https://www.wbtv.com/2022/05/04/cmpd-former-pro-skateboarder-arrested-more-sexual-abuse-charges/started going to the skatepark when i was 13 or 14 (2000-2001). this guy was always there. every day. at the time he had long dreads and was probably in his early 30s? he was loud and loved to be the center of attention. he could skate pretty well but mostly just did flyouts off quarterpipes and steep banks over cones. he would have the microphone at every local contest. he was "the guy" for a long time in that scene.
he was "pro" for a bunch of shitty local brands that never went anywhere. navigator trucks was the biggest thing i can remember. nicotine wheels maybe? the rest were homemade board companies.
anyways, from the first day and after it was always rumored that he was a weird guy and rumors flew about him touching kids. he would take kids on "skate trips" to parks a few hours away. somehow their parents saw him as a "coach" even though this dude was an obvious loser and reeked of weed and drove a half broke down car. it was all really bizarre. i was like "well these rumors can't be true or somebody would have told on him by now". i was still shocked any parent would leave their child with him, rapist or not.
i was a kid when i learned about all this, 13 or 14. i always got a weird vibe from the guy. i grew up, skating and working at a shop with the "older guys" who also told me they had heard the same shit. this guy didnt have any really good friends his age - just those weird guys at the park who had their own "skate scene" because, honestly, they were too weird to even be part of the actual skate scene.
to see this shit come out now bums me out. i cant believe it was true all those years and it definitely happened during and after all the rumors about it. this news story went from 2 kids in March to 10 in May. i know some of these people.
when i was in my mid-20s working at the local shop this lady came in with her son and she was confiding in me and a couple co-workers and asked "would it be safe for him to go with Ray to this skate park? he seems like a nice guy but i feel really weird about it" and i said "look i normally dont get involved in this type of thing but i have heard some really bad things about this guy" and told her the rumors and she thanked me in confidence. i would like to hope that was helpful. i hate that we were too young or naive to do anything back then. worst part is i remember this kid getting older and once he had a car he was a big part of that scene that i was hoping his mother could help him avoid.
the "stoked on" part is that i know he will finally pay for what he did. i dont think guys like him have a good time in prison.
Topic: Things You Are Stoked On But Not Stoked On (Read 720814 times)