This was going to be a thread about the trend of municipalities closing down skateparks when they get tagged as an incentive program to stop vandalism. I was going to highlight that a new nearby park in Vancouver Washington is going to experience such closures:
our park maintenance office has decided to handle graffiti removal at the park the same way Battle Ground does at their skate park – by closing the entire park to all users until all the graffiti is removed. Depending on the severity of the graffiti, this could require several days of closure.
I was then going to ramble on about how it was obviously not the real skateboarders doing the vandalism, most likely kids that were on the periphery that might own a skateboard in the same way they would own a bike or a pogo stick if all their friends had one.
Look at the picture above. It seems like a fun place to skate right? It’s sheltered from the elements, and it’s not even illegal. If that was my local spot I’d want to take care of it, but the Creekside Underground locals are pissing it all away.
While looking for links to support this post I found some info about a situation in Whistler Blackcomb, where skaters had made an underground parking garage into a local skate spot. When officials found out about it, instead of kicking everyone out, they designated the spot as a skate-safe zone, and actually put $6,000 into what is being called Creekside Underground. An additional 10k has been earmarked for Creekside, but locals, including some of the actual skateboarders have been breaking windows and peeing on the signs, just generally blowing it. Now the future of the park is in jeopardy. You can follow the drama at the Whistler Skateboard Association.
In Nova Scotia they had a similar problem when members of a skateboard committee (the skaters charged with stewarding the park) had some sort of altercation or confrontation with community members who were organizing to give the skatepark a facelift.
Warning! Soapbox approaching!
The problem with a lot of the younger generations of skaters is that they’ve had everything handed to them. They’ve never had to fight for anything. Skateboarding has become so mainstream, there’s no barrier to entry, and that’s why we are stuck with so many spoiled brats who don’t know skatepark etiquette and don’t bother to clean up after themselves.
Go ahead fuck-o’s, piss it all away. Just don’t come crying to “the adults” when you have no place to play. And while you’re at it, stay off of my lawn! (Ding dong!) Excuse me, I have to go answer the front door. Oh my! there appears to be some sort of paper bag on fire…
14 comments
Tim Laidlaw
Skating over the paint doesn’t pain me as much as disposing of the empty spray cans and other trash, in this land of litigation we must be careful not to make sticker pasting a punishable offense. I can remember spots where the skating was tolerated until the businesses noticed the few strategicly placed stickers and others where it was even encouraged because the skaters swept more often than employees, with the only condition being after business hours. Being chased away just for skating was the norm though and that taught us to take care of the good spots and disipline offenders (skater or not)
enemy combatant
you said you don
Mac
Dylan, you point out a very important distinction between boneheads and gangs tagging and grafitti by talented people practiced in the art. If what we were seeing in the skateparks here were the latter (as at Seylynn or Marseille), I would generally be ok with it, but in the Portland area, it seems to be mostly the former. Just f’ing idiots writing their stupid nicknames or “feel so free” all over the place. That’s vandalism and I can see why it pisses off the parks and rec people. That said, I’m not sure that our city fathers or the parks people would really appreciate truly beautiful graffiti or be willing to make the distinction, beauty being in the eye of the beholder and all. In any case, it’s not the skaters anyway, as you’ve all pointed out. One would think that the powers that be would know this, but they seem oblivious. We’re supposed to be “self-policing” the parks against this stuff? I’m supposed to be hanging around Pier Park at 3am warding off the “feel so free” guy? “Hey you! Stop that! At least write something clever for crissake!” Nah. Boneheads will be boneheads.
Dylan
That little bowl in Creekside is fun, though when I skated it I was too stoked on how many parks I had in in a few days, that I didn’t even think about how that pillar’s transition sticks into the rest of the bowl. Totally went for a superman ride.
As for my opinion on graffiti, and senseless vandalism, you really need to separate the two, they are not always one in the same. There are some parks in Vancouver (BC, Canada) where the graf is totally part of the scene and the feel at the park (China Creek, Seylynn (in North Van really). And there is some graf that shows up that is just plain lame at some of the newer parks (bad tags, not really artwork..). Anyways, I guess my opinion on the graf is that I am sitting on the fence.
jakeandannoy
I got nuthin’ agaisnt dem’ yout’s. I was speaking more in general terms on the contradicting nature of kids who complain when a park is closed due to repeated vandalism(caused by local kids). Often someone witnessed said vandalism or shadyness and apathy amongst skateboarders plays a roll as we need to look out for the parks we already have.
Spraying some garbage all over a nice public park has nothing to do w/ S&D. It’s just lame to the skaters who use/want the park, in fact.
There is credit due to the kids who petition and subsequently help to get approval for new parks.
Kilwag
I don’t know if a sanction graffiti art wall would keep those twerps that aren’t into the artistic aspect from spray painitng “lil Pimp” on the side of the bowl. They are two separate groups of inteligence. Who knows, maybe it would. I suggested as much to The Clark County Parks board in the case of the Vancouver skatepark, but they said they had no money.
Mac
Man, don’t get me started…
houseofneil
Intense Cognitive Dissonance. Good band. And you said you don’t like punk rock!
Prickly Pete
I try not to get too down on da kids, some are actually ambitious, and it’s partly because the number of younguns on boards that we have our parks.
I gotta take issue with the whole “skate and destroy” mantle affixed to really lame youthful disregard. The S&D thing is rad when you’re actually riding a skateboard and going off, but trying to elevate some stupid act of vandalism as being part of the fabled “skater lifestyle” is a stretch. Spraypainting “BAM” on a hubba at 3 a.m. and running like hell is not really what I think of when I think S&D.
Is anyone surprised that graffiti happens at skateparks? What better scenario is there for creating and displaying an expression of your tough-guy side? Skateparks are unmonitored and accessible at night and full of people (your audience) by day.
I don’t think graffiti or BAM add to the experience of riding a skateboard, but they’re both part of the scenery. So maybe sanction graf art and do your best to ignore fattened hangers-on with white sunglasses.
jakeandannoy
Damn, well said cskate. I can’t even really elaborate. Right on the $$ though.
This genre of youth(in general) has heightened sense of entitlement and lack of creative thought I cant relate to even on a small level. Degeneration all around, look at the majority of celebrities aged between 16-26. Not that celebrities should be the measuring stick but the overall attitude and childish sense of entitlement and immature dilusions are very telling. I dont know where they’re comming from but I can guess where they are going.
PS:Find a copy of “How could hell be any worse” by B.R, and listen. End soapbox.
Kilwag
Cognitive dissonance must have been why I haven’t had a subscription to Thrasher since the last millenium.
cskate
The symbol of todays youth is an outstretched hand palm up, waiting for something to be handed to them.
Remember the 80’s? Nope, you weren’t born yet. I spent 10 years getting kicked out of parking lots.
I realize this is a generalization and not all kids are so irresponsible, but I get pissed seeing how much is done for kids now and then they do shit like burn down the maintenance cabinet at Vancouver.
concretin
Louisville just experienced said closures for graffiti removal. Stupid chit. And who cares if they close the Underground? I don’t see any bowls or pool coping there anyway (joke).
enemy combatant
I experience intense cognitive dissonance when Thrasher reading punk rock fanboys turn around and then complain about juvenile deliquency and vandalism.
Just what part of DESTROY in “skate and destroy” don’t you understand?