The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to get caught up in the spin cycle and let it get us down.
Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week, we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good.
This week’s Something Good theme is gestures of goodwill.
Jovante Williams showed up at his friend’s house to play video games on December 8, only to find the police arriving as well. Neighbors had called the police with a noise complaint. It was not the first time the friends had been complained about, Jovante told Yahoo Lifestyle. In fact, the young men had taken to playing their games on mute, so as to not cause a problem. Jovante admits that sometimes they drink beer, but says, “We’re not trouble. We’re adults.”
The police found the group of friends playing Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros and soon determined they were not being a nuisance. And then, something rather remarkable happened. As Williams said on Facebook, “SO NEIGHBORS CALLED THE COPS ON US AND NOW WE FIGHTING THEM… IN SMASH BROS.”
One of the cops asked the group what they were playing and Jovante told them “Smash Bros”. He then asked if they wanted to play. He says, “Two of them literally raised their hands” and stepped up to play. Williams laughed as he noted that when one of them asked, “how do you jump?” the officer was acting: he knew how to play Smash Bros very well.
While the encounter was all fun and games, Jovante explained that he had concerns that, when the police arrived, they’d call for more cops and the result could have been negative. “It was concerning. You see so many videos of terrible results. … I’m not trying to end up in jail or hurt, or have my friends harmed, or to start a commotion. But you know what? I heard the police asking ‘What Smash Brothers?’ Instead of something negative … it was something wholesome.”
Williams posted a video of the officers playing with he and his friends.
On Twitter, Williams has tweeted about the media attention over this story, his “15 minutes of fame” that has come from it, and celebrated breaking 1,000 followers.
These days it is wonderful to see a story involving young black men and police officers that ends well, with laughter and camaraderie, instead of tears and loss. A gesture of goodwill offered and received is Something Good.
Now it’s your turn…Tell me Something Good.
