Police Cramp Freestyle; Skateboarders Complain

By ANDRIY R. PAZUNIAK The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 22, 2007

TAMPA - His skateboard in tow, Stephen Streets stood atop the famed "Bro Bowl" at Perry Harvey Sr. Park on North Orange Avenue on Thursday and waited for his turn to drop in.

One after another, skateboarders rolled through and executed their best ollies, kick flips and grinds for an estimated crowd of 300 that gathered around the large concrete bowl - shaped like a quotation mark and sprinkled with graffiti.

But like many of the skateboarders who marked national Go Skateboarding Day by taking their boards to the Bro Bowl, Streets could not get over the dozen or so police officers at the park who were watching their every trick and every move.

"It's cool that the skaters are here," said Streets, 18. "It's not cool that the cops are."

It was a common sentiment throughout Perry Harvey Park yesterday.

Upset over the police presence and a city ordinance banning skateboarding on downtown streets and sidewalks, a peaceful crowd of skateboarding enthusiasts marched down Pierce Street to Joe Chillura Park to make their statement heard: Let us skate.

Police arrested two teenage boys for violating the downtown ban on skateboarding while the crowd headed back down Pierce Street after yelling and posing for photos at Chillura.

The two 16-year-old boys hopped on their boards in front of police officers. One cut off a police officer riding a bike, nearly causing him to crash. The other ignored an officer's warning not to ride his skateboard.

Both teens were charged with violating the city ordinance banning skateboarding downtown and opposing an officer without violence. They were taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center and were to be released to their parents, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

Violating the city ordinance is equivalent to a second-degree misdemeanor and carries a penalty of up to 60 days in jail, McElroy said.

Other than the two arrests, the skateboarding festivities went on without incident, police reported.

McElroy defended the police presence, saying it was necessary to protect the public and the skateboarders.

"If 150 skateboarders take to the streets at the same time, it would create a public safety hazard," McElroy said. "And we're here to prevent that."

The police presence comes in response to last year's Go Skateboarding Day, when mobs of skateboarders rode through downtown streets and showed off their tricks on city sidewalks, McElroy said.

McElroy said the skateboarders caused two car accidents in 2006 as motorists tried to avoid the rolling hordes and also "roughed up" a security guard who tried to get a group of skateboarders to leave the grounds of a downtown building. As a result, police made 15 arrests during the event.

Despite the police presence, though, skateboarders vowed to return for next year's Go Skateboarding Day and once again rally to skate in downtown Tampa.

"If you love something so much, you're going to fight for it," said Antoine Leacock, 16.

Reporter Andriy R. Pazuniak can be reached at apazuniak@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7827.