A foul committed by some Moorhead community members a couple of weeks ago resulted in a timeout and a subsequent ejection from a short-lived basketball game.
Mayor George Holland said he was approached by a group who asked that the city re-install the rims on the basketball goals at the city park so the town's youth could engage in some outdoor recreational activities.
The rims had been removed to prevent gatherings in light of the governor's shelter-in-place orders designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
However, what was presented as an activity for the children was apparently promoted across social media platforms as a basketball tournament that evolved into an unsanctioned block party that had to be broken up by police.
Holland said several citizens complained about throngs of youth that converged on the city for the Sunday afternoon festivities and because of the massive crowds, challenged the notion that they were practicing social distancing.
Holland said the group apparently sent out an invitation that went out to people all over the area asking people to come to Moorhead to enjoy a basketball tournament block party where gambling on the tournament was also a factor.
“The police did a good job of breaking it up,” he said.
The city removed the hoops again after the incident to prevent any further large gatherings.
Holland said they took the steps to remove the hoops especially after they received information that the group was planning another assembly on Father's Day weekend.
The mayor said he received some backlash from the organizers, but the safety of the community's citizens was more important.
Holland joins the list of mayors from other municipalities who have also closed recreational areas because young people are ignoring the requests to wear masks and social distance themselves.
