Skatestopper

Skatestopper is a skate-deterrent device placed on urban terrain features such as benches and handrails to discourage skateboarding on the surfaces where they have been installed.[1] The name Skatestopper is a registered trademark of Intellicept of El Cajon, California,[2] but in some skateboarding circles it has become a genericized term referring to any anti-skate device.[3]

The aim of skatestoppers is to stop skaters from practicing grinds on urban features such as curbs, benches, and ledges, which can damage those structures.[1]

Criticism

Skatestoppers have been described as a mantrap by some skateboarders. Due to their nature, if a skater were unaware of their presence, they could run the risk of greater injury as these devices are designed to break the skater's slide, thus resulting in a probable, unexpected fall. However, these devices are intended to be installed along with notices warning skaters of the potential hazard.

Some skaters have viewed skatestoppers as a violation of their basic freedom to exercise their bodies, and therefore an entrenchment on basic human rights. More hardcore skaters have viewed skatestoppers as just another obstacle to be overcome and the presence of skatestoppers actually encourages them to stay in the location longer.[4]

See also

References
  1. (1) Abbate, Vince (June 28, 2007). "The trucks stop here". Chico News & Review. Chici Community publishing, INC. Retrieved December 30, 2013. Archived December 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
    (2) Heywood, Will (2011). "Navigating the New Fortress" (PDF). Urban Action. Department of Urban Studies and Planning at San Francisco State University: 19–33. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 27, 2014.
    (3) Rosenberger, Robert (June 19, 2014). "How Cities Use Design to Drive Homeless People Away: Saying "you're not welcome here"—with spikes". The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group. Archived from the original on July 1, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2017. An example of an everyday technology that’s used to forbid certain activities is “skateboard deterrents,” that is, those little studs added to handrails and ledges. These devices, sometimes also called “skatestoppers” or “pig ears,” prevent skateboarders from performing sliding—or “grinding”—tricks across horizontal edges. A small skateboard deterrence industry has developed, with vendors with names like “stopagrind.com” and “grindtoahault.com.”
    (4) Kelly, John (May 23, 2020). "It's a grind: The birth of those metal ledge guards designed to deter skateboarders". Local. The Washington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2020. Archived May 24, 2020, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. "Apply for a Trademark. Search a Trademark". trademarkia.com. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  3. "Inclusive Cities Observatory, Skateboarding in Tacoma: Youth Reclaim Public Space through Dialogue and Cooperative Planning" (PDF). UCLG Committee on Social, Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights. Retrieved April 19, 2016. page 4: "...removal of skate stoppers on a popular ledge..." ("skate stoppers" written without capitals and as two words)
  4. Mersom, Daryl (October 7, 2015). "Bristol skateboarders take on 'skatestopper' defensive architecture". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved November 3, 2017.

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