20 T
KODAK TX SO
UP FRONT
"Well, it's about time,"
was the first thing Jymi
and I said. Yes, folks, San
Francisco, the skateboard
mecca of the world, now.
has its own skatepark.
Hard to believe? Well, thanks to one man and his big army known as the EYC
(Excelsior Youth Center), it's finally a dream come true.
EYC started about five years ago. To make a long story short, cops were killing
kids, and kids were killing kids, so Jim Espinoza Sr and a select group of volunteers
began lobbying to create more jobs, activities, and resources to accommodate the
Excelsior neighborhood's immense youth population of 11,000-a neighborhood
with the highest juvenile incarceration rate and a small amount of youth services.
Thanks to their summer programs, we were able to get a park for the summer
of '96. If things go well, SF could get a permanent park. (So don't fuckin' mess
it up for the rest of us!) The park is open from 12:00 am to 7:30 pm, Monday
through Saturday. The rule is you have to wear a helmet, but if you don't have
one, they've got a hot, sweaty one just waiting for you. But, get there early
before they're all gone. There are two quarter-pipes a three foot and a five
foot with metal coping, nice banks, a sick ass bank to wall on one side, a
spine, a vert to wall on the other side, and a big fun box from hell.
Wait till you see this place, not to mention some of SF's finest skate dogs:
Chris Dunn, Barker Barrett, Rich Jefferson, Don Carey, Lance Dawes, Gabe
Morford, and my all-time favorite from North Carolina, Scott Bourne. Let's not
forget to thank all of the people and businesses that helped us out: DLX, Think,
FTC, LUS, Jack's, Beronio Lumber, Baldini Realty. The Metal Man, McLaren Park,
SFUSD, Mayor Willie Brown, Tommy Guerrero, Community Assembly of God,
Trash Man Union S50, Park & Rec. Geremo Campos, Dan Perez, Janet Shirley.
Jim Espinoza, Rosa Moore, Bobby Heron, and Mike Maser. I hope I didn't forget
anyone, but thank you all. Don't forget, street still lives, and the hills will
never fall. So, bring a good spirit, and together we'll break motherfuckin'
chaos for the injustices on our youth! Thanks, Jymi.
-Marcos "El Jefe" Nieves
Sequence: Barker Barret uses his transfer and
does a boardslide to fakie on the quarter-pipes.
Top left: Ray Barbee has his head in the clouds.
Bottom left: Cancer gets sick on a wallie.
Right: Separated at birth? SF mayor Willie Brown
and Jake Phelps celebrate the grand opening.
www.
TERING
Wila wil tyler
KOCIAK TX 5063
photos by Open
FOUND
ATION
SUPER
UTENSILS