OK, I don’t know if they are actually anarchists or not, but Flora Skatepark is being built behind a building called the Rote Flora in Hamburg, Germany that currently has strong ties with squatter and left-wing groups. Do right-wing squatters exist? The Rote Flora was one of the few theaters in Germany to survive WWII intact. According to Wikipedia, it was used as part of a department store from the 70’s until 1987. Here’s where it gets murky. For some reason there was an uproar by local shopkeepers and and “autonomous groups” (Anarchy!) when a producer wanted to turn it back into a musical theatre. There were clashes with police, and ultimately most of the building was torn down in 1988, only to be renovated and squatted in, leased and un-leased, made a focal issue in an election year, etc… The point is, most renegade concrete projects tend to be located in spots that don’t attract attention. Maybe this one will succeed in finding a permanent location precisely because the adjacent property has such a volatile “hands-off” history. The end result… Opening party for the first part of Flora Skatepark is June 30th, 2007. Thanks to Peter Diepes for the…

Skate Daily has posted some disturbing news, on 6/21 6 skaters crossed the path of Officer Joey Williams, a mistake. Joey took it upon himself to choke out a 16 year old skateboarder and in doing so, was filmed. Thanks to Youtube, the entire world can now see what happened on the streets of Hot Springs, Arkansas. After you watch this disturbing video – please email a civil statement to the Cheif of Police Bobby Southard (bsouthard@cityhs.net) demanding the firing of officer Joey Williams. MORE UPDATES: EMAILS FOR CITY COUNCIL NOW POSTED ‘pege1947@aol.com’; ‘direlainejon1@sbcglobal.net’; ‘srsmith12003@yahoo.com’; ‘sable@hsnp.com’; ‘td7965@aol.com’ UPDATE: emails no longer work, please use this contact information to get your message accross: Phone: (501) 321-6789 Fax: (501) 321-6708 This is unacceptable behavior by anyone wearing a badge. UPDATE: Officer on leave after tussle with Hot Springs skateboarders! [Photo: Skylar Nalls]

Last night was the meeting for comments on a revised Gabriel Park skatepark design. Turnout was weak, about 20-25 actual park users at best, a couple of them being BMX riders. There is an online comment form on the parks web site, but it’s kind of premature to comment on the park unless you were at the meeting. The single render available is not very good for understanding the actual design. At the meeting we saw it rotated and zoomed in, and it’s actually a lot different than this picture would lead you to believe. For instance, from this view it looks like it’s all covered in coping, but it actually only has coping in some spots. Update: More renders available here. Parks will add them as soon as their schedule permits. It’s important to note, the double funnel is still a possibility, either as is or in combination with alterations from the second design. Double funnel renders after the jump as well. Please try to think of the big picture when you make your comments. Street Skaters: A street plaza is planned for the very next project, which is Ed Benedict Park. Please refrain from comments like “This should…

There’s a Bennett Skatepark DIY Skatepark BBQ & Show this Sunday, June 10th @ the Larimer Lounge in Denver. All proceeds from the door go to the park! Also, check out our eBay auction for a chance to bid on a super rare (one of 125!) Pushead Swampwoman skateboard from Conspiracy. Auction ends on the 19th. Support the Bennett project! What is the Bennett Project? It’s a skater-built project in Denver that is similar to Burnside in nature with a main difference being that they are trying to get approval in advance of building. Go to coloradoskateparks.org for more info. That bowl at the top? Why that’s a concept render for the “left nut” bowl. If you are in the area, go to the benefit. Just make sure you are on the lookout for any bad eggs.

These skateboard art shows at galleries are now getting to be a dime a dozen. Nobody invites me to exhibit in these shows, but that won’t stop me from mentioning this one that opened today in Chicago at the EXPGallery. There are 40 artists featured in the show, and some money is being raised for Ray Underhill, although the details are slim. Artist reception is June 8th from 6-10. The exhibition runs from June 4th to June 30th, 2007.

Revolution in Nicaragua! Nicaragua now has it’s first transition in a skatepark thanks to Nathan Curry and his team. The quarter pipe was the focus of all the skaters’ attention and it was great to see all the guys throwing themselves at it trying to figure it out. After all, it’s the first transition that most of them have ever ridden. Needless to say, I had to answer a lot of questions about how to do axle stalls and rock-n-rolls. It was great!

Skate and Annoy is guilty of negligence. We ignored the story of the closing of a large percentage of skateparks in Nebraska last fall, due to the Nebraska Supreme Court’s decision that cities were not immune to personal injury lawsuits on public land. Basically, some lady twisted her ankle in a hole in a field at a public festival somewhere in Nebraska, and since we are the Jerry Springer nation, she decided to sue whatever public municipality held the event. Cities and the like are usually immune from frivolous lawsuits of the “I tripped on your sidewalk” variety, but this possible relative of Cleetus the Slack Jawed Yokel, had her day in court. Suddenly, Chicken Littles in cities and towns all over Nebraska decided they needed to close skateparks until the law changed. Curiously, as near as I can tell, no basketball courts or baseball fields were closed. The aptly named Omaha Sen. Mike Friend, stepped up to the plate (sorry, there’s no skateboard analogy for that. Should it be dropped in? ) and proposed a bill to change that. The bill has passed and the Governor intends to sign it. So please forgive us, last month’s 55 loyal readers…

The Ray Underhill benefit auction we mentioned earlier is about to start. The list of items is impressive. Visit the official Ray Underhill site to get the background story and more information, or make a flat out donation. On May 13th (tomorrow) you can start bidding. Grab those hammers – it’s time to break those piggy banks! What may be the largest auction for collectable skateboard items is upon us. Pros and industry notables from the past and present have donated a grip of one-of-a-kind gear to help raise money for Ray Underhill and his battle against a chordoma brain tumor. This auction offers one absolute guarantee that no other auction can offer: zero buyer’s remorse! This sounds cliché, but it’s true–Ray Underhill is one of the nicest guys in skateboarding, and his friends have come out en force to help him and his family in this difficult time. He may be the only pro skater who ever substituted “fudge” for the other naughty word that starts with F. Ray was always willing to step up and help others, and this auction is our opportunity to do the same for him.

The Tony Hawk Foundation just announced it’s Spring 2007 Grant Awards. Find out if your town is one of the 23 listed that will be dipping into the pool of $200,000. The foundation has given out over $1.7-million since it was established in 2002. In 2005 they had an operating budget of 6% and actually spent 80% of their revenue on program services, which should earn them a high rating according to organizations that rate charities. The other 14% of their budget went to fundraising events like the Stand Up For Skateparks benefit. (Hey Andy MacDonald, keep your eyes up!) Find out if your town is on the list after the jump.

Sean Mortimer wrote in to remind us about Ray Underhill’s situation. He was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor in 2006. He’s had about half of it removed and is undergoing radiation therapy. Removing the tumor caused damage to his vocal cords and throat, leaving him unable to talk, spit or swallow. He’s in the midst of physical therapy to recover those abilities. Because the tumor is a rare one, he’s had to seek treatment and lodging in California while his family lives on the opposite coast. Needless to say, the whole affair has been quite expensive, and the insurance companies are behaving like they usually do. His friends are organizing a massive eBay auction benefit. The gear offered up runs the gamut from free shoes for a year to artwork to signed boards, re-issues, new, and historical alike. Seriously, the list is getting large. One of the more unique items is an afternoon of photography lessons with J Grant Brittain as teacher and Tony Hawk as subject. And the icing on the cake? The package includes getting one of your pictures published in The Skateboard Mag. Very nice. It’s one thing for someone to pick something out of their…