In 1987, skateboard company Powell Peralta initiated an advertising campaign using "skateboarding is not a crime" as their slogan. Their 1988 video, Public Domain, showed skateboarders with the slogan stickers. In 1997, skateboard company NHS, Inc. began using the slogan.
The slogan advocates the right to enjoy skateboarding. In the 1980s, many cities banned skateboarding, leading skateboarders to protest the restrictions. The community quickly embraced the phrase on merchandise.
On May 5, 1997, NHS registered the trademark. Slowly an international movement contesting skate bans emerged.
While not illegal, riding a skateboard may be banned in some places. Skateboarding now has a place in the Olympics with park and street competitions. Skaters require well-rounded skills.
You’re never too old to learn skateboarding. Progression takes months as it has a steep learning curve. Skater Braydon Szafranski said skateboarding is "a crime, not a sport" in reference to the Olympics.
The phrase expresses skateboarding should not be criminalized. But some use it to wrongly justify illegal behavior. The camaraderie and community of skateboarding unifies people across backgrounds through a shared love.
Skateboarding itself is not a crime. But skating where banned can have consequences. The slogan advocates for the right to skate, which was spread as cities banned skating in the 1980s, leading to an international movement contesting skate bans.
Skateboarding risks bans today too. Progression takes months as the learning curve is steep, but people of any age can learn to skate. The community unites skaters across backgrounds through a shared passion, despite the controversies surrounding its Olympic inclusion.