Despite the San Francisco Police Department’s pleas for skaters to stay away from Dolores Park today, the annual hill bomb went on — and was calmer than expected.
Skaters attending the much-anticipated event skipped the heavily barricaded Dolores Street hill to instead roll through the park before moving to the steeper Church Street. There was no sign of the confrontations with police that marked last year’s version of the downhill race.
One fight between a skater and spectator started and quickly ended after crowd members intervened. Several skaters crashed, and one sat on the sidewalk attended by volunteer medics examining a bloody cut to the head.
Paramedics took at least one skater to the hospital. Shortly after 8 p.m., a young man lost control at the bottom of Church and crashed, apparently slamming his head onto the raised curb. Fire department EMTs quickly attended to him and put him on a gurney. He threw his hands up with bravado as he was wheeled into the ambulance. The crowd up and down the hill cheered.
More than a hundred San Francisco police officers had shut down the park to downhill skating in the hours before skaters arrived, zip-tying barricades together in a zig-zag pattern on sidewalks and blocking the intersections all along Dolores Street. Officers manned the barriers, and police wagons circled the park.
So skaters turned to a less-policed area — the park itself — before moving onto steeper Church Street, on the other side of the park.
“Everyone stay to the side! No crossing!” shouted Chris Long, a veteran skater who urged the throngs lining Church to leave room for those racing downhill.
Skaters zoomed down the street precipitously fast as the crowd hollered and clapped. Whenever a skater reached the bottom safely, the crowd erupted in applause; if they crashed, the crowd groaned.
“It’s kinda like playing pinball in real life,” said Amire Lofton, a seasoned downhill skater who has attended several hill bombs.
Personal speakers blared with music, teenagers and 20-somethings poured liquor into plastic cups and started drinking Modelos and other light beer, and photographers and reporters dashed around, hoping to get a magic shot.
The annual event typically brings hundreds of skaters and spectators to the park in the summer. It is dangerous and has, in the past, resulted in serious head injuries, a coma, and a death. And last year, the police encircled and arrested 113 young people after crowd members tagged buildings and Muni vehicles, and threw cans and bottles at officers.
The mass arrest resulted in a class-action civil-rights lawsuit that is still brewing. Teenagers arrested by police allege that officers violated their constitutional rights and mistreated them by keeping them detained for hours into the night.
But there were no such confrontations tonight. By 9:30 p.m., the crowd along Church Street had thinned. Someone stood playing slow guitar music while a few skaters descended the hill one last time. Police cut the zip ties holding together barricades shortly before 10 p.m. and reopened roads.
A handful of officers walked along the street, giving some skaters high-fives.
Police had started the day well-prepared: Barricades sat in groups up and down Dolores Street on Saturday morning and, shortly after 3 p.m., officers began stringing them together to block the roads and sidewalks.
Around 5 p.m., skaters started going downhill along the central walkway in Dolores Park to avoid the barriers. Two park ranger vehicles and metal barricades lay across the area, meaning skaters were forced to dip and dodge the obstacles while making tight turns. Lofton often sat on his board as he bombed the small stretch.
“It feels fun, but not the fun I want. It’s still blocked off, cops regulating everything,” Lofton said. “It’s not what it used to be … skaters are supposed to bomb hills and have fun, and not worry about cops.”
Omar Arroyo, 24, who was attending for the first time, had a different take.
“It’s sick, man, I love the obstacles, too,” he said, after skating shirtless several times; he panted while chugging water, and cheered others skating down. “I love riding through shit, just dodging.”
Aaron Breetwor, a skating advocate who has been pushing city officials to sanction the event, distributed two dozen helmets to those in the park. The skaters were thrilled. “Stay safe!” one shouted. “What a dope-ass helmet,” another said, donning it and skating down again.
“I’ve never had a helmet in my life,” said another.
The park rangers largely ignored the skaters while they were within the park, although around 4 p.m., two rangers arrested a young man for allegedly obstructing one of their vehicles. He said he was not a skater and did not have a skateboard with him, and was confused about why he was detained. They walked him down the hill as the crowd jeered, and held him for some 10 minutes before citing and releasing him. He declined to give a name.
Groups of people had crammed into shade beneath the palm trees, spectating. They cheered and clapped whenever novice skaters exhibited a little daring and jumped on a board to go downhill; the short stretch was more inviting to beginners than either Dolores or Church streets. Dogs occasionally barked and chased skaters, causing them to abandon ship and run off their boards.
Police officers largely remained on on the sidelines throughout, leaving the skaters alone, but staying close enough to step in for trouble.
Additional reporting by Kelly Waldron.
I would love to know how much money SFPD had to pay out in overtime to block all those streets.
And for the EMT’s standing by, park rangers, whoever put up the barriers etc. one expensive day for the city.
So you’d rather the daring skaters who defied SFPD and bombed down Church and got injured should just be left to suffer?? No EMT’s present for fear of “wasting” city funds? Whether you know or appreciate or not, the primary duty of SFPD and SFFD is PUBLIC SAFETY, and that’s what they did, altho the skaters are too self-absorbed to realize that even when they do stupid things, the city is watching over them.
See the cops really do not care about teen skateboarding, they just decided to earn a TON of overtime and watched the kids skate down Church. SF cops only know how to waste a ton of money.
It’s heartening that the police brass this year had the wisdom not to escalate by trying to stop the event after it moved to Church Street. Glad it all went down peacefully.
The injuries are sad. Bombing down the hill like that seems like a dumb risk to take, and I’d certainly never go for it. But it’s a risk people are choosing for themselves. And it’s clear from experience that a heavy-handed police attempt to stop it doesn’t make things safer.
Hopefully, no property was damaged.
The top of the article seems to indicate it was written at 7:53 PM, but it discusses things that happened after 8PM. It would be noice to know how recently this was updated. It’s weird to think that I can’r count on the times at the top meaning very much.
The city should just allow this event to happen. Let them close Dolores street for a few hours, and have the police to be present to prevent and address any kind of illegal behavior like this time. If they want to break their skulls going fast down the street, let them have it! They love it, and they’re gonna do it whether we like it or not, so might as well make it safer for everyone (skaters and neighbors alike) and let them have a sanctioned event. Better on Dolores than Church though. Church street is so steep! and at 18th street is so dangerous with the J train, I’m surprised no one got seriously injured.
Win-win! Stupid ass SFPD got outflanked and the skaters did their thing on Dolores and 19th, right by Garry Tan’s house. I bet Garry clutched all of his pearls.
I’m proud of the skaters for not being intimidated. Police go pound sand, you public servants.
This is proof that SFPD should have worked with these skateboarders instead of being outsmarted by them.
TLDR: Once again, San Francisco is unable to enforce its laws and keep its streets safe.
And once again, Mission Local is on the side of the scofflaws.
Some injuries, but no deaths. Well done SFPD, good job!
Zip-typing lol — great editing!
white punks (etc) on dope
Campers,
We just missed seeing Joe Biden ‘Hill Bomb’ Dolores Street.
Seems he read about it and was digging around in his garage looking for the skateboard he made out of one of his iron skates in the 50’s when Hunter came in with a flashlight and inquired as to the haps.
“I’m looking for my skateboard but all I can find in these boxes are Top Secret documents and bricks of coke.”
Hunter just shook his head …
“Pops, the SF Police Chief won’t let you do that.
He has that town locked down tighter than a drum.”
The Prez. leaned back against the fender of his Corvette and lit a joint.
“Yeah, Bill’s never listened to politicians or unions in his life and if the only thing he has to worry about now are teenagers risking their lives to impress girls than he’s not gonna let me bust uh move to impress the American People.”
I watch AI programs all day and then go look at these kids and realize that they could well be doing this exact same thing 200 years from now.
If they want.
Go Niners !!
h.