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Skateboarders treated as second class citizens

By Slapdown at 2006-07-27 17:54

Today, I was skating a seven set in London, when I experienced one of the weirdest kick-outs I'd ever experienced.

 Me and some friends were skating this seven on Thames Path. It's a seven set on a through path, which links the pathway to the main road, so doesn't really belong to any kind of building or block of offices.

 It was around 6 p.m. in the evening, possibly closer to 7 p.m, meaning all offices were shut down, and there was no-one using the stair set. For what its worth, the place was desolate.

Only two of us were actually skating the set. It had been a long day, and everyone was tired, but my friend and I kept going at it. "Skate 'til death", right?

 Anyway, soon enough, this security guard came out. He wasn't pleasant. He barely spoke English. He just waved his hands like we were some irritable pest, gesturing us off the "public property" (I thought it was private property that we were meant to get kicked from?).

We were tired as hell, so we were just like "Give us a few minutes to sit on the grass, we just wanna chill. We won't skate". Maybe he's heard this a few too many times, but it was a bit of a joke when he told us "No-one sits on the grass. This is private property. Go. Go now!"

This had to be a joke. Only six hours earlier had we passed this same spot at lunch time, and decided not to skate it as people were eating lunch on the grass and having fun with their friends. We were being the considerate ones! We come back at an anti-social hour, and we still get kicked! And then we're not allowed to sit on the grass, when people had been doing that all day! Harsh or what?!

 The real irony is, as we left, a young lady, around 20 years of age, parked herself down on the grass and started eating a sandwich. And yet our good friend who couldn't speak English hardly ran out of his building to shoo her away, in the "Get off my land or I'll kill you" manner that he used with us.

My question is "Does carrying a skateboard really prohibit us from many of lifes luxuries, like sitting on the grass and chilling out by the cool London sunset, sharing a few laughs with your friends, and grabbing a drink before the long treck home?"

Obviously, some security guards need to chill out and start treating skaters as the talented athletes we are, especially considering we treat others with respect by skating at anti-social hours and complying with unfair rules constantly.

 

How do you believe we, the skater, or "the public enemy" should deal with security guards like this, without aggressive (verbal, physical or violent) behavior?

 


by burnyourfriends on Thu, 2006-07-27 20:01
As someone said before, no one outside of skateboarding will ever really understand it. Thats why its such a beautiful thing, I mean throughout the X games and eventually the olympics, skateboarding will and has been getting a lot of coverage, But no matter how hard they try, no one but a skateboarder sees skateboarding for what it truly is. Some people fail to see that we are people too. What can I say? The world is full of scumbags, each with his or her own prejudice or opinion. People often insult what they do not understand. Most likely because they are not open to something well... how do I put it.... Different. We can fight to be understood. But why even bother when the time spent fighting which will only get through a few peoples heads we could rather be skating. The rest of the world is too ignorant to understand what a beautiful thing they are striking out against. It is just what happens.

by NIGHTMARE305 on Thu, 2006-07-27 20:04
i undertsnad exactly what u mean, just today me and my friends were skating at a park(not a skate park) minding our own business, and sum recreational guy kicks us out saying we cant skate der, were like wtf ita a park? We had been kicked out of every place in the city by the cops, and the cops always told us "why dodnt u guys skate at the park?" So we gave it a hsot and BOOM we get kicked, not to mention that theres a sign in the park thats says NO BICYCLE,SCOOTERS,ROLLERBLADES,OR SKATEBOARDS ON WALKWAYS. Yet we get kicked only us skaters, people r still in the park riding bike on scooter and shit aint given to them. Why are us skaters labeled as trouble makers or rejects? So me and my friends out goin to city hall tommorow and try to settle did with the city, who knows maybe they'll buils a skate park just for us.

by hesh not fresh on Thu, 2006-07-27 20:56
well.. being treated in that way is definetly more common in some areas. just walking near my brothers baseball game holding a skateboard earns me the stare of the majority of people. it's not like i'm pushing down the path to the stands and being loud. i'm just carrying my board. the concession stand people are assholes to friends or me when we have boards, and other stupid shit like that.

i've encountered something very similar to what happened to you as well. some friends and i were skating a gap behind a closed doctors office. it was probably around 10:00 at night. a man i assume was security charges out of the building screaming. there are no signs, we are not damaging property, and i explained we would not be a liability issue. that was "not the problem." apparently, the problem was he "hated skater faggots like us." intelligent conversation wasn't possible due to the fact whenever one of the group would speak it was cut off with "FAG!" instead of responding aggressively, we started walking away. "hey skater fags why you runnin'?"

so i guess i've just learned to avoid situations like that. it's easy enough to read what people are thinking when they see skateboarders. if it looks like getting the boot from a spot is about to get ugly, it's best to just leave. the dicks who try to get skaters into confrontations are the worst. simply because you are carrying a board, you are singled out from others.

by A77A96 on Thu, 2006-07-27 23:42
make it difficult for them, tell them you want to see all the documents that prove that the land is in fact private. put up a fight (not fists, last resort), make it more hassle to kick you out then it is for them to bend over and touch their toes. people like that are just assholes that can't stand the fact that we rule, get chicks, and plain out enjoy life while he goes home to some no family ramen noodles and trys to watch repeats of the OC

by Oatenshiro on Thu, 2006-07-27 23:54
Quote:
Originally Posted by hesh not fresh
i've encountered something very similar to what happened to you as well. some friends and i were skating a gap behind a closed doctors office. it was probably around 10:00 at night. a man i assume was security charges out of the building screaming. there are no signs, we are not damaging property, and i explained we would not be a liability issue. that was "not the problem." apparently, the problem was he "hated skater faggots like us." intelligent conversation wasn't possible due to the fact whenever one of the group would speak it was cut off with "FAG!" instead of responding aggressively, we started walking away. "hey skater fags why you runnin'?"

.
when they call me a fag i just say yep.. gotta prob wit that?(play the minority card on their ass)

by Mardi on Fri, 2006-07-28 00:58
I rarely ever get kicked out, but like A77A96 said, make it fucking hard for them to kick you out. They already think that you're loud, obnoxious, and annoying already, right, so who cares?

by Krooked_skater on Fri, 2006-07-28 01:11
man, that sucks.

I would just stay skating there, if ppl ask like: could you please go ,it's annoying. than I would go,
but it they are like: get the fuck out of here. nope, then I won't go

by Cazstyles on Fri, 2006-07-28 01:16
amen to that SISTA.
we are treated as a lower form of society, possibly because of the assholes who do stupid things on the public property and this kind of thing wouldnt happen.

by eazy-e on Fri, 2006-07-28 02:18
if its not for all those wannabes in my city we'd have no problem skating anywhere:
they allways trash shi*
graff EVERYWHERE
and tell the cops and other scurity gards to f*ck off
most of me and my mate would be fine

by stevebornheim on Fri, 2006-07-28 02:24
just hit the old dude over the head with your board, it ends up the same way.
dude, i feel for you, i hate it when you are considerate and you still get shouted at.
i went to england for a week for holidays hoping i could skate round 9pm when every1 was at home, like skate round london, and i got a fine. so unfair!

 
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