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On 6/22/2003
Chuck
wrote in from
(199.183.nnn.nnn)
Why? Modern street skating, as practiced by most folks under the age of 14, involves destroying public and private property by hopping up and down on it with a skateboard until something breaks (board, property, bones, or will). Missing any trick will elicit shouts of "&^%#!!" or "*!@*!!!!" at very high volumes, regardles of who is within earshot (man, woman, or child). Many stodgy old adults would like nothing more than to ban ALL skateboarding, even polite transportation and/or racing by older and/or more mature skaters, as a way of ending the perceived nuisance posed by a piece of wood with four wheels (rather than the person riding or otherwise weilding the skateboard). It would appear the "good" folks in Fish's town have succeeded in passing what is a blatantly unconstituional law that other municipalities would only dream about.
A story that may help illustrate my point: myself and several of my friends (all of us professionals over the age of 40) have had numerous visits from the local constabulary at one of our favorite slalom spots. It is located next to an opera theater patronized by some of the snootiest people in one of the snootiest places in the country. Security personnel have contacted law enforcement about our activities (racing in the street) many times because of the actions of irresponsible youngsters with skateboards in the parking deck of said opera house; they are unable or unwilling to differentiate between what we do and what the destructive popsicle-weilding children do. Some policeman are able to exercise judgement and initiative (imagine that?) and decide we are not children posing a threat to the vehicles and property of the opera patrons, allowing us to finish racing on our own terms; others take the more typical route and make us take our cones and skateboards and go home (or, as is more often the case, somewhere else).
Yet another story: Yesterday some youngsters were hanging around in my side yard, while periodically taking turns kicking and hitting the stop sign (I live on a corner lot) in an apparent effort to cause its collapse. They were all sitting on skateboards (I guess they had been riding them at some point). Would a "stodgy old person" type, or an "authority figure" type witnessing these actions blame it on the skateboards, or the kids and the lousy job their parents have done?
The only solution I see to Fish's is a very expensive, risky, and time consuming one. Obtain theservices of a highly skilled lawyer; perhaps the ACLU could even be enticed into helping. Ride a skateboard until confronted by police and having said skateboard confiscated. Sue the police as well as the town council for passing this law, taking the skate, etc. Endure years of legal wrangling while awaiting the outcome. What the town's lawmakers have done is analogous to banning all cars to stop people from running stop signs. It is wrong, and would never be done because most people drive cars and wouldn't stand for it (ie, punish the lawbreakers, not everyone). Who will stand up for skateboarders? Good luck.
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