The City of Poway has temporarily closed the skatepark due to “turnstyle construction” which is a weasel’s way of getting around the fact that they are installing biometric fingerprint ID scans as way restrict park usage for certain age groups during select times and of course “cut down on vandalism.” The scanner has a price tag of $5,700, but who knows what it will cost in red tape and overhead in the future. And what is the human cost? WON’T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN. Oh my god, I think I’m going to be sick. We’ll sink with California, when it falls into the sea. See SIgn On San Diego for the full, sad tale.
– Thanks to Tito for the tip.
16 comments
chaperone
Major Bullshit! So many of those Cali parks are like that….but if you want a fun one down there go to Potrero in SF at the bottom of the Mission district…killer park….
jered
Poway – HA, I was just down that way and the park was to open at 10, showed up at noon, dry and sunny and the park wasn’t open. Me and two other 35yo plus folks jumped the fence and promptly the cops showed up. As we were getting booted the kid shows up to open the park. We got off with a warning. Oregon let me count the ways I love thee!! Oh a warning and they took a DNA sample…
curtis
if the turnstile breaks or gets too expensive, they might fill the bowl with dirt.
Talentlessquitter
Hehe,someone has been on this site before…
Talentlessquitter
Outdoors?
Maybe do a helicopter drop in?
Barf
I hope some kid breaks that effing machine the first day. An axle up against the little glass part that reads the prints ought to do it.
freakbeatfuzz
Man, way worse than Lake Cunningham charging $6 to park…
warehouse
First thing that popped into my head…expanding foam. Unload a can all over that fuckin’ machine.
What the hell is wrong with the parks departments in California?
Its like they built these facilities for bureaucrats and lawyers.
ssk
I’m sure their vandals will respect the $5700 scanner. That is like investing with Bernie Madoff AFTER he got busted. Or could it really be a ploy to register the skaters so they can be sent off to work camps?
Mythbusters went through those things with photocopied fingerprints http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/22/digital-fingerprint-door-lock-defeated-by-photocopied-print/
Prickly Pete
Make that a biker’s finger.
reese4
Just means I’m going to have to cut off a kiddie’s finger and carry it with me whenever I’m in Poway.
Stinkbug
I’d tell you my thoughts but…what if the Thought Police are already on to us.
Peter
I skated that park last year when visiting my parents in SD. Cop station is right across the street and there is a fence around the park with only one way in or out. Now they’re adding a turnstyle and thumbprint scanner!? Talk about overkill.
some random dude
wow thats so fucked…
kc
I doubt that type of restriction is going to work. Skaters need to monitor their own parks.
Negative Ned
Somebody needs to punch that biometric scanner right in the “nose.” How about biometric scanners to track those non-thinking politicians.