China Creek's Path to Salvation
Adventures in social activism
The campaign to save China Creek skatepark was my first experience with social activism. Built in 1979 in China Creek South Park at the corner of Clark and Broadway, China Creek is the oldest skatepark in Vancouver, the second oldest in Canada (North Van’s Seylynn was built in 1978), and one of only a handful of North American skateparks left over from the ’70s. China Creek is also home to the longest-running annual skateboard event, the Jaks Contest, which has been held, rain or shine, on the second Saturday of September for the past 20 years. So all of us local skaters were upset when we heard on October 11, 2006 that the Vancouver Park Planning Committee was “leaning towards” recommending the skatepark be bulldozed as part of a future park upgrade.
We knew that the Park Board doesn’t always follow the recommendations of the planners, but we weren’t about to gamble. The plan to use part of a modest upgrade budget to rip up a popular and historic skatepark out of one of Vancouver’s most park-poor neighbourhoods (against the wishes of the majority of the residents) when those funds could be put towards the other planned upgrades (playground, improved bike path, community garden, new trees, etc.) seemed ridiculous, and we wanted to make that clear. The next day, park neighbours, Coalition members, and other skaters started spreading the word via email, phone calls, websites, and word of mouth. The experience was about as satisfying as it gets. The planning department went from favouring removing the skatepark, to a neutral stance, to recommending that it stay. And on January 15, in response to that recommendation, the Park Board voted unanimously to keep the skatepark.
Canada is a free country. If you’re unhappy with something, don’t just sit there. Get involved. Here are a few tactics that worked for us:
Contact the Media
The media can only report on stories that they know about. Make them aware of yours. We wrote articles to The Nerve and Beyond Robson, and sent emails to the local media, which resulted in stories in The Province, The Courier, 24 Hours, and Metro; interviews on CBC, CKNW, News 1130, and Evolution 107.9; and a TV interview with BCIT Magazine.
The coverage led to two meetings with the Park Board. In the first, a councillor said that he’d been instructed by his boss (and his boss’s boss) to “put out the fire,” and in the second we were told that the Planning Committee had decided to take a neutral stance rather than recommend removing the bowls.
Be Organized
Organizing yourselves will allow everyone to contribute what they’re best at while minimizing work overlap. As the vice-president of the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition, I was lucky enough to be able to approach the Park Board as a representative of an organization with whom they were familiar and had interacted in the past. Don’t worry if nobody’s built that kind of foundation for you; you can start now.
Act Professionally
Swearing, making threats, and name-calling is for little kids and politicians. Don’t do it. If you want to be taken seriously, behave and communicate in a professional manner. That means being respectful to people, having your facts straight, showing up to meetings on time, checking your correspondence for spelling and grammar, and of course, not gloating if you get your way in the end.
Brush Up on Your Public Speaking
At some point you’ll probably end up at a public meeting and will have to speak to people who are better speakers than you. I’ve hated public speaking my whole life. I don’t even talk that much in front of my friends. I got up there though. What can I tell you? Be prepared (write it out, bring notes, practice in front of your cat... whatever works), keep it straightforward, and say what you need to say.
Host an Event
To highlight the skatepark’s positive aspects, the Coalition hosted China Creek Appreciation Day on November 18. We invited neighbours, city councillors, the media, and everyone else we knew. Coffee and hot chocolate were donated by a local business, there was a product toss for the kids, the weather cooperated, we got to talk to some Park Board councillors, and everyone had a great time.
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