The only way I can see a teenager owing thousands of dollars is if he actually did that much damage while skateboarding or injured someone.

Either that or he tried to contest it in court and ended up owing legal fees.

Unless you are hooked up into the property's power to power your lights or gear, chances are you'll be fine.
Also, you're subjects will know what is safe to skate and what is not as well, so have them make the judgement call..
oh one more thing, as long as it doesn't look too professional to the security they probably won't do anything but tell you to leave

This is the best I've got.
http://www.skateboard.com/frontside/...ewsletterID=33
If you listen, you can hear my credibility disintegrating. The additional research I did into the odd change of security habit at Mel Lastman Square security and extra postings on other skater forums is long gone.

Of course there's no way of verifying the story but if true, that kid needed a better lawyer. Either that or the city needs to get a better quote on its resurfacing.

It looks like a typical "let's make an example out of him" type of situation to me. I don't know what it is about skateboarding that just drives certain people nuts.

That was what I felt when I found this years ago. I looked at earlier posts about the park that said security never cared what you do. It was like they decided one day to crack down and he was first boarder on the street that morning.

I think the comparison I came up with at the time had to do with overnight installation of bumps in a frequently-sped motorway then watching everyone ruin cars the next morning. Being "right" doesn't have to entail fairness or sensibility.

Even if it never did happen, I'm sure a few wasted evenings with Google would yield even better stories from the more litigious nations. Not all skaters can keep a tough lawyer on staff, and not all cities bother to shop around for cheaper street work.

Eric,
How's the skateboard documentary coming along. I found this thread very interesting and informative. It's getting close to two months since your original post.

My son is a skateboarder and he and his friends go places that I thought would be considered trespassing. It was in a huge car lot. One day we were called by the police to come pickup our son. When I got there I told my son, "see, I told you you'd get in trouble for skating where you don't belong...especially a place of business". The police said that they were not in trouble for skating. The manager of the lot called the police because the boys were leaning against the new cars. My son loved that the police shot me down (figuratively speaking). I told him it's a matter of time.

I'd like to hear what decisions you have made and how things are going.

Good luck!

I, andrew todd am not a lawyer, nor am I offering any legal (or sensible)advice. Any information offered in this thread is simply my opinion.


you're filming skateboarding... a sport... the most hassle you're going to get(and i speak from experience) is some security guard telling you to leave... and if you're lucky enough one fumbly rent a cop type trying to grab a skateboard (great for the camera!!) you're not going to get into any trouble.. the way i see it is that i dont believe anyone is going to waste any time prosecuting a person who films skateboarders..

dont sweat it.. shoot away..

documentary on sneaking into movies, theme parks, concerts
 

They might as well have said "I am looking for a director/actor who can do both while breaking the law". I believe they want a college student so it will look more innocent if they get caught.