There are loads of people that are not going to like you...
People from various social groups are not fans of skateboarders. This is where the "Fuck-It" Mentality comes into play. Negative interactions with other discourse groups is a common thing within the skateboarding culture because the places that are fun to skateboard, are often the places covered in "No Skateboarding" signs. It is extremely common for unknown people to come up to skateboarders, regardless of legitimate authority, and attempt to police them around. Depending on who you are, there are multiple reactions to being kicked out of a skate spot and there is truly no "correct way" to handle these interactions.
Cops |
Security Guards & Do-Gooders |
If it is a cop kicking you out of a spot, maybe ask for one more try if you're trying to land a trick for a clip, but a majority of the time, just leave. It is pretty rare to find a spot that is worth getting arrested for. If the cop has already told you before to not skateboard at the spot and you decided to come back, then there is a couple of scenarios that might play out. If there is a high chance of them recognizing you either because it was a short spam of time since you were kicked out last or he/she took down your information, then you are stuck with two choices, attempt to talk your way out of a ticket/ possibly being arrested. The more common choice however is to just book it in the other direction because in the surround Lansing area, it is pretty rare for cops that chase after skateboarders because they often have bigger, more important problems to deal with. Avoid negative conflict with the police as much as possible because these are the only people that have legitimate authority over the skateboarding community. Never get into a physical conflict with the police regardless of how disrespectful they might be, it simply is not worth getting arrested.
People Will Judge YouSkateboarders are often labeled as drunks, druggies, stoners, punks, losers, etc. Anything that has a slight negative connotation behind it, skateboarders have been called it. Now that doesn't mean that it doesn't have some truth behind it. Snake, a local skateboarder, has referred to this community as having the possibility to be "... very unhealthy, especially if you get too sucked into the partying side of it." That being said, that doesn't encompass what this discourse community is really about, which is simply the love of skateboarding.
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These interactions can vary in multiple ways, mostly depending on what type of person you consider yourself to be. Since skateboarding has such a diverse culture behind it, these interactions can be just an exchange of just a few words and leaving the spot, it can be a full-blown argument, it can turn into a physical fight, etc. The majority of the time, if it is a security guard and they're being generally nice using phrases such as "sorry" and "I'm just doing my job", then there is no problem with leaving the spot (and possibly coming back later when they are off duty). If it is the owner or an employee of a business and they come out and attempt to reason with you, then there is definitely nothing wrong with just being respectful and walking away. However, what seems to happen a fair amount is that random citizens will attempt to enforce some sort of authority over you. These people, as Jared Pauli a local Lansing skateboarder, are referred to as the "do-gooders". They feel the need to tell people what to do because they simply do not have anything better to do with their lives. Security guards can also fall into this category of "do-gooders" if they attempt to get into any sort of physical reaction with you such as "citizen's arrest" or take your skateboard from your hands. In this case, there's a fair chance somebody who you are skateboarding with will get into a verbal argument with them which will buy you time to continue skating the spot until the conflict is resolved. If they threaten to call the police then take into consideration how long it will take for the police to show up, and keep skateboarding until you feel the police could show up at any given moment.
Interactions Caught on Tape |
Tips to Resist "Authority"
There isn't a lot one can do to fully avoid conflict with other people while being part of the Lansing skateboarding community, but there are some ways to lessen the severity and frequency of these interactions. One idea is to figure out times when businesses close down for the day to avoid interactions with shop employees and owners. An example is the MSU Bikes Service Center along the river that has a fun ledge to skate outside the shop which is able to be skated without getting kicked out past 5:30 PM during the week and all day on Saturday and Sunday when it is closed. It would also be a good idea to have a "meet-up" spot if cops show up and everybody splits into different directions. These spots can vary depending on where you are skating. Another quality tip is to always bring along the one charismatic friend who can sweet talk their way out of any given situation.