Sophie Gilchrist
Sports Editor

San Francisco city law has prohibited skateboarding any place other than in a skate park since 1999, but this law was not well known until recently.

In late September a video was released on YouTube of a group of teens who were fined for skateboarding in the city. One of the teens, Zack Stow, was arrested after he called an officer a string of profanities. Since its release, the video has had over 160,000 views.

According to San Francisco law (Article 7.2.13) it is illegal for non-motorized user-propelled vehicles to ride any sidewalks or streets in any business district within the city.

San Francisco District Supervisor John Avalos said a week after the incident that he is calling for a legislative analyst survey regarding San Francisco’s skateboard laws to see what changes can be made.

“My children, perhaps, are maybe breaking the law,” said Avalos in a press conference. “I think it’s important for us as a city [to] understand what our laws mean towards skateboarding in terms of skateboarders’ ability to move freely about the city and to get to the places where they can skateboard, such as skateboard parks.”

San Francisco’s first permanent skate park first opened in July 2001. Skateboarders were not legally allowed to skate anywhere in the city for two years.

Skateboarding is a healthful way for youths to spend recreational time in an expensive city. For many riders, their boards serve as a means for easy and free transportation.

This law discriminates against skateboarders who as a group have a reputation of being reckless, but this generalization is not entirely true as not all skaters fit the mold of carelessness and rudeness.

Skateboarding in San Francisco should be legal as long as the rider is acting wisely and safe, wearing protective equipment and should not be able to skateboard on private places where skating can destroy property.

Driving around skateboarders on the street during work hours can be dangerous. Skateboarders should be restricted to residential neighborhoods and business districts on the weekends.

Not all California city laws completely prohibit skateboarding. Los Angeles County allows riding a skateboard on a country road, street, highway, lane or alley as long as the grade is lower than 3 percent and the skateboarder is riding slower than 10 miles per hour.

While the 3 percent grade is unrealistic in many parts of hilly San Francisco, Los Angeles’ skateboarding laws still restrict the rider, but it as least does not make it illegal.

Hopefully the city can address these complaints and come to a compromise where skateboarders and citizens can agree.