Go Skateboarding Day 2007

Go Skateboarding Day 2007 Tampa - Update:

what got me to grab the camera was this notice going around:

"Subject: Closing of the Gate - Thursday at 11 am - 1pm

Good Morning Everyone,

Today is an "unorganized" skateboard convention. About 400 skateboarders are planning to come through downtown and skate through and around the buildings. Last year they did quite a lot of damage to Bank of America building. We will be working with Tampa Police to keep them out of our atrium area. During the hours of 11 am -- 1 pm the gate outside of my office will be brought down. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause any of you."


Which was a reaction to the earlier notice from the PD to the Downtown Partnership.


"The Partnership has been notified by the Tampa Police Department (TPD) that tomorrow (6/21) is "National Go Skateboarding Day" and a rogue race is being planned for downtown at approximately noon time starting at the skate-bowl located at Perry Harvey Park to the building on the south west corner of Ashley and Kennedy where unknown sponsors are offering a $500 prize to the first person that can successfully ride the hand rail at that location. Their intended route is basically Pierce to Kennedy to the property described above.

This event occurred last year in spite of the fact that permitting was denied. TPD ended up arresting about 15 people and there were approximately 200 skateboarders downtown. Their activities interfered with traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, which constituted a legitimate public safety concern. An even larger crowd is expected this year since this non-permitted event has been promoted on the internet.

TPD has an operational plan in place and will be deploying a large force to prevent this group from getting into the downtown core or skateboarding anywhere in the downtown area. Violators will be charged, arrested if necessary, and skateboards confiscated. The park will be open to the public though we will not be promoting that fact. TPD plans to launch a media campaign later today announcing that skateboarding in the downtown area is against city ordinance and that the police department is prepared to strictly enforce the law.

Downtown property owners may want to take precautions to protect their buildings against such activity and call 911 if necessary. "



Sad to say, the paper only wrote about the two arrests made and not about the 300 kids that followed the law.

"Teens Arrested At Skateboarding Event
Posted Jun 21, 2007 by Beth Gaddis
Updated Jun 21, 2007 at 01:56 PM

By Andriy Pazuniak
The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - Two teens were arrested today during a national skateboarding event in Tampa.

About 300 people attended the National Go Skateboarding Day at Perry Harvey Park, 1200 N. Orange Ave.

At the park, people skateboarded at the Bro Bowl. Then at 12:30 p.m., some members of the crowd marched down Pierce Street to Joe Chillura Park where they stood in the grass, held up their skateboards, yelled and posed for a picture.

On the way back to Perry Harvey Park, police arrested two 16-year-olds on charges of violating the city ordinance banning skateboarding on city streets and for opposing police officers without violence.

The teens were taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center, where they will be released to their parents.

The police are withholding their names because they are juveniles.

The first teen got on his skateboard, riding against traffic on Pierce Street, according to Tampa Police spokeswoman Laura McElroy. He cut off a police officer riding a bike, she said.

The officer almost crashed, she said.

The second teen was walking with his skateboard in hand and ignored an officer's warning not to skate, according to McElroy,

By 1:30 p.m., most of the crowd had dispersed without further incident, though about a dozen remained and skated. "

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Go
• Skateboarding
• Day
• 2007
• Tampa

[MightyTriton]

fuck off "damage", a storm does more damage that a skateboard!

[skateallday07]

oh fuck you imagine cops coming and telling you not to do what you love its bull shit

[ImNotEmo99]

I remember in 2002 all this technology and shit wasnt around, and skate day had about 500 people in the group, now I can't get anyone to go outside WTF

[Soada7xdisturbed]

a hellicopter... really? for skateboarders?? dude thats just too far,, forreal,, they always looks for an opportunity for gettin money,,,, thats fuckedup,,,ima laff my ass off wen half the police department is down there and sum 10 year old chick gets murdered and they cant get their on time,,, then they get sued for 8 billion dollars.... mayb then they will make weed legal... -.-

[ozzirt]

@elradio05 Simple,.... because cops are paid to enforce the laws as demanded by themajority of the taxpayers.

If skaters thinkthat they are above the law (and many do) they get told.

[akbtinker]

@elradio05

bcuz ther to skerd to take on crimanals

[TheDidlo1]

@oki2552 Thru substance and chemical abuse. And yes...I know good n gawd dam well that counts as heart these days. Dam shame oki...dam shame.

[TheDidlo1]

@oki2552 Oh I dont doubt thurs SOME skaterpunks out thur who dont suck dick, think we shud overthrow the government and just pardy hardy, I jst havnt encounter'd any yet. See when i was a liitle shit turd, even the heartless had more heart then punks these dayz. Its sad I know, but some of us are not caswooltys, and we hav no respect or regaurd for loozerz such as...well....yerself maybe. Yeeeeeeeep...all skaters seek the exsertnshull enlightment of love peace harmany and togetherness

[TheDidlo1]

yEEEEEEEhhaaaaaaaw

[oki2552]

@TheDidlo1 dued not all skaters smoke pot it is people like u who stereotype them so that others think that they all smoke pot trust me.. sure that stuff is fun like stock car racing but dued everyone has here own definition of fun.. skates like the rush of the tricks it feels good landing a new trick.. but the pros that earned there money buy taking time of of there lifes to go to contest and demos just to get there name out there worked very hard so in a way they did earn there money....

[TheDidlo1]

@oki2552 I was much younger but they thought that was kool n they werent a bad influence. Hell the chics wud make me koolaid. Skaters dont hav heart,they hav nugs of weed n never ending supplys of bud light. U want fun, hows about aerobatic and combat flying, skydiving, white water rafting, rock climbing, rodeo, stock car racing on a dort track. Well these require a person to be succesfull enuf in life to hav money n skaters dont fill that bill. Plus,they live paychek to paychek on weed

[TheDidlo1]

@oki2552 I hav class, yer justa butt. Waste yer time? U kudnt giv me the time of dayl. All dat other poops text book, U all say the same thang. Not skaters,poople like U. Yer just ranting n raving kuz I wee in yer mouth. I start'd skate'n in second grade, they new me by name at the skateshop. my first board was custom but weighed 50 pounds,second board was a plank with little wheels n thas it. I spent my evenings with the high school kids down the block,they had a half pipe in thur back yard