a quick asideI did skate
never did I skate well
my skate efforts were humble
clearly more street than ramp
not my primary focus.... just something I did
okay... with that behind me let me throw down this rant...
this Cedar Crest site had me thinking about all sorts of stuff
my mind was wandering about the Dogtown an Z Boys and a need for a documentary on the DC Toke Team\The B-Town Skaters/The Sunshine House or maybe something on the local dc skate scene as a whole
there is some serious folk potential there
there were people pushing the limits of sport and life
those stories should be told
words or images
either or
either way the story should be told
only..... not by me... but by them
I was on the fringe of their fringe culture
the randomness of that Cedar Crest site had me trolling the dark alleys of MYSPACE
only I was not on the beaches of southern california looking at soft core porn still shots of a girl that just wants to have fun
but rather I was weaving my way through endless friends lists that included all sorts of dc hardcore bands from the earliest days of dc hardcore along with a long set of random names from the dc skate/courier days
so as I was glancing at VOID, IRON CROSS, and MARGINAL MAN's myspace sites I was also stumbling upon various nick names that sounded like people I knew from across the bar or from standing at the keg
it was interesting to see the names and think of the stories... all those stories... things I experienced first hand as well as stories that were told to me that became so precious that I would tell myself
never claiming to have been there
just feeling that it was a story worth sharing
interesting people and their interesting lives
one incident that became a story did involve me yet again from the fringe of it all
there was this bold british messenger who was living in the states to skate
he was clever and cool with a bit of wit to him
a sharp and quick wit that is more from the other side of the pond than from around here
along with the basic arrogance of youth he had a strong love for his home country
often putting down this country while glorifying his own
I am sure I have come on strong with the red, white, and blue myself so I take no offense
again... the arrogance of youth
not to mention the failures of this coutry are clear and present
enough background
enough intro
one day a day not so different than any other I was passing through Dupont Circle on my bicycle while working as a messenger
now this story has been told so many times that it is not clear to me at what point I actually arrived on the scene
or at what point I became aware of the action I am about to retell
either way I was there and this happened
what I saw... what I remember... and what I tell are all a little blurred
true, but all a little blurred
one afternoon this skateboarding brit working as a bike messenger takes a break in the park
he pulls up and takes a seat on the bench that circles the perimeter of the park
he takes the seat along side another messenger
from what I heard they were not friends nor did they know each other prior
as they each were sweating in the classic dc heat and humidity sort of way
the non-brit with his shaved head and courier apparrel pulled out a fatty
in seconds these strangers became friends
not too long into the peace pipe an officer approached the two young men
in a matter of seconds the party came to an end
the female officer was frisking one then the other
both men were in that classic COPS assume the position pose when the wiley brit decided he had enough of that party
so he split
with the officer's hands still checking the body of the other this guy was gone
he was sprinting across the park past the fountain
the officer abandoned the frisking process and sped after the fleeing british, skater, messenger
once at the opposite end of the park
about to step off the curb and onto the street this wiley little brit made a U-turn
backtracking
headed straight back the direction he came
headed straight back towards the officer that was chasing him
she was stunned
he turned
then he was gone
seconds after he had left the park that is Dupont Circle the sidewalks were swarmed
every faction of law enforcement on every form of transportation flooded the park
there were Park Police on motorcycles and in cars
there were flat foots moving fast in a pre-Segway era
there were Special Police in Suburban Vans and the basic american cruisers
and there were DC Metropolitain police
it all seemed like a lot of activity for such a minor infraction
it also seemed like a lot of eyes and ears were on this park
as there may not have been any way for the officer in pursuit to contact anyone for back up
with all the madness in the park I acted without thinking and rolled over towards the action
in the background I was able to lean over still on my bike and lift up the recently abandoned bicycle
was unable to get the messenger bag with parcels still in it as the bag was in the hands of officer friendly by this point
so I slowly rolled out of the park with a riderless bicycle rolling along side of me
the distance to the main office was not far
passed the bike off to someone who I thought would be able to get back into the right hands
sure enough...
the bike got back into the right hands
the owner of the bike left town for a short while for fear of being arrested and worse yet deported
did that story make any sense?
hope I told it right
the written word responds differently than the drunken rant by the keg
maybe the british protagonist would be able to iron out the specifics
gwadzilla archive with a mention a story of the TOKE TEAM
a video on MYSPACE today... a skater stands poolside and well..... just watch