usatsi9097791.jpg
Jabari Parker is worried about his hometown. USATSI

The violence in Chicago is something that weighs on its citizens' minds every single day. For those living in the troublesome areas of the city, it weighs on their minds every single moment of every day because they don't know if the next loud bang might be the last thing they hear. Shootings, killings and crime in general keep increasing in Chicago and it sadly becomes more commonplace to hear about it than anything.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker is from Chicago and he's heard those loud bangs that make him duck for cover and then run for safety. He grew up in that environment, not knowing if he'd ever be able to escape it. And for a long time, he didn't even know what there was to escape to. In an incredible letter for The Players Tribune, Parker addresses his time growing up in Chicago, the perils of living in that city and where it currently stands. He says it's a lot worse now than even when he was 18 years old, out to buy a snack, and hit the deck because he heard gun shots once again.

It's only been a few years since I left, but Chicago isn't the same city anymore. It's worse. A lot worse.

Nearly 50 schools closed in Chicago in 2013, mostly in neighborhoods like mine, with primarily black students from low-income homes. Now, you might be thinking, Well those kids can just go to other schools. Is it really that big of a deal?

Yes, they can go to other schools, but the real danger is that these kids are now forced to go outside of their neighborhoods and maneuver around unfamiliar territory -- some of which is controlled by gangs that are rivals to the ones near their homes. They've lost the safety and the insulation that we had from some of the violence because we went to school in our own backyards.

When I was a kid, there was crime and violence, but we could still run around and play. We could live around it. But July was the deadliest month in the city in 10 years.

Now, you're hearing about kids being caught in crossfires at all hours of the day. Nearly 3,000 people were shot in Chicago last year alone. Already in 2016, there have been over 2,500 victims of gun violence.

For Parker, trying to figure out what to do to help the situation is a daunting task, but a task he wants to take on nonetheless. He talks about how to fix things or how to be an example with Philadelphia 76ers big man Jahlil Okafor, who is also from Chicago. Parker looks back to the example set to him by former NBA player Juwan Howard and an influential teacher he had named Mrs. Reed as inspiration to find ways to influence lives.

Parker is holding free basketball camps for kids in Chicago. He wants to go back to get his diploma and show kids the importance of education -- which wasn't emphasized for him until much later in life. He wants to find a way to lead his community.

So that's what I'm trying to do now by holding free basketball camps of my own for the kids of Chicago.

They see the drills and hear about my hard work and what motivates me. But maybe they also think, Hey, this NBA player thinks it's cool to be class president. I'll try that too. Hopefully my camp is another outlet for them, a few moments when they don't have to worry about what's going on in their neighborhoods. I try to talk to each of them, to show them that there's something else out there -- to show them that they don't have to be ball players. They could also be the next Steve Jobs.

Everybody in Chicago needs to do more, for these kids and our city. It's something that Jahlil Okafor and I talk about all the time. He's a Chicago kid, too (although he went to a school with nice books). We say to each other, "We gotta surprise people. We need to do something."

We just want to be an example for our community.

It will obviously take more than just Parker trying to give back to the community, but he believes there is a reason for hope. He believes there is a way to be examples that lead to greater education and less gun violence. Hopefully, he's right.