The morons are on the loose again! John Street aka Mayor One Term and the idiots who run the city's Fairmount Park Commission have decided in their infinite wisdom that spending one million dollars to dismantle Love Park's revered granite surfaces is what Philadelphians want and need. I don't recall anyone bothering to ask us. Do You? John Street's head is ensconced so far up his ass that he believes ripping apart a site held sacred in the international skating community and replacing it with grass benefits our city and our economy.

Isn't our city government in the midst of a major push to increase tourism to the 215? Am I wrong or don't skateboarders count as tourists? When the so called mayor and the Fairmount Park Commission made their decision to kill the park, they were well aware that skaters from around the globe make pilgrimages to Philadelphia for the sole purpose of experiencing Love Park. So a city desperate for tourists kills one of its major attractions? Skaters weren't the only one's who liked the park as it was. I was lucky enough to be included in the shoot for the Mountain Brothers video for Galaxies- set in Love Park. Countless other Philly Hip Hop groups have shot videos in Love Park. Of course the government sees Hip Hoppers and Skaters in the same disdainful light. Philadelphia is an environment where it's all about revenue the city can generate. Why wasn't an option considered to throw up gates around Love Park and charge admission to skate? I'm not in favor of making people pay to skate but it's certainly a better alternative that the annihilation of the park's surface. I'm pretty certain that heads would fork over a few bucks to dwell in a sacred place that even included in Tony Hawk's Pro Series video games? Maybe the additional income to the city's coiffeurs could have offset the insulting city wage tax they nail us with.

Not to be lost in the mix is the fact that Mayor One Term knowingly and calculatingly pimped the international skate community. What a coincidence that Love Park is ripped apart AFTER he convinced ESPN's X-Games to come here for 2001 and 2002? What are the chances that the X-Games would have been awarded to a city that blew up a religious site? Once again John Street has insulted our intelligence. The powers that be in Philadelphia must have forgotten that skateboarders can vote too...

Call Philadelphia Mayor John Street's office at 215-686-2181

Call the Fairmount Park Commission's Operations Director
James Donaghy at 215-685-0012

Give us your feedback on changes at Love Park right here

Article by Funk Wizard Snow
Editor- PhillyHipHop.com
May, 2002