California authorities tried to stop skateboarders by dumping literally tons of sand into at least two area skateparks in an effort to enforce so-called “social distancing.” However, the effort was for naught, it seems.
Young residents in California responded to the government’s extreme social distancing enforcement action by grabbing a few shovels, buckets, and booms and turning at least one sand-filled skatepark into a park for both skating and dirt biking.
“Took advantage of all the sand the city dumped into the San Clemente skatepark then helped some local skaters dig it all out so they could do some social shredding,” Buttery Films’ Instagram account posted at San Clement Skatepark on Sunday.
Famed surfer and actor Kalani Robb added his approval to the comment section, posting a heart emoji.
As seen below in the Instagram post, there is still skating at the park, in an area where the sand has been totally cleared out, as well as dirt bike “shredding” in others parts.
Here’s one portion of the video posted by Buttery Films via Twitter (original Instagram post is available below):
LOOOL checkmate government dweebs
Turning skatepark into a dirt bike track now pic.twitter.com/GYHi6cQvZo
— COLTYBRAH (@coltybrah) April 20, 2020
As noted by The Daily Wire on Sunday, the San Clemente skatepark was recently filled with 37 tons of sand by authorities to discourage skaters and “promote social distancing.”
“San Clemente had shut down all its parks and facilities on April 1 under the state’s stay-at-home orders, but skaters ignored signs warning against trespassing at the Ralphs Skate Court, 241 Avenida La Pata,” Los Angeles CBS reported. “Since park facilities have been closed city officials say they routinely saw people visit the skatepark, even by some children accompanied with their parents, according to the San Clemente Times. City officials told the newspaper they followed in the footsteps of other cities, and filled the skatepark with 37 tons of sand.”
Authorities never notified the nonprofit group that raised money to support the skatepark about the sand dumping.
Skaters kept ignoring the “no trespassing” signs at a Southern California skate park, so city officials dumped 37 tons of sand into it. #CBSLA #WBZ https://t.co/gLAAbK5I3a pic.twitter.com/wZrq9t2mPn
— Nick Emmons (@NickEmmonsTV) April 17, 2020
Authorities manning Venice Beach’s skatepark followed suit days later.
“By Friday afternoon, the ramps and bowls at the park located at 1800 Ocean Front Walk were buried beneath enough sand to make them unrideable,” reported KTLA. “All parks, beaches, bike paths and trails in Los Angeles County are closed until at least May 15 to support social distancing under the county’s Safer at Home order.”
“At Venice Beach, all parking lots, bathrooms, piers and beach access points are also shuttered, along with the boardwalk and Ocean Front Walk. There is some access in the area to essential businesses,” the report added.
Venice Skate Park vs LA COVID Social Distancing pic.twitter.com/x5vMEa0O8C
— HUNTER WE!SS (@Hunter_Weiss) April 18, 2020
The move was widely criticized online, even garnering a reaction from Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
“Clearly, the greatest public- heath threat imaginable…a kid on a skateboard. Young people, remember, this is what Big-government statist Democrats do—they take away your freedom,” the Republican posted online. “And to all the Lefties defending California’s idiocy, skating alone poses ZERO public health threat to anybody. You want to enforce social distancing in public spaces, fine, but filling a skate park with sand—so nobody can use it—is authoritarian abuse of power.”
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