Sunday, March 15, 2015

Anarchy in the ENC

Within days of the Sheriff's Department helmet raid at the skate park, nary a helmet can be seen.


Faces have been obscured to protect the free.

21 comments:

  1. Balance the city budget with citations, paid off from the skaters' cigarette and pot money!

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  2. I see a pattern here: bar owners warned, barely fined, continuing to violate crowd and noise ordinances. Skaters warned and fined, continuing to violate safety ordinances.

    The City sure has a hard time keeping things under control, doesn't it?

    Personally, if kids want to permanently (or even temporarily) injure themselves with their parents willing participants, it's not my problem.

    Drunks staggering into neighborhoods and greedy bar owners violating noise and crowd ordinances to the point where I have to step out into the 101 just to pass does affect me. Note though the difference in the will on the part of the City to crack down: none where claims of "anti business" police behavior will be leveled ;)

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    1. Not your problem until a kid's parents sue the city for failing to enforce a law that may have saved their son from brain damage and a lifetime of expensive medical care.

      Not suggesting the city shouldn't crack down on noise, fire code, and drunk driving downtown. They should step enforcement in both places.

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    2. Then get the parents of the little darlins to sign off on City liability for their idiocy. As it stands now no matter how many citations are issued, the parents can still sue, right? So get the City to protect itself and let the idiots go for it.

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  3. I'm with 9:18. Skateboarding is not a crime, but please guys, protect yourselves from permanent brain damage. Even Tony Hawk, who practiced on these ramps, doesn't skate with a helmet. Let's keep it fun and safe if possible. If not, it will ruin it for those who do abide!

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    1. Should have said Tony Hawk doesn't skate without a helmet. Sorry.

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  4. Maybe Marco, the "environmental" attorney. can post his personal injury lawsuit ads on the walls of the skate park! More revenue for the city.

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  5. 11:07- Don't give Marco any more ideas. He has probably already thought of personal injury claims from the Park.

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  6. There are those more mature ??? skaters that are setting the worst example for the younger up and coming riders by not adhering to the city regs on the use of the skate park.

    If they will not step up and it appears they have no intention to do so, closer monitoring is needed. How many citations will it take for those older skaters to get before they are banned permanently? Increasing the fines each time may make a difference but some of those have sponsors so no amount will make much difference until they become persona no grata at the new skate park.

    Will it take shutting down the skate park temporarily to impress upon them to become responsible to the younger users? It would be a shame to deny those who use safety gear but if those more mature??? riders continue to flaunt the regs our city should demand adherence to the posted regs of anyone using the premises.

    Come on guys, your talent may prevent you from injuring yourselves but try to think beyond that to the younger set and assume the mantle of responsibility for those coming up. All it takes is a little maturity. There are many other places you can skate and not be breaking any rules but there at the park you need to show you can step up.

    As for enforcement by the authorities, keep it up until it is shown the users get the message. Keep fining those who refuse to wear safety gear and if it takes banning specific individuals and you know who you are and so do the cops, bring it on.

    Asking for and expecting some maturity from the older skaters is doubtful but
    for the younger participants, you and your parents need to know what is going on there and insist that they abide by the rules.

    It is a shame that these mature?? users don't realize and appreciate the gift they have been given by this community. Adding a fine for their smoking within the parks confines should be considered also until it is shown they get the message.

    They can rebel all they want and hopefully they will pay dearly for it if not in dollars but by being banned from the skate park.

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  7. Simple solution. Change the skate park into basketball courts. The city council built that skateboard park that unfortunately mixes adults or almost adults with children. Or the council could fence off a large area of it for children up to 15 years of age with helmet enforcement. The older skateboarders would have their area greatly reduced for their tricks If that doesn't work demolish the whole park and put in picnic tables with a tot lot.

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  8. That would be a simple solution but perhaps Tony Hawk could be brought in to impress upon those who refuse to abide by the rules that it is past time to show the community that these riders should try to show some respect for the gift they have been given.

    Tony has been a shining example of responsibility to younger skaters and he must know all or most of these older practitioners personally. There couldn't be a better person to impress upon them to do the right thing if they care at all about the gift they have been given.

    Perhaps Tony could act as an intermediary between the park users and the city code enforcement that is not going to go away. All of these abusers of the rules look up to Tony for the example he has set in his life.

    That these few would spoil everything for the rest of them is a shame. Inherently the rebel nature of skateboarding is part of its nature but from the example Tony has set, there is a better way and these few darn well know it.

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  9. I do think that people over 18 should have the option to sign a liability waiver and release. As a part of the process, make them and their next of kin come down to city hall to talk with this guy:

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QLE9SbtTYO8

    And watch a few of these:

    http://m.on.aol.com/video/517860443
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2RLlcrMc2f0
    http://ktla.com/2014/07/17/chino-hills-high-school-basketball-player-17-brain-dead-after-skateboarding-incident/

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  10. Amazing how our wonderful community "gift" of a park is already in turmoil and it will only get worse. I suppose not many had their thinking caps on when this was designed.

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  11. 4:56-This Park has been in turmoil since the CIty bought Mr. Hall's land an decided to build park. I don't know if you have lived here long enough to know this, but from the start it was a huge, expensive mistake, that will only get worse.

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  12. 4pm That idea is as dumb as they come and those who refuse to follow the simple rules that have been in place since the opening, may have to find somewhere else to ride if they can't begin to show some maturity.

    Those rules were not age related. Those who refuse to wear safety equipment couldn't set a worse example to all the younger riders and that is their responsibility whether they want to accept it or not. This is not about just you.

    Prove you deserve this skate park and lead the way. This is not going to go away and if it takes more drastic action by the city to enforce the use of safety equipment, that will be your fault and nobody else's. Tony Hawk knows better and you do too. Show you appreciate this skate park.

    I hope the police dog you guys until you show some maturity to the point where they won't need to keep checking up on you and and citing you repeatedly. At some point the cost of the tickets will have to get through to you.

    I hope repeated citations grow in amounts with each one until it makes an impression and if not on you, your sponsors certainly should make it clear to those few who are paid to ride.

    It shouldn't be too hard to find out who these sponsors are for the few who are being paid and they would not appreciate your behavior one bit.

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    1. I wrote 4:00.

      I am not a skater. My kids don't skate. If they did, it would be with a helmet. I think everyone should wear a helmet.

      But I also recognize a right of adults to make poor decisions. As long as they are educated enough to know the risk, and as long as the taxpayers are shielded from financial harm, then I'd let them do it.

      A famous American Everest climber once told me the same concept. He said he had no problem with climbers who took on very risky routes in bad conditions, as long as they were not expecting rescuers to risk their lives, and they had the experience to accurately assess the risk.

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  13. 8:51 PM
    It's not a question of adults making poor decisions. The city planned the park, but the taxpayers are on the hook for paying off the debt. If the adult skateboarders don't want to follow the safety rules ban them from the park.
    Let the adult skateboarders go to another city that will allow them to rebel and spite in the face of the people paying for the park.

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    1. Get Barth's Brigade to police the park - or Muir, dressed as Smokey the brain damaged bear - only YOU can prevent as it pertains to cerebral catastrophe!

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  14. If you're wondering:

    California Health & Safety Code Division 104 Part 10 Chapter 4 Safe Recreational Land Use Article 2 Section 115800:
      
    (a) No operator of a skateboard park shall permit any person to ride a skateboard therein, unless that person is wearing a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads.

    (b) With respect to any facility, owned or operated by a local public agency, that is designed and maintained for the purpose of recreational skateboard use, and that is not supervised on a regular basis, the requirements of subdivision (a) may be satisfied by compliance with the following:

    (1) Adoption by the local public agency of an ordinance requiring any person riding a skateboard at the facility to wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads.

    (2) The posting of signs at the facility affording reasonable notice that any person riding a skateboard in the facility must wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads, and that any person failing to do so will be subject to citation under the ordinance required by paragraph (1).

    (c) “Local public agency” for purposes of this section includes, but is not limited to, a city, county, or city and county.

    (d) (1) Skateboarding at any facility or park owned or operated by a public entity as a public skateboard park, as provided in paragraph (3), shall be deemed a hazardous recreational activity within the meaning of Section 831.7 of the Government Code if all of the following conditions are met:

    (A) The person skateboarding is 12 years of age or older.

    (B) The skateboarding activity that caused the injury was stunt, trick, or luge skateboarding.

    (C) The skateboard park is on public property that complies with subdivision (a) or (b).

    (2) In addition to the provisions of subdivision (c) of Section 831.7 of the Government Code, nothing in this section is intended to limit the liability of a public entity with respect to any other duty imposed pursuant to existing law, including the duty to protect against dangerous conditions of public property pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 830) of Part 2 of Division 3.6 of Title 1 of the Government Code. However, nothing in this section is intended to abrogate or limit any other legal rights, defenses, or immunities that may otherwise be available at law.
    ...

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  15. Code Enforcement has nothing to do - have them stake out the park and issue warnings/citations. The firemen could take turns too, instead of shopping at Vons.

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  16. They are too busy sleeping or watching movies.

    It's good to be a princess!

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