LIVE: Rob Dyrdek's DC Skate Plaza Opening Photos

FUEL.TV is in downtown LA as we speak for the opening of Rob Dyrdek’s new DC Skate Plaza. Located in the Lafayette Recreation Center, the plaza was created in a partnership between The Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation and the City of Los Angeles.  

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This spot is an example of a place where the 10 million skaters in this country can hang out. “This is what street skaters do, we just find a place and skate it,” says Dyrdek.

Currently a hundred kids are lined up outside the gates of the park anxiously waiting to check out the new skate spot. Unlike many skate parks this is an example of minimal funding going a long way. According to Cristina Kown from DC, the idea behind this project is to take street elements like ledges, stairs and rails and put them in a spot that is legal and safe.

"This is the future of the sport. We are not trying to over build and force features into a space but creating a handful of obstacles in a place we call a spot", explains Dyrdek. This location, that was sponsored in part by Carl’s Jr., is 9,000 square feet and is considered a prime example of a simplified skate plaza.

Traditionally skate parks are privately funded, so Rob hoped this plaza would be an example of something that could be done simply and in any community. The Lafayette area of Downtown LA is a well-known high-risk gang zone and according to Kown research has shown that kids who skateboard in these areas are more likely to escape the gang scene.

Officer Mauricio Salazar, who was present at this afternoon's unveiling says, “There is no where to skate around here so they are on the street all day. They would love to have a park but it just hasn’t been affordable, I can guarantee property damage will go down as a result of this park. Skating definitely keeps these guys occupied instead of congregating on the street corner.”

All involved in this project hope this could be an example of an affordable option to promote skateboarding and keep kids out of the high risk situations, and as Officer Salazar put it, “This place is going to be really crowded“.

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PRESS RELEASE

ROB DYRDEK TO HOST GRAND OPENING FOR LAFAYETTE SAFE SPOT SKATE SPOT FEBRUARY 24th IN LOS ANGELES
 
The Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation, in conjunction with the City of Los Angeles and CKE Restaurants, Inc., will host the grand opening for the Lafayette Park Safe Spot Skate Spot on February 24, 2009.  Professional Skateboarder and MTV star Rob Dyrdek will be on hand to open the new street skateboarding spot developed through his foundation. Following the opening ceremony, the DC Skate Team will hold a skateboard demo and the new skate spot will then be opened to the public to skate. The Lafayette Safe Spot, Skate Spot was developed in partnership with Newline Skate Parks and California Skate Parks. At just over 7,000 square feet of skateable terrain, the spot will contain ledges, benches and stairs that flow through the park’s natural landscape.
 
The Safe Spot, Skate Spot is a program developed by The Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation to support legal and safe skate spots for communities interested in developing skateable areas for their skateboarders. Based from the skate plaza concept, the Safe Spot, Skate Spot program will provide an alternative option for communities to develop real street skating terrain given limited budgets or space restrictions. The Lafayette location is the first Safe Spot, Skate Spot to be developed under the Foundation’s new program.