Joining the growing numbers calling for skaters to take their boards to city hall, Rick Anderson makes an interesting point in light of the city’s claim that budgetary issues are holding back a new skate park (which might displace DuPen fountain, near the Northwest rooms, in Seattle Center for similar reasons):

Rather than dispose of $72 million in city property at its valued price, the mayor, with the City Council’s acquiescence, opted to give the world’s richest man a break so he could use the site – mostly a vast parking lot and the skate park – to build a new headquarters for the world’s richest foundation.

The Fifth Ave. N. plot went to the Gates Foundation for $22 million in 2005, and nobody got arrested. [dailyweekly]

It’s a bold move pitting Seattle skateboarders against global poverty and hunger, national and local education investment, and access to vaccines to fight disease across the world. But, yeah. It would be nice if we could have a new park, too.