From: cablader@ix.netcom.com (D Miles) Subject: [sfskaters] CHANGING SAN FRANCISCO SKATE LAWS Date: Wed, 16 Apr 1997 09:37:05 -0500 (CDT) FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: April 15, 1997 DAVID G. MILES JR. phone 415-752-1967 fax 415-SKATE-97 e-mail Cablader@ix.netcom.com web page http://www.cora.org Well skaters, the proverbial shit has hit the fan. Today in the San Francisco Chronicle, there is an article on page A-15 about the changing skate laws. Although Paul Pillitteri and I have worked with a lot of success on this issue, it is NOT a "done deal". You have to fight for what you want. PLEASE SHOW UP AT THE MEETING. The opposition is now getting read to counter our actions. D. Miles Jr. OBSOLETE SAN FRANCISCO SKATE LAWS ARE ABOUT TO CHANGE On Thursday, April 17, 1997, the Housing and Neighboorhood Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will meet to discuss proposed amendments to Section 100 of the city code that addresses skating on San Francisco city streets and sidewalks. The meeting will take place at the War Memorial Building, 401 Van Ness room 410 at 10:00 A.M. The last time San Francisco passed any laws dealing with skating was in 1976. This was when the metal and hard plastic skate wheels were being replaced by the newly developed polyurethane wheel. This brought skaters out of the rinks and into the parks all across the country. By the summer of 1980, Golden Gate Park was seeing between 15,000 to 20,000 skaters rolling through the Park on Sundays when Kennedy Drive is closed to auto traffic. 21 years have passed and technology has moved light years ahead. Roller skates have been replaced with the sleek new inline skates. Members of the Golden Gate Skate Patrol and C.O.R.A. (California Outdoor Rollerskating Association) have skated from San Francisco to Los Angeles 7 times. Skaters regularly participate in events like the 27 mile "Napa to Calistoga Roadskate", the 100 mile "Bridge to Boardwalk Roll" from San Francisco to Santa Cruz and the 138 mile C.O.R.A. Point to Point from Fresno to Bakersfield. The Midnight Rollers Friday Night Skate sees numbers between 400 to over 700 skaters every Friday night. Rollin' since 1989, it is considered the most fun you can have on skates. It is great fun, but it is illegal to skate at night. Last October about 70 skaters including the organizer, David Miles were ticketed while on the skate. This new skate legislation is the result of David Miles, Paul Pillitteri and other skaters working with the Police, the Board of Supervisors and the community to make the famous event legal. Skaters commute to work. They use their skates for transportation. They use them to stay in shape. We are not "Critical Mass". We are not skateboarders. We don't damage property. We don't block traffic when you're trying to get home. We follow the rules and have demonstrate that every Friday night since 1989. Skating should be legal in San Francisco. We need your help. What happens in San Francisco sometimes has a tendency to spead across the nation and around the world. We are not the only skate community dealing with this problem. By helping San Francisco skaters, you could be paving the way for others to overcome obsolete skate laws in other areas. Please fax, e-mail or snail mail the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in support of our efforts. Check our web page at: http://www.cora.org