San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
SKATEBOARDERS ROLL FOR POLITICAL CHANGE
Group wants to see more skate parks, changes to the S.D. municipal code and social justice
Skateboarders are not normally associated with political engagement.
But about 250 boarders rolled rolled down Park Boulevard and through Balboa Park Saturday, protesting racism and calling for the elimination of a municipal law that bans skateboards from roadways and for more public spending to construct skateboard parks across San Diego County.
The event was organized by a group called Rolling For Rights, a loose affiliation of skateboarding enthusiasts that coalesced in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis earlier this year.
“Everybody has an idea about what’s going on and they want to have a say,” said Alfonso Huey, a hip-hop artist and cook who lives in Southeast San Diego. “They want to be part of the movement with Black Lives Matter and other things like that.”
One of the items related to skateboarding that the group wants to change is the existing municipal code that bans skateboards from “an open roadway” within San Diego city limits.
Skateboarding “is another mode of transportation,” said Shuriken Shannon, a professional skateboarder who lives in La Mesa. “We get from Point A to Point B, we don’t have another way or means ... How is skating different from a bicycle or a Bird (scooter)?”
Another priority for the group is convincing local governments to build more skate parks across the county.
Christian Gregorio is working to bring a 24,000-square-foot skate park to Spring Valley that would include areas for “all wheels,” such as BMX bikes, scooters, rollerblades and roller skates. The park would also include playgrounds.
“Now would be a great time to build a skate park,” Gregorio said. “It will help keep kids off the streets, it will keep them focused, doing something positive.” Gregorio is a member of a committee that attends public meetings in the hopes that the park can be constructed about the same time the Summer Olympics in Japan open in 2021. The games in Tokyo, which have been delayed a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, will feature skateboarding as a medal sport for the first time.
“We could have a best-in-class skate park that could potentially be a facility for future Olympians, hopefully,” Gregorio said.
Pro skateboarder Kanten Russell looks to design the proposed Spring Valley park. Russell, who learned to skateboard as a kid at a park in Ocean Beach, spoke to the crowd at Saturday’s event.
“You’re see more people coming together and getting more organized,” Russell said after his remarks. “They’re seeing that, hey, these guys are taxpaying citizens ... Now that that generation (of skateboarders) has grown up and they have kids of their own, they’re able to advocate better and the attitude has changed. People see that, hey, skateboarding is not a crime.”
Before the skateboarders took to the streets, organizers had voter registration forms available as well as petitions for more skate parks. Some of the attendees wore T-shirts and carried signs in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Afterwards, the boarders took part in a block party at Balboa Park.
“In the aftermath of these things (such as Floyd’s death), any normal person would know that’s wrong,” said Shannon, who had an “End Racism” T-shirt draped over his shoulders. “We can disagree and agree on many things but we just want to feel that things are being taken seriously.”
Yaasmeen Powell, a 21-year-old college student from Chula Vista, took up skateboarding two years ago.
“I came here by myself but I met a lot of people today,” Powell said. “It’s hard to explain, but ever since I started (skateboarding), it’s the biggest community. Everyone looks out for each other.”