[wzslider height=”800″ info=”true” lightbox=”true”] Known as “Heaven” by the flocks of skate boarders from around the region that frequent it New Ross, County Wexford Park, is now the subject of controversy. Due to complaints from the Police, and some citizenry there is a proposal at float to limit graffiti to only two walls.
Of course there are many “walls” in the park because there are multiple buildings and a stone wall around the entire park. So limiting this to two walls would in fact pretty much end a contained place for artistic and self expression at it has been in the past. Not only are the walls utilized but most of the cement walkway has been used as the “canvas” for taggers (many of which I understand are skateboarders).
The park is located over the I-84 tunnel that goes through downtown Hartford. It’s a rather self contained area and, frankly, is not all that visible to passerby’s unless you make an effort to look at the tops of some of the small buildings located within. This is due largely in part to the fact that it’s elevated from ground level, surrounded by a stone wall and is, sort of located in a non-conspicuous place (at least for being downtown). What’s I’m trying to say is that it really doesn’t strike me as an eyesore.
One thing that struck me was that I didn’t see the usual features you’d see in a skateboard area. I didn’t see any ramps, railings (except near the stairs when you walk in the park and those weren’t intended for skateboarders), rows of benches. You know the types of things skateboards relish risking their health by scaling. Yes there is a lot of open cement to skateboard around on but for any talented skateboarder I would think they’d need some challenges. So where is the “skateboard” element to the park? Now if skateboarders have a thing about graffiti and it’s part of their culture then yes, this park must have been heaven. No longer did they risk arrest as they expressed themselves.
One more thing struck me. I didn’t see one inappropriate or vulgar word sprayed in the park. Now there were many words that made no sense to me. Could they be gang tags or “skateboarder” talk? Who knows. It’s not the world I live in. So to the average Joe just passing by you wouldn’t be offended by what you read. Yes there was one door where someone had glued a cover to a girly magazine. All in all that was far less than I expected to see. So people carrying the spray can’s appear to be playing by the rules.
I stopped by here about 5:00 in the afternoon during the week after my work day was completed. I didn’t find any skateboarders. Perhaps they were all at work or school and don’t show up until the evening. I did see one lady enter with a dog. Upon seeing me she bolted. There was one other guy, clean cut working office type guy about middle-aged. He approached me because he thought I was from the local newspaper. He asked me if I knew about the controversy going on with respect to the park. I had because that is what brought the existence of the park to my attention in the first place. He went on to say that I should watch where I sit down or walk because he frequently finds needles on his periodic sojourns to take a break from work. He said, in his opinion, that the homeless and drug addicted are common here. Perhaps that was the problem the Police had with the park.
I did see a Hartford cruiser drive right into the park and sit to observe as I was leaving. Good for them. It appears they are on top of things. I would think if illicit drugs are going on here that it would be easier for the Police to watch the place and make arrests as needed. If it is so bad wouldn’t it be like fishing for trout out of a barrel – pretty easy.
Well at the end of the day this isn’t a social issue for me. I’m just a photographer and in particular a photographer that finds interest in photographing graffiti. So for me, coming upon this park, was indeed photography “heaven”.
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