What a frickin Joke
http://patriotledger.com/articles/2004/08/11/news/news01.txt
LOCAL NEWS
Skateboard scofflaws: Parents outraged by sons' arrests
Joshua Saltzman, 12, left, and Ryan Maxwell, 14, both of Whitman, were arrested last Tuesday on disturbing the peace charges for skateboarding on the street. (DAVID GORDON/For The Patriot Ledger)
By JOE McGEE
The Patriot Ledger
WHITMAN - Two boys were handcuffed, shackled and hauled off to court for skateboarding on the street in front of their homes.
Joshua Saltzman, 12, and Ryan Maxwell, 14, were arrested on disturbing the peace charges.
Their parents are outraged.
‘‘When I heard the ‘clink, clink' from the leg shackles, I said, ‘You've got to be kidding me,''' Stephanie Salzman, Joshua's mother, said. ‘‘For skateboarding? Don't the police have anything better to do?''
Michael Maxwell, Ryan's father, agreed.
‘‘It was like they caught him with a loaded gun,'' Maxwell said.
‘‘What possible good could this serve?'' Maxwell asked.
Deputy Police Chief Raymond Nelson said other skateboarders have been arrested.
He said skaters have been ignoring Whitman's bylaw that prohibits skating on streets and sidewalks. And some are just being ‘‘pains in the neck'' when asked to vacate public property, he said.
‘‘It's very sketchy for us,'' Nelson said. ‘‘Nobody wants to stop them from having fun, but we don't want to put people in danger, either. It's a public safety problem. Our guys have better things to do than to collect skateboards.''
A judge ordered the boys to perform 15 hours of community service.
Saltzman said she is just confused as to why her son and his friend were arrested.
The boys said they were hanging out on Maxwell's front steps with their skateboards for a few minutes last Tuesday when police officer Dean Leavitt pulled up to investigate a report of a traffic disturbance. The boys said he took their boards away and placed them in the back of the police cruiser.
They spent two hours in a jail cell at Brockton District Court before their parents bailed them out.
Police said the boys were seen weaving in and out of traffic on South Avenue on their skateboards. The boys said they skated only a few feet into the street when cars weren't passing by. There was no indication that either of them acted rudely or resisted arrest.
Neither boy had a criminal record prior to this incident, their parents pointed out.
Stephanie Saltzman demanded answers from the town.
‘‘Joshua doesn't cause problems. He has never been in trouble with the cops. I don't get it,'' she said.
Nelson said that when most police officers see youngsters skateboarding where they shouldn't, ‘‘they just move them along'' or confiscate their boards.
Maxwell said he was informed that his son was in custody at about 2:30 p.m. He was told he had an hour to appear on his son's behalf at Brockton District Court or the boy would be held overnight.
Saltzman said that the incident reinforced her opinion that Whitman needs to build a skateboard park.
Nelson agreed that the town could use a skateboard park, but he said parents need to take the initiative.
‘‘Every one of the parents that comes in when we confiscate a board, we tell them the same thing: Check with Hanson on how they built a park behind the police station. That would give them some place to go,'' Nelson said.
Joe McGee may be reached at jmcgee@ledger.com.
Copyright 2004 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Wednesday, August 11, 2004
http://patriotledger.com/articles/2004/08/11/news/news01.txt
LOCAL NEWS
Skateboard scofflaws: Parents outraged by sons' arrests
Joshua Saltzman, 12, left, and Ryan Maxwell, 14, both of Whitman, were arrested last Tuesday on disturbing the peace charges for skateboarding on the street. (DAVID GORDON/For The Patriot Ledger)
By JOE McGEE
The Patriot Ledger
WHITMAN - Two boys were handcuffed, shackled and hauled off to court for skateboarding on the street in front of their homes.
Joshua Saltzman, 12, and Ryan Maxwell, 14, were arrested on disturbing the peace charges.
Their parents are outraged.
‘‘When I heard the ‘clink, clink' from the leg shackles, I said, ‘You've got to be kidding me,''' Stephanie Salzman, Joshua's mother, said. ‘‘For skateboarding? Don't the police have anything better to do?''
Michael Maxwell, Ryan's father, agreed.
‘‘It was like they caught him with a loaded gun,'' Maxwell said.
‘‘What possible good could this serve?'' Maxwell asked.
Deputy Police Chief Raymond Nelson said other skateboarders have been arrested.
He said skaters have been ignoring Whitman's bylaw that prohibits skating on streets and sidewalks. And some are just being ‘‘pains in the neck'' when asked to vacate public property, he said.
‘‘It's very sketchy for us,'' Nelson said. ‘‘Nobody wants to stop them from having fun, but we don't want to put people in danger, either. It's a public safety problem. Our guys have better things to do than to collect skateboards.''
A judge ordered the boys to perform 15 hours of community service.
Saltzman said she is just confused as to why her son and his friend were arrested.
The boys said they were hanging out on Maxwell's front steps with their skateboards for a few minutes last Tuesday when police officer Dean Leavitt pulled up to investigate a report of a traffic disturbance. The boys said he took their boards away and placed them in the back of the police cruiser.
They spent two hours in a jail cell at Brockton District Court before their parents bailed them out.
Police said the boys were seen weaving in and out of traffic on South Avenue on their skateboards. The boys said they skated only a few feet into the street when cars weren't passing by. There was no indication that either of them acted rudely or resisted arrest.
Neither boy had a criminal record prior to this incident, their parents pointed out.
Stephanie Saltzman demanded answers from the town.
‘‘Joshua doesn't cause problems. He has never been in trouble with the cops. I don't get it,'' she said.
Nelson said that when most police officers see youngsters skateboarding where they shouldn't, ‘‘they just move them along'' or confiscate their boards.
Maxwell said he was informed that his son was in custody at about 2:30 p.m. He was told he had an hour to appear on his son's behalf at Brockton District Court or the boy would be held overnight.
Saltzman said that the incident reinforced her opinion that Whitman needs to build a skateboard park.
Nelson agreed that the town could use a skateboard park, but he said parents need to take the initiative.
‘‘Every one of the parents that comes in when we confiscate a board, we tell them the same thing: Check with Hanson on how they built a park behind the police station. That would give them some place to go,'' Nelson said.
Joe McGee may be reached at jmcgee@ledger.com.
Copyright 2004 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Wednesday, August 11, 2004
