Skateboarding, Prejudice, and the Police

Written by a Skater.

"The other day, I saw my friend Mathew BMX'ing at

the local high school, and went to skate with him.

We saw a cop and I started to get worried. I was all like,

"What if he kicks us out?" So,my friend waves at him.

Later I asked if he was scared, and he said no. I asked why,

and he said that he used to skate, and the 13 times he

skated at the high school, he got kicked out 9 of em.

But when he picked up biking, he started going to the high

school every day, and has never been kicked out. My point

is that I think cops and the high society people are

prejudiced against skaters, which isn't right. They see

inliners and bikers, but don't get mad till the skaters

show up. So do you think this is wrong to?

Is this against what America is about?"

This is a great question, and something that most skaters deal with. 
Have you dealt with this? Here's a poll:

Do skaters get treated fairly in your area?

Skaters are left alone, but other people (bikers and inliners) are treated badly.Yeah! The place where I live is cool with skateboarding.People here seem to dislike skaters more than other people.People here hate skaters, and the cops harass us, and it's not fair.It's illegal to skate where I live. You can ride bikes, but not skate.

Current Results

The prejudice that exists against skaters is wrong, 
but it's there because a lot of skaters don't know how to
 deal with police, and people who hate skaters. Read
 How to Deal with Police Harassment to get some ideas 
for how to deal with bad cops and people who might get in 
your face. Being a skater can be tough, depending on 
where you live. Some places it's worse than others.
 Read other skater's stories in Worst Police Harassment Stories - 
you can even share your own if you have one.

It's sad that we have to deal with so much prejudice,
 but believe it or not it DOES make you stronger. 
People always judge each other shallowly - don't let it
 get to you. Know you YOU are, as a skater, learn 
how to deal with bad cops, and you'll be one step closer 
to being a commanding member of your community. 
And when that happens, use your strength to change 
the culture from the ground up! I think that's the
 best way to do it. What do YOU think? Leave a comment 
if you have an idea!