Skateboarding still a crime: cops to skater
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 | 3:57 PM AT
CBC News
A skateboarder jailed last week for refusing to pay a fine for skateboarding on a Fredericton street has received another ticket.
Lee Breen, 25, spent a night in jail last week after he refused to pay a $100 fine for breaking a Fredericton bylaw that was designed to "prevent nuisances" and forbids skateboarding on the road.
Breen was released on Thursday and under house arrest until Saturday morning.
But when he skateboarded to work on Saturday night, he and three other skateboarders were pulled over by a police officer.
"They stopped another skateboarder and he recognized me, so my 'Sorry sir, I did not know about the law, sir' didn't work and he gave me a ticket," Breen told CBC News.
Breen said he also doesn't plan to pay this $50 fine and is willing to go to jail again for it.
Skateboarding is an environmentally friendly way to travel, Breen said. He adds he takes proper safety precautions, including wearing a helmet and signalling with his hands, that make using the board no more dangerous than riding a bike.
Breen is arguing that the bylaw shouldn't include skateboarding in a list that also prohibits people from using a sled, toboggan or wagon on city streets.
More than 80 people rallied in downtown Fredericton last Wednesday to show their support for Breen and his refusal to pay the fine.
Police provided an escort for the protesters to skateboard and walk around a downtown city block before Breen turned himself in to be taken into custody at the provincial courthouse.
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