Since it opened in June 2018, the St. Petersburg Police Department has responded to at least 45 calls at or near the St. Petersburg Regional Skatepark at 600 12th St. S. That’s according to police records, which also show that most of the calls have been related to vehicular burglary (nine), auto theft (six), citizens contact (four), or calls for assistance regarding narcotics and drug law violations (three each). There have also been five calls related to battery, aggravated battery or brawling and one related to grand theft.
Those issues are nothing new to anyone who's seen a skatepark get planted in a blighted part of a neighborhood (Bro Bowl, anybody?). And while casual observers may see the park as a nuisance, the St. Petersburg Skatepark Alliance has been working hard with local officials to make sure that the free and unsupervised park — which took nearly five years of lobbying to turn into a reality — becomes a safe and everlasting asset to the community.
“These types of problems unfortunately happen at parks all across the city. It isn't fair to single out Campbell Park and the St. Pete Skatepark,” the Alliance told CL in an email. A recent Spring into Safety Event helped 40 kids learn skateboarding safety and skatepark etiquette and sent them home with a new skateboard and properly fitted helmet. The Alliance continues to engage the police and community to mitigate as many of the issues as possible.
The police department, for its part, has increased the number of Park, Walk and Talks and Directed Patrols in the area. Officials also told CL that they have recently made an arrest in which the suspect was involved in many of the incidents. That arrest, according to police, seems to have cleared up many of the issues at 600 12th St. S..
Still, in an effort to limit incidents, police encourage people to skate with their valuables on them and not to leave belongings (especially keys) on park benches while skating. According to the Alliance, the sustainability and safety of the park is everyone’s responsibility.
“We need everyone to work together, if you see something going on that shouldn't be, call the police. Don't leave personal items unattended. Don't engage people if they are being aggressive,” they said. “We spent four-and-a-half years advocating for an unsupervised & free skatepark. It is all of our responsibilities to take ownership of it and make sure stays safe and clean for everyone.”
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This article appears in Mar 14-21, 2019.