Five people have claimed responsibility for the damage done to the basketball court at Flint's Berston Field House.

The five people range in age from 17-23, according to a statement issued by officials from Berston Field House and the city of Flint. There was a reward issued to find the people responsible when the court was first vandalized, but it looks like the five people will NOT face charges.

According to the statement issued the punishment will be settled without charges.

Each of the young women and young men apologized, truthfully told officials from the City and Berston Field House what happened, and came forward with a sincere desire to make right what they had done wrong.

The statement details what the group will have to do as part of their agreement.

  • Pay for the repairs to the courts
  • Do community service projects throughout the city
  • Take a tour of Flint City lockup

A statement issued by Mayor Neeley noted that none of the kids had criminal backgrounds, and were all genuinely remorseful.

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I know there will be people upset by the fact that the people responsible won't be charged for this, but I love the decision. Bryant Nolden is the executive director of Friends of Berston, and he summed up the punishment perfectly.

Part of what makes Berston so special is that it has a lot of heart. These young people have bright futures ahead of them, and I could see their sincere remorse

It takes a lot of hear to realize that charging these kids as criminals would only do more damage than what was done to the court. This is a way to hold the kids responsible for what they did, and teach them a valuable lesson at the same time. I think the overall justice system could learn a lot from the way Flint and Berston handled this situation.

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