Editor,
Groms be gone? Really?
As a local father of two boys who both skateboard I always find articles written with such horrifiying accounts of near fatal events with local skateboarders to be taken seriously, but as I wrote many years ago where do these kids go to preform their sport? Dog park? Out. Moulton Meadows? Out. City land in the canyon? Out.
I gave money before my 14-year-old son was born to build a “proposed” skatepark. What a dream to be young again but not to be so naive to really believe that skateboarding would have its own facility.
I don’t want these kids to think they are invincible and that they can roam into the middle of the street with no consequences, I don’t. But as a local I know what these kids are going to do so I slow my truck down. I know my vehicle would kill or seriously wound a skateboarder. Does that mean I prove a point by using it? And then by rolling your window down did you think they would take you seriously because you’re an adult? They would listen and really comprehend what your message of safety was about?
Agree with your proposal of closing the streets from 4 to 7 pm to allow them to “skate”?
Did you listen to yourself? It’s insulting to have someone as yourself comment of your “brush with teenage skateboarding death” when you propose something like that. And where are the parents of these kids? I know where. They most likely do not wish to subject themselves to a “criminal” activity or promote dangerous behavior after all because no teenage boys have ever been accused of that.
Bottom line in my opinion is these kids have nowhere to go and with that being said what do you expect?
Let’s make a solution by encouraging our city to provide a place. Laguna Niguel does and I see our city residents their daily with that money going towards the city and the facility. Laguna Hills has a skatepark. San Clemente has a skatepark. Lake Forest has a skatepark. So why not in my town? It
also provides jobs to a few local residents and for this parent a place I know my kids will want to go!!!
Brandon Haymond, Solag
(South Laguna to you non-locals )
