Smithtown Skateboarders

[Bob R]

I'm a member of St. Thomas and do feel for the young men AKA Smithtown Skateboarders. At the same time feel the stress and pressure of the folks at St. Andrews. First the incident with the Pastor I'm sure was in the heat of the moment.
As stated in many reply's from the young men.
St. Andrews is very worried about a law suit if something very bad happen to one of you.
I'm a retired NYPD Police Officer and have approched some of these young men a few different times. I do live near St.Andrews and know some of them and some not at all. We did have some long talks and these young men where very polite and understanding to the problem, to which this topic is being discussed.
You guys should NOT feel you are looked on as Drug Dealers, You are fine young men doing a sport you love and the people of Smithtown should rally around you and give you a venue
to do this extremly difficult sport. After all
it is in the EXgames. It is very big in the USA!!!!! Skakeboarding..........
This is my town also and the Taxpayers should try to help these Skateboards with a decent place to do their stuff!!!!!
Smithtown is a wonderful place to live lets not make it into something we really don't want! I have been there with vandalism, trespassing,drug dealing and many other very bad crimes, real crime. So give the young men a chance talk to them they live hear too.
Just a thought try a small area in say Brady Park or Moriches The land is owers(Town of Smithtown) just pay for some Aspalt.
Hey guys get together with your parents and talk to our Elected Officals:
Senator John Flanagan
Assemblyman Michael J. Fitzpatrick
Town of Smithtown
Supervisor Patrick R. Vecchio
Parks William J. Murphy
These are just a few men tell your parents NOW before this goes further. Show Smithtown they are wrong about skateboarders, if you need help getting a park go to the people that can help you and your friends.
This discussion is just a start don't let it end or your skateboarding might come to an end sooner than later.
I wish you guys the Best,
Bob R.

[mary]

I am a 45 yr old woman living in smithtown. I believe that the town is being harsh on the young adults who skateboard. Katherine I respect your beliefs but living in a nighborhood with "skateboarders" i can say that they arent any different than sporty young adults. They enjoy another sport but are being seen as trespassers because they have no where to skate. They dont have the same priviliges as kids who play soccer or baseball and can just go to a public field. I believe that the town should use our tax money to make a Skatepark, it would be helpfull for not just the adults but also the skateboarders to have a place to safely skate and not be seen as bad kids. Thank you for giving me the time to preach my thoughts.

[mike i]

I am a skateboarder from smith town i skate every day. No one kick us out of place before. I think you should bild a skate park for us so we have a place to go and do what we do

[Dylan]

im a biker from smithtown and i think that whole cursing out the priest or rabbi was bad but its was just a heat of the moment thing and that if they dont watn things like that to happen again then they should just take the money they put into our sport teams that havnt won any championships in a while and give it back to the kids and build a skate/bike park biking and skateboarding has kept most of the kids in smithtown off drugs and kept them in school

[wendylady]

As the mother of 3 sons who BMX and a former resident of Smithtown, I agree that the easiest way to curb your problem is to construct a skatepark. You want the kids away from the shopping areas? Build them a place to go. Many of the skaters and BMXs are too young to have a drivers' license, so it is unreasonable to expect them to drive out to Greenport. Doesn't it make sense to give them a place where they can be physically fit, NOT vandalize or inconvience others, and have them in a safer environment? Wake up guys and smell the coffee - this is a legitimate sport, just like football and soccer. There is even talk of incorporating BMX and skateboarding into the Olympics. You are not going to prevent them from riding (nor should you), why don't you provide them a spot to do it?

[that nick stuff]

yeaa man i ride a bike and we should really have a skatepark or bike park or somehting around here man it would really go towarrds the good of the community man that would be cool man

[Dylan]

i am a 16 year old biker and katerine skating and Biking is not ILLEGAL, so of course the cops cant do any thing. our town is full of drug dealers and drug addicts so would you guys rather us turn to drugs our something we love to do. plus smithtown wastes our tax dollars on usless stuff if this was such a problem to the town they should step up and say something. If it is a problem to them then they should biuld a skate park for us to skate and bike with out trespassing. dont u think it would just be easier for the town to build a skate park. how about u complain to the town and not us.

[skater]

if smithtown built a place for us to skate we wouldnt cause much harm

[Tom]

Katherine wrote:

I am concerned about the many stories I have heard about the young male skateboarders in Smithtown. Many of Smithtowns businesses, churches, and public spaces are being held hostage by 15 year old boys. Police can do little, town can do nothing and parents either don't care or don't know. They are vandalizing, trespassing, and in conveniencing many. I heard they cursed out and threatened a minister in town! What can our Smithtown do?

ARE YOU KIDDING!

We don't do anything wrong. We want to skate THATS ALL!

Its just people like you who call the cops for so called "Vandalism," that make this town suck.

Just to let you know my parents are fine with letting me skate anywhere I want.

And I am also glad that someone would stand up for the skating communtity and curse out the minister. I bet you that guy deserved it because he is probably stuck up like all of you retarded people.

[scotto]

im am also a skater from commack and i agree that the tax dollars are going to stupidshit and the football teams do suck, although it is possible to go to greenlawn skatepark... its still outdoors and when it rains theres nowhere else to go except new buildings being built... and get kicked out within an hour... also not everyone can afford to pay for it,, tanner skate park (all the way in copaigue) is free and places in that area dont complain about skaters anymore but its also outdoors

[dont worry about it]

even if a skatepark is built, kids will still hit up the street spots. skateparks make kids pay to get in and force them to wear helmets. part of what makes skateboarding fun is its rebelious nature. it should never be accepted as a mainstream sport because lose a vital part of what makes it special. no matter what you do we will skate anywhere we want and no matter how many times we get kicked out we will come back untill we move on to a new spot. DEAL WITH IT!