More Good News From Wilmington

Jen Stewart received a court summons earlier this week for taking this story to the local newspaper. I’m going to send an e-mail her way in hopes to keep updated on how things go,(Updated, click more to read) hopefully all will go well. I would tell you how insane I think this is but I’ll let you read and measure the insanity on your own.

Click more to read her story.

“Wilmington Police do it AGAIN!

 

Yes it is true….I received my certified mail yesterday stating that I am being summons to court on Friday September 25th at 9:00am.  They are charging me with ” Disorderly Conduct” as well as  “Obstructing Justice”  for going forward and telling my side of the story to the local Wilmington News Journal.  I didn’t receive a citation for taking pictures the day of Todd’s arrest, but a week later they decided to mail me the charges because I was warned to not go forward with the newspaper article that came out last Wednesday.  Have we lost all freedom to speech?  Is it illegall to talk to the media about something that I see as being so wrong… Targeting, profiling, and harrassing someone because they transport themselves from point A to point B on a board with 4 wheels.  Aren’t we the nations first “Green Enterprise Zone” are we not open minded enough to have such a title?

To date there have been (5) 14-15 year old kids arrested for skateboarding in downtown Wilmington.  No one even knew that there was an ordinance stating NO BIKES, SKATEBOARDS, SCOOTERS, MOTORIZED BIKES, SLEDS, ROLLARBLADES, ROLLARSKATES, ECT allowed in the Business district BECAUSE THERE ARE NO SIGNS STATING THAT!  These kids are not  disobeying the law because they want to cause problems, these kids didn’t know the law because it had not been enforced until August  24th 2009 for the first time in 19 years.  I’ve had “Skateboard Delivery”  at the Deli since 2001 and we haven’t ever had any trouble until now.  Is it because the Skatepark is shovel ready?

One of the kids arrested volunteers his time at the Murphy Theatre.

Another one arrested volunteered every morning at the skate shop until school started. He has also helped out any time we’ve needed volunteers for the CCSA.

Another Kid arrested was on his was to Football practice and had to tell his team player who was riding by him on a bicycle in the Business district, “hey, tell coach I’m gonna be late for practice” as the other kid rode his bike right by the arresting officer.

This one is the best,  This kid wasn’t even on a skateboard…..he was carrying a skateboard in the business district and got shoved up against a wall, handcuffed, and taken to the police station.

and finally the kid in the picture…he just got out of the hospital for a ruptured spleen and broken/ sprained wrist from a fall at the Middletown skatepark…he wasn’t resisting arrest with violence he didn’t want that cop to grab his injured wrist. Oh, and by the way, There were 5 police cruisers and the cheif of police who responded to this incident…good thing we got him off the streets,  I feel a lot safer not having that skaters in front of my business.  our tax dollars at work!

All of these kids have volunteered their time at “O-Town” at Wilmington College,  Extreme Dream ’08 and ’09, Dogeball tournaments at the YMCA, Downtown yard sales for the past 4 years,  Recycling cans, paper, bottles for money, just to mention a few.  They have all done whatever is needed whenever to try to get a Skatepark for their community and they are being arrested?  What about all the Heroin in Clinton County?  The Crack and the Crystal Meth?

There has got to be a better way of spending our tax dollars in such “hard times”

If we could get the $500,000.00 needed to build our skatepark, we could put $320,000.00 of that money right back into our local economy with local labor, supplies, food, lodging, ect. over a 6 month span of time.  not to mention the tourism dollars after it is built.  Churches could have christian Pro skateboarders come to do awesome demos with a message.  It’s amazing how far skaters will travel for some food and lodging.  That would be huge for our community that is struggling so bad right now.  The Skatepark will be Free and open to the Public !

Anyone interested in making a donation can send money to the Clinton County Foundation at the National Bank and Trust in Wilmington Ohio 45177 make checks payable to the CCSA.  our account is the Skatepark Endowment fund for “Sargent Steven Daniel Conover”  Who lost his life in Iraq

What is the root of this EVIL?”

UPDATE FROM JEN STEWART: “Pro Skater Doug Brown will be coming to Wilmington to help be a voice for us and he will be doing his “Skating Straight” program at Books ‘n’ More (my Deli/Coffeehouse is inside the bookstore)”
Upcoming Events: Doug Brown at Wilmington

She also was invited to do a radio interview with 700WLW.

UPDATE:Freedom of Speech Protest in Wilmington, Ohio

From CCSA.