After a long push, roller skating in Downtown’s Red Arrow Park finally became a reality this summer. But organizers remain irked by limited hours, issues surrounding the playing of music and the lack of on-site skate rentals at the county-operated park.
Terrence Clarke, who leads the nonprofit group Roll Train, which is devoted to Black culture roller skating, has worked for nearly a decade to bring skating to Red Arrow Park. He went as far as to claim that racial issues are behind the restrictions and he and his organization are demanding that roller skaters be given the access and amenities that are equal to those given to ice skaters who use Red Arrow Park during winter months.