“No one’s complaining about the music necessarily. It’s the show taking up the space in the skate park.”
At Denver’s largest skatepark, skateboarders, BMX bikes, motorcycles and underage drinking mark the scene on a typical weekend night.
But the 4th of July weekend was especially chaotic, with fireworks and live music thrown into the mix. There was a DJ, mumble/screamo rappers and mosh pits crammed into a pavilion in the center of the park, while a three-piece band took over one of the skating bowls.
A little over a hundred visitors flooded the park, trying to dodge skaters and bikers while enjoying the show. It was the latest “takeover” event organized on social media. While others have converged on places like the Northfield Mall, the organizers of this one chose Denver Skate Park, also known as D-Park — and the skaters weren’t sure what to do about it.
“There have been fights that have broken out, beers that were thrown or rules that were broken or skaters that were upset about the shows,” said Noah Benton, a skater and musician in Denver…