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What I Want to Know About My Topic

There is not exactly an entire list of questions that I would like to know about my topic; however, I would still love to know a few questions. One of these few questions that I want to know is what type of trouble could somebody get in for physically harassing a skater on public grounds for skating? When I chose my topic, this was the first question that popped in my head. I was and still am incredibly curious to know the answer to this question. I figured that if somebody physically harassed a skater on public grounds, the punishment would be jail time depending upon the age of the person. If the attacker was not a minor and the person assaulted was, then of course the person would be put in jail. On the other hand, if both were minors, then I think that the attacker would be put in a Juvenile Detention Center. Another question that I had was what type of problems would a public place or facility face if a skater was to get hurt on their grounds? Would the facility or area get shut down as a result of this, or would the risk of getting sued be added? If a sign prohibiting skateboarding is posted and a skater gets injured, obviously the facility would not be at fault. However, if one is not, what would be the result? Does it depend on whether or not the skater or skater's parents would want to sue? I also wanted to know why people almost immediately force a skater to leave a spot even if they are just hanging out for the time being. For instance, when my friend Jose and I went to skate this grass gap, a random guy told us to leave. We had not even put a foot down on our boards yet either. This occurrence was what sparked and inspired this question. A fourth question that I had was, "why do police get involved almost every time a skater is told to leave a public spot?" If the spot is public, then why is skating on these premises such a big deal and requires law enforcement to resolve? There are no laws that tell a skater he or she cannot skate a spot if it is public. Even when a law is in effect, there are typically signs requiring no such activity on those grounds. Lastly, I was anxious to know why boards are sometimes confiscated by somebody when skating is performed at public places or facilities. What use would somebody that is older and does not even skate have with a skateboard anyways, unless the main purpose would be punishment?

Current Knowledge of Topic

I have some background knowledge of my topic, and I will gladly provide it. First, I already know that the average skater is made out to be something that is not completely true. Skaters are portrayed as rebellious youth that have no morals or values whatsoever. We are categorized as troublemakers that pay no attention to important laws or ordinances. We are made out to be pesky unintelligent instigators. However, most of us really are not. There are always a few bad apples that can ruin it for the rest, but is that not the same for every crowd? Even some police officers occasionally take their power too seriously and abuse it. They are supposed to be enforcers of the law, correct? On top of that, they are supposed to serve and protect. However, some do the complete opposite of their sworn oath. This helps prove that not everybody in any particular crowd is completely perfect. Most skateboarders are extremely humble people and very much like a family to one another. We only become belligerent in certain situations where we see something that is unjust. I suppose that is why we are considered rebellious. It is because we take a stand when we see something that is not right. In doing so, we then get punished for whatever actions we may perform that are classified as "unjust." Is that not contradictory? Why would we get punished for something someone else does that is unjust? Are you not often told from birth to stand up for what you believe in or what is right? Is this information not passed on to us from our parents or guardians? Think about it. Also, we know that there are laws and public enforcement in some areas that prohibit skateboarding. That is why we generally skate places where no signs are posted prohibiting it, but yet we still get the boot. Why is that? That is for both you and me to figure out.

The Story Behind My Topic Choice

The main reason why I chose the topic I did was because I want to figure out from the opposing side why skateboarding seems to be such an issue when performed at public facilities or places. I have seen many cases where a skateboarder is harassed for skating on public grounds and sometimes even assaulted. Being a skateboarder myself, I have been in cases such as these as well. About five months ago, I was skating at a public beach access area and was physically assaulted for skating there along with my friend. Note that the sign posted states the word "public." I did not harm anyone or anything whatsoever. I was merely skating the smooth concrete provided to practice my flatland tricks, and it irritates me knowing that I was physically thrown off of public grounds for simply skating. I did nothing at all to harm or harass anyone. I did not provoke anybody when I was skating either.