Skateboarding Is Not A Crime

The ‘skateboarding is not a crime’ motto has become one of the most famous expressions — and stickers — in skateboard history. In 1987 skateboard company Powell Peralta initiated an advertising campaign using “skateboarding is not a crime” as their slogan, and in their 1988 video, Public Domain, showed skateboarders in various locations which displayed stickers showing the slogan. Skateboarding has always been a city sport that interacts with architecture, buildings, urban objects, landscapes, and spaces. As skateboarding increasing in popularity, skateboarders faced curfews, prohibitive legislation, and bans from public areas. Soon, tickets and fines were soon being issued across America and Europe, and police officers and security guards quickly became skateboarders’ worst nightmares. After the introduction of no skateboarding legislation, skateboarders were suddenly regarded as common criminals, getting harassed and having their boards confiscated, leading to the rise in reminding folks that ‘skateboarding is not a crime.’