Elijah Andrews on Lake Front

I met Elijah Andrews back when I started skateboarding in Town Center. In those days he wore a Cat-In-The-Hat styled red and white hat which made him instantly recognizable. I used to see Andrews skating at the bridge between The Columbia Mall and the Lake Front and at the double block by the docks.

After my recent visit to Lake Front, I asked Andrews, a seasoned veteran of the Columbia skateboarding scene about the surge in security and the risks involved in skating at Lake Front.

Do you think it's fair that CA prosecutes and bans skateboarders at the lakefront, even though the property is rarely used by others, except during summer evenings?

"I can understand why they don't want us there when they're playing a movie or something. The skateboards can make enough noise to distract the viewers. But otherwise, I'd say just let us use the place when there's no actual events going on."

When were you first banned, who were you with, what happened and do you think banning skateboarders is an effective deterrent?

"When I was first banned, I was alone. It was more or less an official slap on the wrist - where if I got caught after that, there'd be legal consequences. And no, its not an effective deterrent. Most skateboarders are used to that shit by now anyway."

Have you personally, or have you heard of pedestrians having problems with the skateboarders at the lake front? complaints about the noise or disruption? Or do you feel as though the other tenants of the property coexist with skaters?

"Personally no, but I do know the security got more intense after some kid accidentally ran into some older guy. I heard he broke a bone or something. Ever since then they've been super anal about security."

Its common knowledge that the lake front is under used, except during the summer CA season. Even then, events only occur during the evening. In your opinion, should CA allow skateboarders to use the property much like they would a skate park during designated hours? Do you feel that if they did allow skateboarding, it would act to draw more people to the lake front?

"Yes, it definitely would. A good example of sparked interest is in Louisville Kentucky. They invested millions into a skate park and it paid off well for them. People from all over the country go there to skate it and the locals hang around there to do all sorts of things."

Do you think its fair that CA prosecutes anyone who so much as carries a skateboard across the lake front property? And from your experiences, what are the ramifications of being banned from the property? Have you been arrested or fined? Does the ban effectively keep you from returning to the lake front?

"No its not fair. Its not like carrying a gun. No permits are needed to carry one. People always forget its a mode of transportation as well. I have no idea what they do now when they catch you for skating. I've heard everything frmo getting fined and board taken away to arrested for trespassing. I guess it depends on the situation. Bans definitely don't keep from the lake front either, it just makes them more careful to not be caught. I've known dozens of people who were banned and still came back."

The Battle For Lake Front

I thought of the Rage Against The Machine album while writing and rewriting the slug line for this post.

I interviewed Greg Hamm in March about a diverse array of topics. One of the points Hamm made was that General Growth Properties doesn't prosecute skateboarders at the Lake Front. This sounds encouraging, since he made the point that the property itself is seldom frequented by other residents.

Last night I discovered the loophole while talking to this unnamed sentry. GGP won't prosecute but Columbia Association will. I told him my name was Frank and that I was new in town, a recent emigrate of Baltimore. In fact, I've been banned from the Lake Front several times. Our conversation served as a testimonial to the inadequacies of their cruel and crude system.

According to the off-duty police officer who moonlights as a security guard, even stepping foot on the property with a skateboard is a hellworthy trespass. Last night I had been skating the white wooden stage at around 6:30 with no problems. I left for the mall but doubled back to the double block to retrieve my tea shades. It was then that I was informed of my transgression. After a short conversation and a well crafted ruse, he gave me a flier with dates and events on it, claiming that CA had events every day of the month.

As I sat on the double block, reading Fear & Loathing On The Campaign Trail and sipping steam through my hookah, I noticed that not a damn thing was going on. No band, no movie, business as usual.

The point of my story is this: Most of the time, the Lake Front is not being used. If the weather is nice, people may walk through the Tivoli square or fish at the docks. I've never seen people sitting on the double blocks nor have I read a newspaper article reporting on the injury and hospitalization of some young skateboarder at the Lake Front.

The laws are unfair, and the restriction of the space goes against the ideals that the space was intended to uphold. To date I haven't heard of an incident involving a skateboarder and a pedestrian. We do our thing, they do theirs. Destruction of property? Nothing has been destroyed and seldom is any of it used, except by us.

By prosecuting us, you are draining the lifeblood from the already desolate Lake Front. What else is there to do for young people, have a Singapore Sling at Clyde's?