Ordinance defeated

At a well attended Bloomington City Council meeting Wednesday, Bloomington's skateboarders scored a victory when council members voted overwhelmingly against an ordinance that would prohibit use of skateboards in all municipal parking lots and garages, including the Showers Plaza.\nIn a 7-2 vote, only Michael Diekhoff (D-3) and David Sabbagh (D-5) were in favor of the ordinance, supporting their decisions from a public safety standpoint.\nBut other council members were not in accord and felt the ordinance, which was introduced last week by the city's Risk Management department, was "too broad" and singles out skateboarders unfairly.\n"If we pass this vote tonight, from a legal standpoint perspective, skateboarding will be banned from every single parking lot ... It's ridiculous. It's way too broad," said Patricia Cole (D-1).\nOther council members said it would be inappropriate to pass the ordinance without providing any alternative areas for skateboarders' use.\n"I really have trouble supporting this with no viable alternative," said Jason Banach (D-2), "It just doesn't feel right, it just has an ill-feeling about it."\nRick Olsen, co-owner of True Skateboards shop, attended the meeting along with many skateboarders, parents and concerned citizens. Olsen said the ordinance would have treated skateboarders unfairly and that there is a prejudice against the sport.\n"I do hope that the people recognize that this is a passionate issue for us," Olsen said, "There is a prejudice against it (skateboarding) and not recognizing it is a crime."\nSurrounding the discussion were a number of issues which a few council members said were off the mark, such as accusations of discrimination and fear of skateboarders made by some of those at the meeting.\nOne outspoken critic of the ordinance was Rena Redmon, a parent of a Bloomington skateboarder.\nRedmon brought a skateboard and a pair of in-line skates to the meeting and told council members that they were nothing to be afraid of.\nMotioning to the skateboarders in attendance, Redmon then declared, "These are the young men who use the equipment and they're not to be feared either ... Bloomington, what are you afraid of? These are good students. They have ambitions and they have goals."\nCouncilman Andy Ruff (At-Large) dismissed the arguments based on discrimination and said he changed his mind based on some remarks made by ex-councilman and IU professor Jim Sherman. Ruff also said he would keep responsibility in the hands of the skateboarders.\n"I think we need to trust the young people to act responsibly on this one, " Ruff said.\nA proposal for building a skateboard park is being discussed within the Parks and Recreation department in liaison with a committee made up of skateboarders and area residents.\nCheryll Elmore, a representative from the Parks and Recreation department, attended Wednesday's meeting and said Bloomington is looking at the skateboard park in Columbus, Ind., as a possible model. Elmore said the skate park in Columbus took 18 months to complete.\nRegardless, skateboarders are still free to use many of the city's parking lots and garages to practice their sport and have made it clear to the Bloomington community that their sport is growing and will continue to be a big presence in Bloomington.\nThere were happy faces after Wednesday's vote from both skateboarders and older citizens as they left the council meeting, and some skateboarders had felt confident the ordinance would not be passed. John Hayes, a student from Elletsville who comes to Bloomington about three or four times a week to skate, said the victory might change the way people look at skateboarders.\nOthers like James Robinson-Long, a 32-year Bloomington resident who spoke out at the meeting, said he found it a great moment for skateboarders in more ways than one.\n"I think it's wonderful," Robinson-Long said, "It's really wonderful because these young citizens get to see that they make a difference in a legal way. It's extraordinary. It's democracy at work"