The Tigard Situation

There’s a saying goes something like this: “youth is wasted on the young”. Some days that may be true and others it may not be true at all. As long as we are being honest, truth be told, I am no longer young and I don't care what they do with their time. But, I do fear for the young. That is to say I’m not afraid of them but I fear for their future. Scary things have happened in the United States the past few years. Some high minded officials feel they can suspend our rights and liberties whenever they please. I am not a fan of this. In particular any time one of my Constitutional rights is suspended, I worry greatly. So should you. That’s why we will now turn our attention to the Tigard Skate park in Oregon.

Thanks to skateandannoy.com I've been keeping close tabs on this interesting development. The park got an interesting rep from the get go with the whole “dino-spine” but what came next was a bit sketchy. Rule #3 on the sign posted as you enter Tigard says by entering the park you will voluntarily submit to a search of your personal property (backpacks, bags, etc). Whoa, hold on I seem to recall a certain Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting illegal search and seizure. I didn’t attend law school but, I am fairly certain that posted sign with multiple rules about skate park behavior and etiquette can not suspend your Constitutional Rights as a citizen of the United States of America. Call me crazy but that seems to make a little sense.

So support the skaters out in Oregon and donate some cash so they can print up the stickers posted below. This will assist in bringing a higher level of awareness to this issue. More importantly, never surrender your rights to anybody. Making concessions to a “good idea at the time” can lead you down a path different from what you originally intended. If a skate park is intended for recreation, enjoyment and expression then the use of the said facility to suspend the inalienable rights of Americans runs counter to everything it once stood for.

A quick FYI from skateandannoy.com

The design and specs of the sticker have not been finalized yet. We’ll post it when it is done.

You can mail in well concealed cash (no checks!), just make sure you include the word “Tigard” somewhere on or in the envelope.

Skate and Annoy TIGARD FUND
3439 NE Sandy Blvd
PMB#666
Portland OR
97232

Or you can donate via Paypal. Important: Your Paypal Payment pages will show up as payments to Cold War Skateboards, but that’s not an error, it’s just how the Paypal account is set up.

Image courtesy: skateandannoy.com

Image courtsy: Earthpatrolmedia.com