DC Love Park Rally
Gasbag: Love Park
by Rob Brink
TransWorld Skateboarding October 2004
The following was my first Gasbag for TransWorld Skateboarding. Basically it is an intro/editorial-type column for each issue. I threw in a few extra quotes that didn't make it to print from a few well-known Philly pros and LOVE Park designer, Edmund Bacon.
“There's never going to be any skateboarding at Love Park.”
-Phil Goldsmith, Managing Director of Philadelphia and Barbara Grant, spokeswoman for Mayor Street.
Here's where another huge example of politics and ignorance stunting the progress of skateboarding begins: DC shoes, in typical “grand scale” DC fashion, made yet another groundbreaking gesture to further skateboarding on June 1, 2004 when president, Ken Block showed up at Love Park with a million-dollar check to donate to the city of Philadelphia as a gift to cover the costs of improvement, maintenance and damage for the next decade if skateboarding were to be made legal at Love Park.
Prior to his arrival in Philly, Block was informed by the mayor's office that coming to Philadelphia would be a big mistake because skateboarding would never be allowed at Love Park, and that the subject of skateboarding at Love was merely “A pimple on the ass of an elephant” compared to the problems the mayor is dealing with.
DC persisted and arrived at Love with the check, a few “Free Love Park” DC decks to hand out, and with hundreds of skateboarders, parents of skateboarders, city government officials, supporters, news media, skateboard media, professional skateboarders—Kerry Getz, Josh Kalis, Ricky Oyola, Kevin Taylor—passersby, and homeless people. It will come as no surprise to anyone reading this, that at this point, the permits that DC had applied for to use Love for a few hours so everyone involved in the donation could speak and do their thing, had been denied by the city. At the same time, a religious musical act was booked at Love, complete with a PA system and a stage. The act was informed by the city to not, under any circumstances, allow DC to use the stage or the PA system. Coincidence or conspiracy?
This didn't stop DC or the Friends of Love Park or the Skateboard Advocacy network from speaking to the media, the skaters, and the city. A makeshift “ceremony/press conference/rally” was still held for a about an hour and the skateboarders were heard. A poll taken showed that 88 percent of Philadelphia residents questioned were in favor of the city accepting the gift and legalizing skateboarding at Love. 94-year-old Edmund Bacon, the designer of Love Park, was also present and signing more boards for young skaters than the pros were. Additionally, Love Park and the skateboarders still have the support from many of the cities political figures—so its safe to say the fight is far from over and getting back Love Park is far from a lost cause.
By mid afternoon on June 1, when the skateboarders and news cameras and reporters and hype dissolved, as expected, the mayor's office was already rejecting the gift DC had offered. Despite DC's noble effort for the preservation and progress of Love Park and for skateboarding community in general being unaccepted, their gesture is one that might set a standard for furthering skateboarding. Ken Block and DC's gift still awaits a mayor who will accept it.
Maybe San Francisco's EMB would still be standing had a fight like this had been put up. Perhaps other companies will follow in the footsteps of DC and do their part to preserve real street skating. What if Barcelona spots, your favorite street spot, local park were the next to get the ban or the bulldozer? Will you just watch it all go down?
Perhaps this is a perfect example of why we need to vote. Skateboarders and our supporters could help get mayor Street out of office by simply voting against him. On a grander scale, many of us are seeing strange changes in the USA under the leadership of George W. Bush. If you aren't happy with his leadership—do something about it and vote. You don't need to be overly political to know that you aren't happy with skating being illegal at Love or something like censorship running rampant in your country. At minimum, use the rights and power you have to control the issues that matter to you.
The quote from the mayor's office that opened this article is a strong one, however, the aforementioned quote is very wrong. No one knows this better than us skateboarders. Ken Block comments appropriately by saying “I think it's a case of ‘never say never' and I think the mayor may want to be more careful with his words.”
Thank you Ken, and thank you DC, Friends of Love Park, Skateboard Advocacy Network, Ed Bacon, parents, friends, politicians, skateboarders and everyone who is fighting for this cause.
One day, society will learn that you cannot stop skateboarding. Soon enough, mayor Street will be out of office, washed up, ignorant as ever, and forgotten. Skateboarding will be back at Love Park.
“When you deal with the government, you never get a straight answer.”
-Ricky Oyola.
“It's like a movie, I can't wait to see the ending, but I have this feeling we'll be able to skate here. It's just too strong.”
-Josh Kalis
“Nothing has brought life to Love Park like skateboarding has, and I see this as a social revolution and the skateboarders are really the revolutionaries. The opposition to skateboarding here is an illusion.”
-Edmund Bacon
“I hope the skateboarders will win hands down, because there is no reason on God's Earth, when you look at all the surface of the earth and the world, that this spot cannot be made for whatever is the best use for it. And when the whole world agrees that this is a focal point for skateboarding, it is close to insane to put any inhibitions in the way at all/ Philadelphia should be extremely proud instead of spending a million dollars to scare the skateboarders off.”
-Edmund Bacon
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