Bordertown update.

AN EXAMINATION on the process of constructing a DIY skatepark on government property in Oakland, CA:

Blood, fire, sweat, piss, shit, mud, rain, dodging crackadiles, leaping over lakes of doo doo water, not sticking yerself with a needle, shoveling, digging, shoveling and digging some more, stacking rocks, burning garbage at two in the morning with safety vests on so you look legit, stealing rebar and plywood so you can set up the next pour, BBQ Sundays, cheeseburgers, Jim Beam, late nights, no sleep, going to meetings, cleaning up the hood, fund raising--and did I mention digging and not giving a fuck about consequences, fame, money, or becoming movie stars? The only thing we give a luck about is skateboarding and building good shit. Bordertown lifers will not rest until the park is open, and we'll die before they take it from us. Period.

Let me give you a little idea of what we've had to do to keep this project from becoming just a memory. Hank Plante from Channel 5 news was the first reporter to cover the story, and a fine job he did. Oakland City Council president Ignacio De La Fuente and Senator Barbara Boxer showed up for a personal interview. So with all this good press and support, CalTrans agreed to a meeting. It was the first of many, and the most important. CalTrans agreed to lease 10,000 square feet of the land to the city, and in turn the city would sublease it to Bordertown. Great; what do we have to do? That's it. No problem! We had a lawyer help us with a 501C3 application. 501C3 is the key to forming a non-profit organization and getting a tax ID number. Got that. At the same time, the website's already going (bordertownskatepark.org) and Deluxe threw down for a year's worth of insurance. So now we're an established nonprofit, but it's still not enough for them to let us back down there. We just want to skate and work on the plans in the meantime. Nope, not safe!

Charles Prograce, an engineer who had done some park designs and has his own company, R3 engineering, eventually contacted us. He was interested in helping out, and he couldn't have come at a better time. We needed our own plans and he could speak CalTrans' language. He's been working with them on making the park legit.

WE'VE SUBMITTED some plans, but every little last detail must be examined--that means rebar spacing, dirt compaction, rock compaction, drainage, elevation--they're not gonna leave anything out. It's a slow process, but at the same time we're learning how to build parks and do things right. Thanks for all the support; it won't be long!