Forrest Kirby

Thrasher Magazine, Dec, 2004 by Norman Jr. Silvera

I am a local skater here in Miami, Florida. I could sit here and whine on and on about how cops and others treat us skaters (like common criminals). But instead, I am writing to you guys because I want all the companies that make up the skateboarding industry to take a stand all over the US and create skate zones where we as skaters can go and do what we love: skate. I know that this will just be another version of herding us into one place--but it's better than the poorly-built and poorly-designed parks that they stick to us. What needs to happen is this: the very influential, very powerful top skaters need to go all over the US to talk to these skaters out here and help give them courage to stand up tall for what they believe in. We must hold massive skate-ins; not 20 or 30 people, but 50 or more if it's possible. We. need to become an extra pain in the ass to the people who want to oppress us, but not by doing it separately or even in small groups. We need to become large because united we stand, divided we fall plain and simple. Many a skater hears where I'm coming from, but that's the problem. They hear, but don't act. Now, I agree that if we skate the popular courthouse or school spots we cause a nuisance. If this idea comes through, that will have to be a sacrifice. But to continue what I said earlier, we need to get the big guns in on this. Everybody from Tony Hawk to Tony Ferguson, underground and mainstream powers must unite in order for us to simply do what we love. So I am writing to you and many other companies out there. Please contact me back, because I feel strong about this, but the support of higher powers is also needed here. Prior attempts have been made to do such a thing but with the ideas that I have, and along with a handful of skaters from some other local areas, we will join these handfuls together to create a gigantic blob. Respect to the skaters in the US who are reading this and have tried to change things. Remember these words: divided we fall, united we stand.

Norman Silvera Jr

Miami, Florida

Tony, Toni, Tone. T-ed