Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/14049
LONGBEACHMAGAZINE.COM 77 an innocent bystander who was killed in 2005 during a gang shooting. After the passing of Green, locals gave him credit for inspiring people to pick up skateboards and leave the gang life behind. Marcel Carey, 20, a Long Beach native and a regular at the Michael K. Green Skate Park said skating has had a positive impact on him and others. "It helped us stay out of trouble because like all of us, was either gang banging or doing something bad out there on the street and we chose to stick with the skateboard." Carey said. "Skateboarding is for you, you know, it's for fun; it's to meet new people. Every race here you get to know new skaters. That's what we do every day, we teach all of our little kids because they're good, you know." According to Donelon, the local skate scene has become a nationally respected effort as a way to provide alternatives to at- risk youth, so much so, that there's now a documentary on the local skating culture. The movie, "On The Grind" directed by 27-year-old James Cheeks III provides audiences an authentic visual perspective of the scene. Cheeks explained what inspired him to make the film. "I was getting really interested in the amount of African-American skaters that were coming out of there (Long Beach), that were skating in Long Beach," he said. "I lived in areas where we (African- Americans) weren't skating like that. I might be the only person of color skating you know. Skateboarding isn't just some place that you know, where there are parks at in the suburbs that everyone goes to. I wanted to be the guy that kind of tells that story and I felt that it was a good city and had some promising skaters coming out of there." Without these skate parks in these neigh- borhoods, according to Cheeks, the kids expressed how they knew they would get caught up in the clutches of gangs and drugs if it wasn't for the city's support of skate parks and skating in general. "It (skating) is strongly supported by the City of Long Beach and most importantly the Long Beach Police Department. We work with local pros and the Tony Hawk Foundation to promote skate parks and involve youth," Donelon noted. This has helped youth embrace skating more easily due to the large amount of support it receives. "It's not a surprise that eventually guys like Michael K. Green were on the come up. It was just amazing that these were some brothers that were doing it and coming from a different neighborhood and different kind of culture," Cheeks said. "In these areas, these kids stay at the parks all day. That is their home basically. They stay out of trouble that way and it's really cool to see them try to do that." The sport of skating sometimes receives a negative connotation— that it's a bunch kids that have no direction and people who do damage to private property. When, in fact, it has proven to have a very positive imprint on the city. The skaters have made their mark not only in the skate parks but also, they have shown how they have cooperated with the city to bring about change in the community. Local skaters have helped create a program that is run by their peers and has shown that when change is needed, energy from those involved will be provided. "You get these skaters together, you get some people in the community who actually care about these kids and just see them as what they are – kids who just like to do something different," Cheeks said. "They might be a little rougher, tougher breed of kid but at the end of the day, they're all kids. Somebody has to have their back." n For more information about On the Grind, visit onthegrindmovie.net Photos courtesy of On the Grind/Kevin Michael Campbell MICHAEL K. GREENE SKATE PARK