Thanks Ross for the link to nddc.org, which I notice has a new site. Sidenote-- I like the faster download for this new site. I must admit I didn’t read the blog since it was such a large first page, but now I’ll poke around in there sometimes.

ALso, FYI, I received an e-mail from Zachary Pruitt of the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative about the breakfast benefit-- Here’s some of it:

The American Legion has generously agreed to host an all-you-can-eat
omelet breakfast for the Northfield Skateboard Coalition on Sunday,
May 20. Omelets and other breakfast items will be served from 8:00 AM
- 12:30 PM at the Legion Ballroom (1005 N. Highway 3 in Northfield).
The American Legion members will make the breakfast and youth from the
Skateboard Coalition will help with set-up, serving, and clean-up.

The youth are working *really* hard to sell tickets for this event.
Ticket costs are $7 for adults, $3 for children under the age of 13,
and free for children under 3. HCI has a number of tickets, so if
you’d like to purchase any (or would like to help the youth sell
some!), please let me know.

Don’t blame all skateboarders

To the editor:

As most of you have probably already heard, last week teenagers, who the police believe to be skateboarders, vandalized the new Northfield pool. I am not here to argue with anyone about this information but I would like to say a couple words on behalf of the Northfield Skateboard Coalition. In no way do we encourage the destruction of public and personal property and we hope that a few misguided youth do not ruin the reputation and hard work of the members of the coalition.

We hope that the people of Northfield look at what happened and do not blame or punish the skateboard community as a whole, but rather look at it as an unfortunate event involving only a few teens that in no way are connected to what we are trying to accomplish. We are working as hard as possible, and the last thing we would wish would be something like the vandalism at the pool. We deeply regret what happened and hope that no one will look at the coalition in a negative view because of this.

If anyone needs more information about our goals, the Skateboard Coalition holds meetings at 5 p.m. Wednesdays at The Key. Everyone is welcome to join us.

Ruth Amerman

For more details on Skatepark activities, see:

http://nddc.org/weblog/post/646/

Ross

I hear it is at the ballroom… omelets. Who knows more specifics?

I suppose we’ll have to swing by there for food that AM--

Sean, why do you really oppose the skate park? Is it the money, or the idea of a congregation, or just that you don’t like the way people discuss the issue?

I agree that it’s not their responsibility to police the whole town. But I think it would help in this case for the organization to have a public response (letter to the editor, blog post, etc) that deplores the destruction at the new pool.

The organization and self-advocacy the local skateboard coalition has accomplished is very impressive, but I don’t know if policing other skateboarders is very plausible. They can probably influence other skateboarders to an extent, but then I agree with Alex -- you can’t let a few renegades ruin the whole thing.

A written code of “skateboarder ethics” would be a great idea. Just like team sports have a good sportsmanship policy. Again, you may not be able to get everyone to adhere, but it would be a good start.

They also established a Snowmobiling Code of Ethics with the state that now gets drilled into the heads of newcomers to the sport.

I’m delighted to hear you’re on the Union of Youth Advisory board.

what can you do publicly to address problems like the damage done by a few problem skateboarders to the new swimming pool last week and the library plaza last year?>

A sarcastic (uh, oh!), but not entirely unrelated response: Griff, as an adult who drives, what can you do to address problems like adult drunk driving in Rice County? Should we assume that all drivers are drunk? That driving leads to drunk driving, so we shouldn’t have streets? I think it is an unfortunate reality that people are too often judged according to the actions of others by people who rely too heavily on stereotyping to understand society.

Another example: The benefits the colleges bring to Northfield are far greater than the associated costs — including rental properties, drugs, biking downtown, theoretically foregone property taxes, voting complications, etc. While some people continually complain about these downsides, stereotype students as freeloading partiers and act like they wish the colleges weren’t here, I strongly believe we are better off as a community with their presence.

In my brief tenure so far on the Key’s Adult Advisory Board, I have attended several Key events and meetings. I went in with pretty high expectations — given that this organization has been youth run since its inception many years ago — but was still blown away with the level of responsibility these guys show. They recognize the impact actions of others have on their own reputation and do work actively to counteract that. They have cleaned up messes others have made, have worked actively to support the community, and continualy strive to raise awareness about their true positive nature.

To me, it is important to support community originated ideas that make sense (think co-op). The Union of Youth and a skatepark are two examples of community oriented things with high benefit and low cost — compare the cost of both of these put together to the cost of any of the other proposed capital projects.

I sympathize with the skate plaza advocates, as I’m a dirt biker (motorcycle trials) and we get unfairly tarnished by the bad behavior of the unruly types, too. We not only have to police ourselves/club members rigorously, we have to speak out/act to address problem behaviors when we see them.

So my question to Joe and other skate plaza advocates: what can you do publicly to address problems like the damage done by a few problem skateboarders to the new swimming pool last week and the library plaza last year? I’ve not seen anything on the Union of Youth blog about this… which would be one way to address it. I thought Ruth Amerman’s recent guest column in the Northfield News was well-written but she didn’t address this problem, either. And I neglected to ask Joe about it in our recent podcast. Anyone know if he addressed it at the NDDC dowtown forum on Tuesday?

One other thought: it would seem that a skate plaza like the one proposed brings a much stronger element of athleticism to skateboarding than simply a place for skateboarders to ‘hang out.’ And that element is likely to attact more parents and other adults to come and watch. Which is partly why more skateparks are adding free wi-fi to the facility.

The reputation of the Key is way over done.

My thoughts exactly.

Give it up already about proving that there is at least one druggie at the Key. That’s so beside the point of this whole discussion. I just have a feeling you are going to have the last word, no matter what. So, I’m signing off -- good night and good luck. It’s been fun.

“Even if you are not an expert in the field, or especially if you are not an expert about skateparks, you could be a little more careful about your assumptions.”

Fair enough, but not all assumptions are false.

Gilly --

“i actually think if there is graffiti, as long as its not inappropriate, that it would be cool.”

Graffiti can be neat-looking, but I think unregulated alterations to public property are still negative. And people doing it really puts a negative light on a neighborhood.

“And I must agree with you Mim, I think Sean needs actually COME INTO the key for once and hang with us stoners and see what its really like. you can’t judge a book by its cover, a youth center by its tattered look, or by the few people rumored to be stoners that hang there.”

Remember, my point about The Key was not that it is a drug-infested environment, only that it’s attained the perception of one because of a minority of kids. Surely you wouldn’t deny that there are some kids of The Key who do drugs excessively?

http://www.caliskatz.com/v4/skatepark_pictures/paloalto/paloalto1_sm.jpg

and if something does show up inappropriate, than we just enlist the artistic abilities of Charlie Hussman, an avid skateboarder and fantastic artist (Creator of the proposed skate park model), to cover it up.

And as for skating downtown, i think that a skate park will help the downtown skate problem. a lot of the kids come to the key and attempt to use the back deck of the Key to skate, but it ruins the deck. So we ask them politely to please stop. but they always answer with “where?!” where do we skate board? we cant skate anywhere downtown, we cant skate any Private parking lot. so where do we go?” They need someplace to go, and this skate park will be that place. And then if there are still skateboarders skating downtown, we simply tell them “you wanted a skate park, now go use it!”

And I must agree with you Mim, I think Sean needs actually COME INTO the key for once and hang with us stoners and see what its really like. you can’t judge a book by its cover, a youth center by its tattered look, or by the few people rumored to be stoners that hang there. and even if there are, they are not/not doing anything while they’re at the key, or they’re be kicked out. I promise Sean, if you come down to hang at least once, we’ll play nothing but Scissor Sisters and Cher on the stereo, Just for you!

I am not exhibit A for “forcing” the park. But I do think you have revealed some prejudices in your statements and assumptions. Even if you are not an expert in the field, or especially if you are not an expert about skateparks, you could be a little more careful about your assumptions. I am just holding up a small mirror, if you will, not trying to force your hand.

As far as the t-shirt goes, maybe you could think of a kinder, gentler slogan. You have a way with words, after all!

“I think you’ve revealed your true prejudice about skateboarders rather than your knowledge and concern about skateparks.”

If you wanted Exhibit A of how supporters of this skatepark are forcing, that would be it. I’m not in any position to actually stop this skatepark. Yet you’re holding me to an unreasonable standard — no I haven’t researched skateparks in extensive detail, but I never said I had. I’m glad other people like you have more experience with skateparks to share. But we didn’t question those who thought three million was too much for the city pool.

I was just a citizen and a teen with concerns. Those concerns were mostly alieviated. But you won’t be finding me in a “dream the inevitable” T-shirt anytime soon.

And no, I don’t think a local skatepark is bound to be drug ridden. Thanks to my son and his friends, I have spent hundreds of hours over the past few years at skateparks in Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Owatonna, Mankato, Superior (WI), Apple Valley, Burnsville, Chanhassen, Winona, and even little ole Cloquet, MN. They are not drug havens. Lots of kids, boys and girls, of all ages are there. Parents are coming and going. Skateparks are out in the open where everyone can see. Most drug and alcohol parties in this town are in somebody’s back yard, or at an “undisclosed” location not privy to the police watch.

I think you’ve revealed your true prejudice about skateboarders rather than your knowledge and concern about skateparks. I also think maybe you should spend some time at the Key, getting to know those stoners.

It almost seems like you’re saying if we build a place for teens to congregate, it’s going to be a drug haven.

Well, for argument’s sake, what if that’s true? As you said, teens in Northfield do do drugs. A lot. Wouldn’t mixed-age semi-supervised environments (like the city pool or the library) be less likely to become drug-associated?