about kids, guns and how to stop the violence. Precious Lives, created by 371 Productions, is a 2-year, 100-part weekly radio series about gun violence and young people in the Milwaukee area. The series applies a public health lens to each story to help listeners understand the full scope of the problem: who are the victims and the shooters; how are the weapons obtained; and what can we change about the environment that contributes to violence in Milwaukee?

#088 Precious Lives: The Crying Coach

WUWM 89.7 FM

Published September 20, 2016 at 10:59 AM CDT

Team Go Go Coach Eric Moore hopes for a victory this Warning basketball season, after losing player Giovonnie Cameron last year.

If you are between the ages of eight and 48, love basketball and live in Milwaukee’s central city…you’ve probably been a part of Warning’s basketball league. Over 40 years old, the Warning basketball league is the third oldest in the nation. It’s a rite of passage, and for many youth, it’s the place to be over the summer, wearing the colored t-shirt representing your team. But last year was a rough year for the league. Two players died within the first week - Tariq Akbar, 14 and Giovonnie Cameron, 13. Both were fatally shot.

Eric Moore coached Giovonnie. Most of Coach Moore’s players grew up with Gio. And now, they are back for another Warning season.