INDIANAPOLIS — Love and basketball. That's what the Dust Bowl Tournament is all about.
"Everybody out here, we have different last names, but we are all family. We are just spreading the love, man," said Kurt Moore, founder of Str8up Mentoring Foundation.
It's an organization spreading love to the people they said need it most right now: the young people.
"We really need them to understand that we love them. So many of our young guys don't understand that somebody actually loves them," Moore said.
This is the tournament's third year. It's all part of the Love Fest - a community initiative with a lineup of fun events, with the goal to decrease violence and promote peace on the northeast side of Indianapolis, and the city as a whole.
"We want to eliminate all the anger and hate. With our city going through the violence and the nonsense right now, the only thing that can conquer that is love," Moore said.
Some of the players said shooting hoops is the perfect way to get the message across.
"Stop the vioelence in the street. All lives matter basically is what I go by. So hooping is where it's at," participant Maury Lewis said.
"It' brings peace and a nice environment where everyone can participate, and little kids to older men. I think basketball brings everyone together in a peaceful way," participant Ernest Barber said.
Organizers said this is only part of the solution to changing the direction of the city. They said it's up to all Hoosiers to do their part.
"Things that will change their character, things that will change the way they see life or see themselves — this is what this is about." Moore said.
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. There's only two teams," said Troy Dumes, vice president of Str8up Mentoring Foundation.
To end the lineup of events, they plan to host A Praise in the Park event Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Washington Park on the courts.