Submitted by Scott (not verified) on Fri, 10/14/2011 - 12:20pm.
The Wrightsville beach police love harassing skateboarders, it must be included in their training. When I was a teenager I was ticketed in front of Surf City Surf Shop for skateboarding in the PARKING LOT of a business that sells skateboards. Ironic? WB is the local mecca for many board sports, yet the police don't embrace the sports, they despise them.
A public skatepark will just give the cops a more efficient means of harassing skateboarders. I'm sure there will be a "full pad rule" which will be enforced by the WB Police Department. If someone isn't wearing a helmet it will just give the cops a reason to walk into the skatepark and write them a citation. And what is this talk about a fence? Is the playground fenced in? What about the basketball court or the soccer field? Why does the skatepark need a fence? Look up government funded skateparks across the nation, most of them have no fences, fees, or cops patrolling... Yet all of them stay clean, because skateboarders have respect for their local skate parks. But they do not have respect for someone writing tickets and telling them what they can and cannot do in a skateboard facility.
I can't help but notice that "bikes" have been mentioned multiple times in some of the write-ups about the park. Bikes, are you kidding me? Bikes RUIN skateparks. The metal pegs destroy the smooth concrete and have you ever seen a biker run into a kid on a skateboard? It always results in injury.
I could go on all day. A skatepark in Wrightsville Beach would be a dream come true for kids, until they realize that they are going to be patrolled by the same cops that harass and ticket them for skating through parking lots and down the sidewalks.
It took over 10 years to have the Greenfield Lake skatepark approved and funded. Just something to think about.
I hope the park gets built, and I hope the people making the rules take into consideration issues such as the ones I've just stated.
The Wrightsville beach
The Wrightsville beach police love harassing skateboarders, it must be included in their training. When I was a teenager I was ticketed in front of Surf City Surf Shop for skateboarding in the PARKING LOT of a business that sells skateboards. Ironic? WB is the local mecca for many board sports, yet the police don't embrace the sports, they despise them.
A public skatepark will just give the cops a more efficient means of harassing skateboarders. I'm sure there will be a "full pad rule" which will be enforced by the WB Police Department. If someone isn't wearing a helmet it will just give the cops a reason to walk into the skatepark and write them a citation. And what is this talk about a fence? Is the playground fenced in? What about the basketball court or the soccer field? Why does the skatepark need a fence? Look up government funded skateparks across the nation, most of them have no fences, fees, or cops patrolling... Yet all of them stay clean, because skateboarders have respect for their local skate parks. But they do not have respect for someone writing tickets and telling them what they can and cannot do in a skateboard facility.
I can't help but notice that "bikes" have been mentioned multiple times in some of the write-ups about the park. Bikes, are you kidding me? Bikes RUIN skateparks. The metal pegs destroy the smooth concrete and have you ever seen a biker run into a kid on a skateboard? It always results in injury.
I could go on all day. A skatepark in Wrightsville Beach would be a dream come true for kids, until they realize that they are going to be patrolled by the same cops that harass and ticket them for skating through parking lots and down the sidewalks.
It took over 10 years to have the Greenfield Lake skatepark approved and funded. Just something to think about.
I hope the park gets built, and I hope the people making the rules take into consideration issues such as the ones I've just stated.