2012 Ohio Trip Photos
So we drove out to Rays last night and it took us 12 Hours to get there.
Some on the trip are saying its because I was lazy, and had Tyrone Williams drive most of the way.
He was seen driving 40 MPH in a 60 MPH zone.
We got in and slept from 9am to 1130 am. and headed to Rays.
We meet with Hollywood and other NYC natives Dave Hall and Brian Burnhart.
After the Rays session we went for a private session at Chenga 57 courtesy of Cole.
Here are some photos of the crew.
"Why did you allow the commissioner to destroy our skate park?"
Here is a video of me asking NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe a question about the Benjamin Soto skate park on August 9th, 2011 at the Museum of New York City. More about the meeting here.
I guess he didn’t see this video.
Councilman Oddo Threatens To Cut Funds To Parks Department from Group Home Bikes on Vimeo.
Thanks Johanna at parkslope.patch.com
Letters to the Advance about the skate park. Did you write one yet?
Here are some letters that were published in the Staten Island Advance. Did you write one yet?
By EDWARD POLLIO
PRINCE’S BAY
My name is Edward Pollio, and I am writing to you on behalf of the 300 kids who utilized the Benjamin Soto Skate Park here on Staten Island and their parents, who have looked to me as a resource in working with the New York City Parks Department to keep the skate park open for the past five years.
Since its opening in 2005, Benjamin Soto Skate Park in Midland Beach has been a refuge to Staten Island kids, where they can stay off the streets, off drugs, and out of trouble.
More than just its ramps and rails, this park is the heart and soul of our community – parents, children, and community activists alike have rallied behind the park as a place for neighborhood kids to come together and share in their love of skate sports.
Despite our continued initiatives to bring attention to the Parks Department’s ongoing neglect of the space, which has fallen into disrepair in recent months from its constant use, the park was closed last October due to the unsafe condition of the equipment.
This catalyzed a unified effort from the Staten Island community to get funding from the Parks Department to have the equipment resurfaced and repaired.
You can imagine our shock when a group of neighborhood boys rode over to the park on the first day of their spring break only to find bulldozers tearing apart their favorite hangout.
After all our efforts to get the park cleaned up for the warmer months, how could it have been demolished without warning? The Skate Park community was not given notice, nor the chance to raise funds for the park’s repair.
Moreover, I cannot express our disappointment that this youth community keystone is being torn down to make way for a “streetscape” park.
As it stands, the Parks Department’s future plans for the space are a far cry from what Benjamin Soto Skate Park seeks to provide – a permanent place for Staten Island’s extreme sports community to practice their sport, teach one another and hone their skills.
As the originators of the space’s concept, we would have been more than happy to put in the volunteer labor required to bring the park up to code.
Benjamin Soto Skate Park must be reinstated. Not only to provide the kids with a safe place to ride, but also because it is a pillar of the community, a cherished memorial to Benjamin Soto.
Benjamin always dreamed of returning from his Marine service to open a place just like our skate park, but he didn’t live to see his dream come to fruition.
I hope you won’t let his dream die.
WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please help us keep this safe haven alive.
http://www.silive.com/opinion/letters/index.ssf/2011/04/communitys_support_needed_to_s.html
By RAYMOND RUSINAK
WEST BRIGHTON
Today’s kids are supposedly consumed by video games, TV and the computer. Today’s parents are supposedly over-involved in organizing our children’s lives through a myriad of sports leagues and organizations. This is not the case with at least one group of kids: those involved in skateboarding, BMX biking and other so called extreme sports.
The kids who take part in these activities aren’t tied to their couches, TV’s and computers. Nor do they rely on their parents to organize their activities and games for them. They go to the park and do their own thing. The older kids help the younger ones with tips and encouragement. They share equipment and tools among each other. The kids get along, they teach each other, they learn from each other, they bond with one another. Most importantly they grow as individuals with one another.
For anyone who has spent any time at all at the former Benjamin Soto Skate Park in Midland Beach, you know exactly what I am talking about. Unfortunately, if you have not had the pleasure to have seen these kids skating and riding at Ben Soto you may never have the opportunity to do so again. Last Monday, the Parks Department brought in bull dozers and leveled the park.
It had fallen into a state of disrepair, something the kids themselves have been quite aware of. Many of them pursued the official and proper channels in order to get repairs done. Nothing happened until the bulldozers leveled Ben Soto. “Officially,” the park had become dangerous largely due to vandalism.
Sure there was graffiti on some of the ramps, but the park had become a hazard not due to vandals or misuse. No, the park had become hazardous because it was such a success. Skateboarding and BMX riding can be very rough on its environment. The ramps needed resurfacing, the rails needed work, etc.
The park could very easily have been repaired without destroying what was already in place. But no, the Parks Department felt the need to take it all down. They now say that it will be rebuilt in three weeks time with “modern streetscape elements, including reinforced steel picnic tables, granites steps, cement planters and a single pipe rail.”
Even to the uninitiated, this certainly doesn’t sound much like a skate park. The Benjamin Soto Skate Park should be rebuilt as a skate park with at least the same amenities it had when it was first opened in 2005. The skaters and rider should also be given input in its design.
It is a shame that all of this had to come to pass because it could very easily have been avoided and as such could have saved the city a good amount of money. But that moment has passed and it is time to move on. Let’s just hope that the powers that be don’t forget that this small amount of space was and should still be about the kids.
http://www.silive.com/opinion/letters/index.ssf/2011/04/rebuild_skate_park_demolished.html
By CAROLINE BJORLING
GRANT CITY
First we get a clueless New York City schools chancellor, Cathie Black
Now it’s a clueless Borough Parks Commissioner, Adena Long.
Her authorized destruction (instead of repair) of the Benjamin Soto Skate Park shows she is unaware (or uncaring) of the importance of this only skate park on Staten Island.
The teen years go quickly, and a couple of years make a huge difference in development of skills needed in this sport.
Ms. Long, in effect, has stolen that time from our teens for the sake of a few picnic tables and planters which she claims are “what kids like to play on.”
Oh, really?
http://www.silive.com/opinion/letters/index.ssf/2011/04/demolition_of_skate_park_shows.html
By KIMBERLY PAPANIER
NEW DORP
I just wanted to thank the Parks Department and Staten Island politicians for keeping up the trend of making empty promises.
That was a stellar job Monday of dismantling the Ben Soto Skate Park in a matter of hours. How quickly you can get things done when it suits you.
For the last two years, the kids who use the park have been asking for the park to be renovated, but there hasn’t been money for it.
What was the point of all the civic meetings, then? The Parks Department went about things in a sneaky way and I refuse to believe the Staten Island politicians had no knowledge.
Once again, the other four boroughs can provide better services to the people who live there while we remain the “forgotten borough.” Thanks for nothing!
http://www.silive.com/opinion/letters/index.ssf/2011/04/surprise_dismantling_of_popula.html
Here are some other address’s you may want to email also.
James Oddo: NYC Councilman
District Office Phone - 718-980-1017
Legislative Office Phone - 212-788-7159
Phone - 718-980-1045
Email - oddo@council.nyc.ny.us
Adrian Benepe: NYC Parks Dept. Commissioner
Phone 212-360-1305
Email - adrian.benepe@parks.nyc.gov
Adena Long: Staten Island Parks Commissioner
Phone – 718-390-8004
Email - adena.long@parks.nyc.gov
Mayor Bloomberg: NYC Mayor
Email - http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html
Fax – (212) 312-0700
Michael Schnall: Sten Island Director of Government.
Email - michael.schnall@parks.nyc.gov
Please sign this petition - http://www.change.org/petitions/restore-and-rebuild-benjamin-soto-skate-park
Benjamin Soto skate park petition on Ride BMX site.
Steve Quigly, a Staten Islander, hit me up with this email…
‘On Monday, April 18th, 2011, the New York City Parks Department tore down Staten Island’s only skatepark, “Ben Soto Skatepark”, named after a BMX rider who passed away serving his country in 2001. The Park Department said that park was torn down due to hazardous conditions of the ramps, however, the ramps needed very little maintenance to get them into brand new shape (IE: re-sheeting of main layers, tightening and replacing screws). This beautiful skatepark was torn down, and is said to be replaced with “streetscape elements” consisting of 1 rail, planters and stairs. This is not what the BMX community wants, but Parks does not seem to care to much about what we think. We started this petition to show the Parks Department that the Ben Soto Skatepark is truly missed, and we need a park of equal or better structure, not 1 single rail and a few stairs. It will really be appreciated if you sign this petition and join the facebook group! The larger amount of people that sign and join, the better we look and the better chance we have of getting a great skatepark in Staten Island! Thanks a lot!!’
Sign the petition, and join the Facebook group below and show your support for Shaolin!
Petition link:
http://www.change.org/petitions/restore-and-rebuild-benjamin-soto-skate-park
Facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_140181056053194&ap=1
http://bmx.transworld.net/1000127612/news/ben-soto-skatepark-petition/
South Beach Civic Meeting April 27, 2011 at 7Pm
I was always amazed on the numbers of people who showed up to all the civic meetings, town hall meetings, and community board meetings. But this one is the most important. The local politicians and media is going to be there and the South Beach Civic is making accommodation’s for mass numbers we are going to have at this next meeting. Plus I have a surprise guest coming to this meeting. So please tell a friend to tell a friend and stand up for your skate park.
Please sign this petition - http://www.change.org/petitions/restore-and-rebuild-benjamin-soto-skate-park
Facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_140181056053194&ap=1
Photos of the Benjamin Soto skate park being torn down.
On April 18, 2011 the NYC Parks Department decided to ignore the cries for help by the user’s of the Benjamin Soto skate park; on that day a staff of 20 Parks Department employees tore down the whole skate park. If you follow this website you would have seen that for the past few months user’s of the Benjamin Soto skate park have been going to civic meetings, community board meetings, town hall meetings, and lobbying their local politicians to get the park re-layered with new plywood and skatelite. Parks seems to have had a hidden agenda to punish the users for reaching out to the media and civic groups. According to the Staten Island Advance, Parks says, that they plan to install “modern streetscape elements,” including reinforced steel picnic tables, granites steps, cement planters and a single pipe rail. They go on to quote Staten Island’s new Parks Dept. Commissioner Adena Long stating that, “These are in things you would generally see in any public plaza or public park, and quite frankly, is what the kids like to play on anyway,”
But the truth is that none of the BMX and Skate community have seen the design, or have been contacted to help with the design. This skate park cost NYC over $500,000.00 in 2004, and now there’s no other skate park on Staten Island.
Kids riding the park in protest.
The staff tearing the railings down.
Benjamin Soto was a U.S Marine/ BMX bike rider who dreamed of opening a skate park in his home town of Staten Island. He passed away in 2001 and Parks Dept. named the park after him when they built it in 2005.
2 kids trying to stop the bulldozer from tearing down the skate park.
NYPD was called in by NYC parks Dept.
Sit in.
NYPD told the kids if they didn’t get out they would be arrested.
Here is a shot of the inside of the quarter pipe which is said to be in disrepair and it’s dangerous to the children. Looks strong to me.
The kids watched them tear it down all day.
Here is the link to the photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ghbnyc/sets/72157626406525797/
Here a petition to save the skate park:
http://www.change.org/petitions/restore-and-rebuild-benjamin-soto-skate-park
And Facebook link to save the skate park:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_140181056053194&ap=1
Eric Isaksen Photos #3
Here is the 3rd set of Eric Isaksens photos.
Eric Isaksen – Tooth
Matt Hill
Matt
AHhh I dont know what to say. Please comment on this one.
Same here.
Fish Eye
Lil Mike in 2007
Toboggan
Ed Pollio building the ramps for the Animal Jam in 2008.
NYC from the Staten Island Ferry
Gap
Stack that wood!
This is a great photo. I love the whole thing. BBQing, wall riding, and Lirking.
Bar spin?
Rob and James on the Train.
Here is a link to the 1st set
http://www.grouphomebikes.com/2011/03/eric-isaksen-photos-1/
And here is a link to the 2nd set.
http://www.grouphomebikes.com/2011/03/eric-isaksen-photos-2/
Eric Isaksen Photos #2
Here is the 2nd set of Eric Isaksen photos.
Eric Isaksen- Chocolate milk is his Favorite.
Tommy John doing his favorite trick
Steve Quigley. No footer
Anton from the top
Matt
RIP Alex Catrama
A perfect last photo.
Here is a link to the 1 set.
http://www.grouphomebikes.com/2011/03/eric-isaksen-photos-1/
Eric Isaksen Photos #1
Here are 25 photos from Eric Isaksen. He started bike riding and shooting photo’s when the Benjamin Soto skate park opened in 2005. Recently he has moved on to other things. But he gave GHB his photos for your enjoyment. He gave GHB about 75 photos. So we are going to do 3 sets of 25 or so.
Eric Isaksen- Smith on the Pier.
Rob 360
Little Mike- Bar roof gap
Little Mike- Bar Roof Gap 2
Eris Isaksen – Big Super man
Little Mike in the full face days -Truck
Forgot his name but he disappeared from BMX.
Pink Shirt lol
Andrew Paino.
Little Mike and so crazy guy
Bupsy and Shane both naked in a bed with a camera. Must I say more.
This was my Idea.
I love my hood.
Art
More Art.
Falling
Anton in a parka doing a curve wall ride.
Time flys.
2008 Animal Jam ramps.
Benjamin Soto skate park users at Civic Meeting.
Benjamin Soto skate park users at the South Beach Civic Association Meeting March 23, 2011. The Meeting went well.
NYC Parks Department told the South Beach Civic that they will open the park by spring. And they plan to work with the South Beach Civic to remodel the Benjamin Soto skate park in the fall.
Steve Quigley became a member of the South Beach Civic Association tonight.
Steve Said ”Even after the skate park gets fixed I am still going to come to these meetings ”
It amazes me that a ramp in the woods led to the Benjamin Soto skate park being built in 2005. Then 6 years later hundreds of riders and skaters going to civic meetings and Community Board meetings to save their skate park.
It hit me tonight that they are the future voters and politicians.
It reminds me of this report I heard on NPR.
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=134738530&m=134738513
Here are the photos
