San Francisco police take steps to crack down on "Dolores Hill Bomb"
SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Police Department said Friday that officers intend to stop the annual "Dolores Hill Bomb" skateboarding event from taking place on Saturday adjacent to Mission Dolores Park.
The event, in which skateboarders race down Dolores Street at high speeds with spectators watching on the sidelines, usually occurs on the second Saturday of every July in San Francisco. It is an unsanctioned, unofficial event with no known organizers, said SFPD Chief Bill Scott.
Police presence will be heavily deployed in the area Saturday to stop the event from occurring, Scott said.
Last year's hill bomb drew controversy when police arrested and cited over 100 adults and teenagers. A lawsuit was later filed against Scott, the SFPD and the city over the response.
Scott defended last year's police response, saying that violence against officers and the danger the hill bomb presented to the community were appropriate means to take action. In the instance of another potential volatile clash between skaters and police, law enforcement said they will take measures to protect themselves and the community.
"When it turns confrontational, when it turns aggressive, dangerous and rocks and bottles and explosive devices are being launched at our officers, they will put on their safety equipment," Scott said. "That is what they should and are supposed to do. So if anybody thinks that is wrong, I just can't understand that, because our officers need to be protected. They come to work to do a job, to keep this public safe but we also have to keep them safe."
Although there is an Instagram post saying the event has been canceled, SFPD is still preparing in advance. Police are planning to put up barricades on Dolores Street from 18th to 21st streets to block vehicle and pedestrian traffic, according to SFPD.
SFPD held a community meeting Monday at the Mission Station to hear public input regarding the "Dolores Hill Bomb." According to Scott, most speakers who are affected by the event, such as those who live and work in the area, said they do not want the event to take place.
Police said that their attempts to stop the event are simply to keep the community safe. Skateboarders going down the hill with no brakes and reaching speeds up to 30 to 35 mph can pose risks to themselves and others. In past years, injuries, violence and even one death have occurred during the event, according to SFPD.
Scott said that the Police Department has always been and still is open to working with the event's organizers if they come to the table and get the event sanctioned.
Police also urged parents with teenagers who skateboard to have a discussion with them about the potential dangers of going to the event and the consequences if they commit criminal activity.
"The San Francisco Police Department is not against skateboarding. It's not against people going out and skating around the city. As a matter of fact, we want people to have fun with their skateboards," Scott said.
What the Police Department does not condone is "criminal activity, vandalism, assaults, assaults on officers, assaults on the public, unsuspecting pedestrians and motorists that are in danger when these events happen and when they're unorganized, unpermitted, unsanctioned and there are no rules at all. That is what we cannot allow," Scott said.
Some residents are concerned the warning by San Francisco police may backfire.
"The way it came down, it sounded like a good setup for a nice conflict," Jeff Kelton who lives by Dolores Park.
"In light of what happened last year, they should've been a lot more sensitive on how to address this now," he said. "They were very heavy-handed. There are lawsuits coming out. They didn't learn from what they did."
While many residents are supportive of the police department's actions, others wish this could all be handled differently.
"Have these kids come here, ride their skateboards down the hill and have their fun," said resident Mason Fernandez. "Have it organized in a way that everybody is on the same team. Everybody is on the same page you know? They should be allotted some time. Allotted some space."
Kelton is worried the police response may just drive the skaters elsewhere.
"Here's the deal," he said. "They're playing with a fixed idea. They'll do it someplace else. In fact, when they started doing this thing and clamping down, next thing you know they're showing up on Church Street instead. It's like chasing after the thing after the fact. If that's the game you want to play, that's the game you're going to get."