Kyle Arcomano
Persuasive Writing
Love Park Conflict
The definition of a public park is a place set aside for human recreation and enjoyment for any individual. Here in Philadelphia, there is Love Park, which has earned recognition worldwide from the skateboarding industry. This area is located in center city Philadelphia for the public to access and enjoy whenever they desire. On a daily basis there can be hundreds of people hanging out or walking through the designated area, but other times there can be hundreds of people running from the designated area. These people would be the ones who are restricted from the public park. Society has classified these individuals as unruly and disruptive because they make use of the territory with their skateboards.
Since the year 2000, skateboarders across the nation have been trying to solve the conflict between themselves and Philadelphia city officials. The ongoing battle ended in 2005 when skateboarding was banned at Love Park. Since then, kids of all ages have been getting arrested and fined for trespassing on the public property. What city officials do not understand is that Love Park is a Mecca in the skateboarding industry and has allowed skaters to gain media attention with their progress.
Skateboarders are apart of the public community. Therefore I created a visual argument that represents the battle skateboarders deal with on a daily basis, but I substituted skateboarders with average individuals. Imagine if random people walked through Love Park and got harassed by police because they were trespassing. That is what I wanted to base my argument around, so I placed random individuals getting arrested on the property of Love Park. There will never be a time when average working Americans will be getting arrested at Love Park for being on the property, so why should skateboarders get harassed with $300 fines and jail time for enjoying the property?
To follow up on my argument, I found a commercial that DC shoes produced a couple years ago to advertise for a new shoe called the Verdict. This clip was shown in numerous skateboard videos throughout the world and exposed the conflict with Love Park and skateboarders. It shows Philadelphia skateboarder Josh Kalis skateboarding at Love Park, because he is one of the many riders who got famous in the skateboarding industry because of the terrain at Love Park. The clip brags how skateboarding got too popular in Philadelphia so Love Park got shut down because of the verdict John Street decided on.
Skateboarders tried their best to earn appreciation throughout the city to show John Street we really aren’t bad people. Some individuals established protests at Love Park and City Hall with Edmund Bacon, the architect of City Hall. He explained that he created Love Park for people to enjoy, including skateboarders. What people do not understand is that skateboarders alter the design of a specific landmark for their own enjoyment, and Ed Bacon fully understood that and wanted skateboarders to continue to enjoy his creation.
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