It was Go Skateboarding Day after all so there’s really no surprise that the police got in on the action. In Calgary, officers had to deal with what The Vancouver Sun called “a rash of mischief,” and even used their helicopter:
“It was resource intensive and included (our use of) the helicopter,” said Duty Inspector Vic Trickett. “We had skateboarders going up the wrong way on streets and avenues, going through red lights, causing a great deal of disruption to the regular traffic flow. In my opinion, they were endangering themselves and endangering others.”
At Love Park in Philadelphia the police held it down all day and threatened everyone with $1,000 fines if they got on their boards, according to Larry West’s blog Angry, Young, and Poor.
Look, if we catch you, it’s a $1000 fine, you loose your board, and you go to jail! I’ve already got 10 skateboards in my trunk! Now I’m giving you a warning!” . . . The other officer stood there, loosing his patience as I tried to calmly explain that… well, they were wrong. Its always an odd spot to be in, and you rarely ever win.
But in Afghanistan things went the other way. Police actually provided an armed escort for members of the Skateistan crew, according to a story on TVNZ.co.nz:
With sirens blaring, officers shouted commands through a megaphone at motorists telling them to make way for the kids of Afghanistan’s first skateboarding school: Skateistan. . . “In the name of God!” cheered one man at the side of the road, clapping and smiling in disbelief. . . “Long live Afghanistan!” the children shouted in reply as they skated past. . . Wearing white T-shirts adorned with “Skateistan” logos, the children zipped from the national stadium – once the scene of public Taliban executions – to another part of the city to take part in a competition in honour of world Go Skateboarding Day.
And that’s just the kind of police interaction we’d all like on GSD.
[Link: The Vancouver Sun and TVNZ.co.nz]
Hmm. Wait. Which one was the Third World?
“going up the wrong way on streets and avenues, going through red lights, causing a great deal of disruption to the regular traffic flow”
Hmmm. Sounds like every single day of bicycle use. Ever.
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