Cops vs. Robbers... or, in this case, skateboarders
Story: Nathan Gentry
Photography: Nathan Gentry
When Dave Reddick refused orders by Pittsburgh Police to stop filming skateboarding tricks along Cherry Street, an officer smacked the microphone off his expensive camera.
Previous Gateway Center Security Guard, Greg Cook was so insistent on keeping skaters from occupying the famous landmark that a heated argument ensued.
Robert Lampenfield often battles no avail to prevent skaters from returning to ramp-like abutment sitting in front of his home.
Photography: Nathan Gentry
When Dave Reddick refused orders by Pittsburgh Police to stop filming skateboarding tricks along Cherry Street, an officer smacked the microphone off his expensive camera.
Previous Gateway Center Security Guard, Greg Cook was so insistent on keeping skaters from occupying the famous landmark that a heated argument ensued.
Robert Lampenfield often battles no avail to prevent skaters from returning to ramp-like abutment sitting in front of his home.
Skateboarder skateboarding in front of homeowner, Robert Lampenfield's, home.
Throughout the years, in Pittsburgh and across America, skateboarders have said that they are in a constant battle with the police and security personnel to avoid harassment, such as discriminatory name calling; damaged or broken cameras and skateboards, and even legal trouble like tickets and arrest.
“Our officers are not out to harm or harass skateboarders,” said Assistant Chief Officer of Point Park University, Bernie Merrick.
“What we are trying to prevent is harm to pedestrians and property. By preventing skateboarding on sidewalks, or areas heavily used by pedestrians, we can reduce the number of accidents to pedestrians, and also prevent any damages that may be inflicted by skateboarders,” said Merrick.
According to the Pennsylvania Law: “No person shall be permitted to ride a skateboard, roller skates, scooter or bicycle on the sidewalks of any business district within the city.”
By violating this law, skateboarders could receive a $25 fine for their first offense. Moreover, the issue of damaged property and even monuments has been an issue inflicted by skateboarders. Another ordinance states that skaters and others alike can be fined up to $2,000 for damaging or defacing public property, monuments, and benchmarks.
After ignoring an officers request to stop filming his friends skateboarding, Dave Reddick, who often visits Pittsburgh to skate, continued filming his friends doing skateboard tricks on a bench alongside Cherry Street and Boulevard of the Allies. This is when Reddick said the officer started to become hostile.
“The cop did ask me to stop filming, which I would have done, but he gave me no time to set my camera down,” said Reddick. That’s when he took things way too far and smacked the microphone off my camera. I am not sure if he knows how much that equipment cost, but I know that the situation could have been handled much better.”
Reddick went on to say that he was not ticketed, nor did he take the issue up with the city. Instead, he and his friends packed up their belongings and accepted that police just do not like skateboarders.
Security Guard, Greg Cook, was monitoring the Gateway Center one night when he noticed skaters grinding the ledges on the property of the Center. Seeing the potential risk of harming pedestrians, Cook asked them several times to leave. However, when the “nuisances” continued to linger, he threatened to call for police to take over the situation.
“Our officers are not out to harm or harass skateboarders,” said Assistant Chief Officer of Point Park University, Bernie Merrick.
“What we are trying to prevent is harm to pedestrians and property. By preventing skateboarding on sidewalks, or areas heavily used by pedestrians, we can reduce the number of accidents to pedestrians, and also prevent any damages that may be inflicted by skateboarders,” said Merrick.
According to the Pennsylvania Law: “No person shall be permitted to ride a skateboard, roller skates, scooter or bicycle on the sidewalks of any business district within the city.”
By violating this law, skateboarders could receive a $25 fine for their first offense. Moreover, the issue of damaged property and even monuments has been an issue inflicted by skateboarders. Another ordinance states that skaters and others alike can be fined up to $2,000 for damaging or defacing public property, monuments, and benchmarks.
After ignoring an officers request to stop filming his friends skateboarding, Dave Reddick, who often visits Pittsburgh to skate, continued filming his friends doing skateboard tricks on a bench alongside Cherry Street and Boulevard of the Allies. This is when Reddick said the officer started to become hostile.
“The cop did ask me to stop filming, which I would have done, but he gave me no time to set my camera down,” said Reddick. That’s when he took things way too far and smacked the microphone off my camera. I am not sure if he knows how much that equipment cost, but I know that the situation could have been handled much better.”
Reddick went on to say that he was not ticketed, nor did he take the issue up with the city. Instead, he and his friends packed up their belongings and accepted that police just do not like skateboarders.
Security Guard, Greg Cook, was monitoring the Gateway Center one night when he noticed skaters grinding the ledges on the property of the Center. Seeing the potential risk of harming pedestrians, Cook asked them several times to leave. However, when the “nuisances” continued to linger, he threatened to call for police to take over the situation.
Gateway Center, where Cook was working during time of incident.
“I don’t care what the situation was, I was going to, get those skaters off the property,” said Cook. They could have argued that they were not doing anything wrong all day, but when it came down to it, they were not only annoying pedestrians but also breaking the granite benches.”
Example of skateboarder-inflicted damages found in various places downtown Pittsburgh.
When it seemed that the skaters were going to argue all day that they weren’t doing anything wrong, Cook’s threats to call for back-up law enforcement convinced the skaters that they needed to leave.
An additional altercation occurred at the Gateway Center when skateboarder, Tyler Hendsley and his friends were accused of being drug dealers by security. Although Tyler mentioned that they were just waiting for their bus, the security guard went on to search them.
“We were just sitting on our boards waiting for the bus when security guards ran outside and began searching our pockets and calling us druggies,” said Hendsley, who typically wears baggy clothes. They assumed by the way we dressed that we were criminals and the whole situation took so long that we missed our ride home.”
Like many other instances, Hendsley and his friends were let off without any fines, but also left with the hassles of finding a ride home considering the whole dilemma caused them to miss their bus.
Meanwhile, property owners like Robert Lampenfield, are often in the midst of a battle to keep skaters from returning to his property, where a ramp-like structure, perfect for skateboarding, sits in his front yard.
"I see them (skateboarders) skating right in front of my house all the time," said Lampenfield. "No matter how times I tell them to leave, it seems like they still come back. Something has got to give here."
Lampenfield mentioned that he is not only concerned with the integrity of his home but also nervous that an injury could make him liable to more outstanding issues.
"Obviously, they are putting my home at risk of damages, which is a huge concern, but if they get hurt, I could be responsible because they are on my property," explained Lampenfield.
Point State Park, has also served as a hot-bed for skateboarders, like Shawn Reese, as law-enforcement look to prevent further damages from occurring to the structures of the park.
"The cops kept demanding that we leave because we were damaging the sidewalk, but we stuck around because there was no way simply rolling around was damaging anything, said Reese."
After disregarding the officers request to leave, Reese found himself in an uncomfortable situation with the officers.
"The cops got pretty hostile by calling me a dumbass, skater-fag and then he physically pulled me by my shirt off the property. The officers didn't charge us with anything, but there was no reason for them to take the situation to a personal or physical level," said Reese.
Manager of Point State Park, Jacob Weiland, does not recall hearing about any of his officers acting aggressively towards skateboarders but mentioned there are laws in place and enforced by the officers that are intended to prevent skateboarders from skating in the park.
“Our officers are not out the to abuse or harass skaters, but to protect the pedestrians in the park and also protect the property of the park,” said Weiland.
In 2012, Point State Park underwent a $13-million restoration project called, The Capital Project, in order to repair damages, which may or may not have been inflicted by skateboarders, to the parks monuments, structures, benches and green spaces.
“13-million-dollars is obviously a lot of money and when that money is coming out of tax-payer’s pockets, there is a need to prevent those damages from happening in the future,” Weiland explained. “Unfortunately, skateboarding is one of the factors that play a role in damages, so it is one of the actions that we look to prevent within our park.”
An additional altercation occurred at the Gateway Center when skateboarder, Tyler Hendsley and his friends were accused of being drug dealers by security. Although Tyler mentioned that they were just waiting for their bus, the security guard went on to search them.
“We were just sitting on our boards waiting for the bus when security guards ran outside and began searching our pockets and calling us druggies,” said Hendsley, who typically wears baggy clothes. They assumed by the way we dressed that we were criminals and the whole situation took so long that we missed our ride home.”
Like many other instances, Hendsley and his friends were let off without any fines, but also left with the hassles of finding a ride home considering the whole dilemma caused them to miss their bus.
Meanwhile, property owners like Robert Lampenfield, are often in the midst of a battle to keep skaters from returning to his property, where a ramp-like structure, perfect for skateboarding, sits in his front yard.
"I see them (skateboarders) skating right in front of my house all the time," said Lampenfield. "No matter how times I tell them to leave, it seems like they still come back. Something has got to give here."
Lampenfield mentioned that he is not only concerned with the integrity of his home but also nervous that an injury could make him liable to more outstanding issues.
"Obviously, they are putting my home at risk of damages, which is a huge concern, but if they get hurt, I could be responsible because they are on my property," explained Lampenfield.
Point State Park, has also served as a hot-bed for skateboarders, like Shawn Reese, as law-enforcement look to prevent further damages from occurring to the structures of the park.
"The cops kept demanding that we leave because we were damaging the sidewalk, but we stuck around because there was no way simply rolling around was damaging anything, said Reese."
After disregarding the officers request to leave, Reese found himself in an uncomfortable situation with the officers.
"The cops got pretty hostile by calling me a dumbass, skater-fag and then he physically pulled me by my shirt off the property. The officers didn't charge us with anything, but there was no reason for them to take the situation to a personal or physical level," said Reese.
Manager of Point State Park, Jacob Weiland, does not recall hearing about any of his officers acting aggressively towards skateboarders but mentioned there are laws in place and enforced by the officers that are intended to prevent skateboarders from skating in the park.
“Our officers are not out the to abuse or harass skaters, but to protect the pedestrians in the park and also protect the property of the park,” said Weiland.
In 2012, Point State Park underwent a $13-million restoration project called, The Capital Project, in order to repair damages, which may or may not have been inflicted by skateboarders, to the parks monuments, structures, benches and green spaces.
“13-million-dollars is obviously a lot of money and when that money is coming out of tax-payer’s pockets, there is a need to prevent those damages from happening in the future,” Weiland explained. “Unfortunately, skateboarding is one of the factors that play a role in damages, so it is one of the actions that we look to prevent within our park.”
Although skateboarders claim that they are harshly treated by law enforcement, Point Park's Merrick mentioned that he and his officers respect skateboarders, but they also want to keep the sidewalks safe for walkers.
“We aren’t looking to mess with skateboarders and in many cases, if the skateboarder is using their skateboard as a form of transportation, we will let them go,” said Merrick. However, the second we think that they are presenting a hazard to the public and its property, we have to intervene.”
Merrick and the skateboarders may not agree with the system, but members on all sides of this controversy hope that is does not evolve into a Cops and Robbers story, instead a mutual agreement where two sides come together and find a way to respect each other’s space, property and personnel.
“Hopefully, one day we (skateboarders) can learn respect each other as just skaters trying to have fun, or officers trying to do enforce the law,” said Reddick.
“We aren’t looking to mess with skateboarders and in many cases, if the skateboarder is using their skateboard as a form of transportation, we will let them go,” said Merrick. However, the second we think that they are presenting a hazard to the public and its property, we have to intervene.”
Merrick and the skateboarders may not agree with the system, but members on all sides of this controversy hope that is does not evolve into a Cops and Robbers story, instead a mutual agreement where two sides come together and find a way to respect each other’s space, property and personnel.
“Hopefully, one day we (skateboarders) can learn respect each other as just skaters trying to have fun, or officers trying to do enforce the law,” said Reddick.