Yahoo News L.A. skateboarders defy stay-at-home orders, remove sand from Venice skate park
A famed Los Angeles skate park was shut down last month to enforce stay-at-home order’s during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials didn’t just hang a sign. They filled the Venice Beach skate park with sand to ensure that it could not be used.
On Monday, skaters took the park back. Armed with shovels, buckets and brooms, skaters took to the park to remove the sand and regain access to their beloved ground.
The act of rebellion was captured on video.
Skaters dig out Venice Skate Park
One skater saw this coming
It was a move foretold by L.A. native and pro skater Paul Rodriguez weeks ago.
“As a skater I was like, damn, that’s aggressive,” Rodriguez told The Undefeated. “That’s like a little stronger than what they needed to do.
“How long is it going to take them before they dig it out? And so it just felt like it was an aggressive message. But as a human, I’m like, we’re going through a pandemic, I mean, we’ve got to do what we got to do.”
Will it last?
L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks representative Rose Watson explained the decision to The Undefeated.
“The sand is a deterrent, which has been used in the past, for those who continue to violate the orders and for the health and wellness of all L.A. residents,” Watson said. “Once the orders are lifted and the skate parks are reopened, the sand will be removed.”
Skaters beat the city to the punch. Whether the sand will remain removed is yet to be seen.
According to TMZ, several police officers stood and watched the Venice dig without interfering.
Skaters took advantage of their renewed access and were using the park again by Monday evening, according to the report.
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