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 hill bomb 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 event.
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-typing 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 Dolores.
“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 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 a 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 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 at 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.
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