Skateboarding
Pride and Creativity Drives Detroit Skate Scene
No longer a broken city, skaters continue to make the most of what Detroit has to offer.
Hart Plaza- THE ORDINARY YOU
© Joe Gall
With Red Bull Hart Lines set to invade Detroit’s Hart Plaza this week, it’s important to understand what the local skate scene is all about.
For skateboarding, Detroit is a picturesque place with beautiful buildings and interesting backgrounds making even basic tricks look great on film. The local skaters have made Detroit their own, building DIY spots all over the city.
There are some that still see Detroit as a broken city full of abandoned buildings, but for a large core of skateboarders, they see opportunity. In the difficult economical times, skaters never expected the city to build shiny new skateparks, so locals did it themselves. There is ample space and raw material everywhere you look. Abandoned lots and buildings make a perfect foundation for DIY projects.
The famed Brewster-Douglass projects house one of Detroit’s earlier DIY spots, and it was the end point for Emerica’s 2012 Wild in the Streets. Ride It Sculpture Park was a project the global skate community rallied behind to fund and build in a rough Detroit neighborhood. Wig Park is the latest DIY park constructed at an abandoned rec center with city approval. Throughout the city there are various other DIY improvements on existing spots too.
Keeping with the DIY ethos, the Rosa Parks Boys have built a creative space in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. The brainchild of Jim Tumey and François Decomble, it hosts video screenings, art shows, pop-up shops and lots of skateboarding. Plus Skateboarding, in the Farmington suburb, keeps Detroit’s skaters in the latest gear and puts a lot back into the scene by supporting a team, videos, skatepark advocacy and a skate school. Mike Krok and Pat Galloway both ride for Plus and are some of Michigan’s gnarliest skaters. Kyle Eby’s Ruff Ryderz video series showcases Detroit and the surrounding area’s best skateboarders.
Pro skate teams make Detroit a destination for its abundant skatable terrain and lack of police or security to keep them from skating. The decaying art deco architecture makes a perfect backdrop for photos and videos. DVS chose Detroit for their location in 2015’s Skate and Create contest. Converse spent time in Detroit on their recent Rust Belt Boon tour skating Wig Park and other spots around the city. 5Boro went from New York to Detroit with Carhartt and Pontus Alv in a 2012 video for their collaboration collection. Countless other teams and crews have ventured into Detroit’s streets in their quest to stack clips.
The harsh Midwest winters may keep most skaters from moving to Detroit, but despite the cold, the city has been attracting a fair amount of skaters and creative types looking for a place to start something new. Property is cheap and opportunities, ample. The city and its suburbs are a great place for people who have big ideas and are willing to work hard.
Hart Lines will no doubt draw crowds to the city. If spectators are smart they will stick around a while and explore the rest of Detroit. Gems are there to be found for those willing to look hard enough.
The pictures featured above are from Joe Gall (known as Camerajesus), a local photographer who captures the history and spirit of Detroit perfectly. Gall will be at Hart Lines capturing the action at Hart Plaza.
Stay glued to Red Bull Skate all week. We'll be bringing you all of the highlights, results and up-to-the-minute information from Hart Lines. When something big goes down, you'll see it first right here.
As for the entire contest, Hart Lines airs as part of the Red Bull Signature Series on NBC Saturday, Aug. 1 at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.
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