Dear Editor,
RE: “Boys and Girls Club Shuts Down Beloved Skatepark,” page 2
According to their website the Boys and Girls Club of America was founded to ‘provide a positive alternative to boys who were roaming the streets and to teach them skills which would ‘promote their development towards a successful, productive future’.
The skatepark program was the epitome of these goals – my son was happier, more confident and filled with a sense of accomplishment since he began skating at the park. While I can accept the reasons behind the decision to close the park what I cannot accept was the manner in which it was carried out: The skaters arrived at the club after school only to be told that the park was closed and would be torn down the next day! The children were shocked, angry and hurt. For an organization that professes to be a positive influence on children, this couldn’t have been a more negative and traumatic way to break the news. Shame on those responsible.
Elaine Wittert, Santa Monica
(from the smmirror.com)
