The Milwaukee Bucks, two-time NBA Championship winners, shared their Larry O’Brien Championship trophy with the incarcerated residents of the Milwaukee County House of Corrections, USA TODAY reports.
Just like the Golden State Warriors, who entered San Quentin to share their Championship trophy with residents in 2017, the Bucks also made the effort to share their success with the incarcerated residents of their state, giving them a sense of humanity.
Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin said that after winning the trophy, one of the team’s goals was to figure out how “every one of the six million citizens in the state of Wisconsin, [could] to touch, take a picture with [it], feel [it]. And this is just one of those ways to get it into those [hands] that are incarcerated.”
The Bucks team joined together with Milwaukee County, Dream Corps and the ACLU to give residents the chance to touch the trophy, providing a sense of hope and excitement.
“I’m important,” incarcerated resident Jonathan Davis-Sayles said. “Because I thought, being in this situation, that I wasn’t important. Now that I know that I am important, that changed my whole perspective of how I’m going to continue my life when I get out of this situation.”
Most of those incarcerated at the Milwaukee County House of Corrections grew up in Milwaukee and would have never gotten the opportunity to see a Championship trophy. For Samuel Roberts Jr., 53, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“One of our goals when
we won the Trophy was
how do we get that into the
hands of, and the ability
for every one of the six
million citizens in the state
of Wisconsin, to touch,
take a picture with [it], feel
[it]. And this is just one of
those ways to get it into
those [hands] that are
incarcerated.”
—Peter Feigin
President, Milwaukee Bucks
“I’ve been waiting on this for years,” said Roberts, who has an extensive criminal background. “I’m a Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badger, cheesehead, that’s me.” He finally got his chance to touch the trophy, the USA TODAY reported.
Touching the trophy was not the only reason the Bucks visited the residents with the ACLU and Dream Corps. The organizations gave a presentation on voting to the men inside. Not just on large elections like the presidency, but also on the importance of voting in smaller, local elections as well.
“Last time I voted, I voted for Obama. I learned today that my vote matters. I didn’t take the time to look at the different judges, mayors, senators and stuff,” said incarcerated resident Davis-Sayles.
Over all, the visit from the Bucks and the ACLU had a huge impact on the guys inside the correctional facility.
“I learned how to become a better individual and vote for my rights, my vote counts. We need better people to vote for, we need better people in our lives and better government officials,” said incarcerated resident Andre Walker.
