Winfrey, who was set upon by a gang at a Midnight Basketball game ... - Long Beach Press-Telegram

Article Launched: 04/15/2008 08:33:47 americium PDT

long beach - Richard Winfrey is in seeable pain, hobbling with a cane and with a bloodshot right eye.

The 37-year-old Midnight Basketball manager goes on to endure from a whipping he took April 3 trying to halt an onslaught on a youth.

Winfrey have respective breaks to his human face and hand, bruised ribs and a cut above an oculus that needful stitches, and despite all of his injuries, he have one clear message: Save Midnight Basketball.

Winfrey presented his message at the monthly meeting of the Long Beach Young Person and Gang Prevention Undertaking Military Unit on Monday night. He states the Midnight Basketball programme is unfairly being criticized because of his whipping at Ernest McBride Sr. Park and absolutely necessitates to stay an option for at-risk youth.

"Midnight Basketball had nil to make with what happened to me," Winfrey said. "I was breaking up a fighting and then the cats attacking the child turned on me."

The fight, purportedly between a grouping of about 15 Baby Insane Crips pack members and a conference participant and military volunteer coach, at least one of whom was an alleged member of the challenger Rollin' 20s Crips, have raised concern about safety at the parkland and the hereafter of the programme whose missionary post is precisely to forestall the sort of force that erupted that Thursday night.

Winfrey recounted the onslaught to the undertaking military unit and became emotional relaying some of the violence. He composed himself enough to acquire out his message that the undertaking military unit and its chair