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Tuesday, October 28, 1997

Rolling

punches

VIOLENCE The eighth-annual Skate Against Violence Campaign travels 450 miles in a visible confirmation of their opposition to gangs and crime

By Quyen Ta

Daily Bruin Contributor

Though some of us may have rollerbladed along Santa Monica Pier or Venice Beach before, not many of us can say that we participated in a 450-mile roadskate from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

The 1997 Skate Against Violence (SAV) Campaign was kicked off on October 21 with this 450-mile skate-a-thon. With a send-off from San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, skaters began this event, which organizers referred to as a "launch vehicle" for the campaign.

Arriving at the Santa Monica Pier on October 23, skaters from northern California united with those in Los Angeles for a common purpose.

In a unique effort to help youths turn away from gangs and violence, skating enthusiasts collaborated to send a message of anti-violence and anti-hate to the public.

"This campaign has an attached message. We hope to turn violence and hate into social consciousness and change," said Ronda Flanzbaum, the Los Angeles SAV Campaign coordinator and a UCLA alumna.

This year marks the eighth year that the skating community has come together for this campaign, though Flanzbaum considers this year special because it is the first time the Los Angeles community has been so involved.

Along with the roadskate, campaign organizers also planned an event for Friday, known to some as the Midnight Rollers' "Friday Night Skate."

Approximately fifty to sixty skaters met at the entrance of Santa Monica Pier on Friday evening to participate in this 10-mile skate that covered several Santa Monica sights.

Skaters from different areas of California came to this event to bring visibility to the campaign, as well as to enjoy the sport of skating.

"Skating helps some get off the street. People can take their aggressions out in a healthy way," said Grit Mueller, a San Francisco resident who has skated for two years and participated in the SAV campaign for the first time.

"People skate to enjoy themselves. It's a free feeling," said Claudia Smith, a Venice resident who has skated for 25 years.

Though some skaters came to meet other enthusiasts of the sport, many have met before and greeted each other with warm hugs and friendly handshakes.

Participants felt the sport created a sense of community that would provide a positive example for youths involved in gangs and violence.

"Skating creates a sense of belonging. It's an example of how to live, to show how people are working together to reach a common goal," explained David "D" G. Miles Jr., original founder of the SAV campaign, and a man who many refer to as the "godfather of skating."

"The skating community is a very, very close community. It's a network that influences the community and gives kids something to do," said Victoria Armigo-Powers, a San Francisco resident who has skated avidly for three years.

Although skaters were full of excitement and energy at this event, many dancing together or teaching each other new moves, few forgot one of the reasons they came together for this campaign.

This year's SAV Campaign is dedicated to Shelby Antonia Graham, a Venice skater who was known to those in the skating community as "Ev'Ready."

Graham was found strangled on the beach earlier this year. So far, Los Angeles police have found no suspects for the crime.

"He was a Venice skater who was always happy to skate. He lived on skating," said Carl Abram, a Venice skater of ten years.

"Ev' taught me how to skate. I was the second to last person to see him before he died. It was extremely shocking, but he would be happy to see something like this happening," said Sandra Nagasaka, a Venice skater who knew Graham for two years.

In light of Graham's death, the SAV campaign brought skaters together from all walks of life to bring visibility to skating and to combat hate and violence. Organizers also planned for other events this pastweekend to get their message across. The events include a "Blade-A-Thon" fun skate for youth, followed by a ceremony in honor of Graham on Saturday, and a '70's Venice Beach Skate Party on Sunday.

Through this campaign, skaters hope that their love and dedication for the sport will bring forth change in the community, to make a difference for those who drop out of society by way of gangs and violence.

The sport of skating and the SAV campaign perhaps can best be summed up by Nagaska. As she put it, "Skating is an affirming sport. It breaks down walls and builds friendships."

JARED VALDEZ

We skate in peace: rollerbladers at the Skate Against Violence Campaign numbered above 50 -- that's more than 200 wheels.

JARED VALDEZ

Paul Copada, 7, came 450 miles from San Francisco to skate against violence.

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