skateboarder on street

Security Guard Suffers Permanent Brain Damage After Fight With Skater

Skateboarders are re-examining a culture of conflict with security guards in the wake of a tragic incident between a professional skater and a guard in San Francisco.

The skateboarding world is grappling with a dangerous trend that has been promoted by some of its most famous athletes for years: the glorification of confrontations with security guards tasked with keeping skaters off their properties.

A violent fight between a guard and skateboarding crew in San Francisco has drawn attention to how skateboarders, and the media who cover them, have grown to despise security guards to the point of attacking them.

In November, a group of skaters arrived at a corporate plaza that has often been the scene of trick videos despite the plaza’s skating ban. Dan Jansen arrived to tell the skaters to leave and ended up in a tense confrontation with professional skater Jesse Vieira, The New York Times reported.

The fight escalated when Jansen threw a skater’s board into the road and ended with Jansen being pushed to the ground, giving him permanent brain damage and the inability to walk or recognize family members. Due to his injuries, part of Jansen’s skull and frontal lobe were removed in surgery.

Vieira pleaded not guilty to assault charges, claiming self defense. He awaits a second trial in September after a jury was deadlocked over the case in May, leading to a mistrial.

Jansen’s case stands out even amid a culture of regular altercations between guards and skaters. At the heart of these disputes is the sport’s transition from parks designated for skating to business and residential areas, where people practice and film tricks to post on social media.

Skate websites and Instagram accounts have also shared videos lauding skaters for taking on guards and claiming their right to use spaces for skating.

“I do hold those who glamorize confronting security — rather than just leaving the second we are asked, as 99 percent of skaters do — somewhat responsible for the behavior they depict and profit from,” Mackenzie Eisenhour, a former editor of the website Transworld Skateboarding, told the Times.

Many people in the skate world are speaking out against the negative rhetoric and actions they’ve seen against guards, who some describe as just doing their job.

“Treating those people [guards] with respect and walking away provides you with the opportunity to just feel better, feel good about yourself, but also you can most likely come back,” Josh Stewart, a skate filmmaker, told the Times.

Skaters who confront guards are still celebrated in certain circles, but Stewart and others said they would like the culture to “police” itself more. Eisenhour brought attention to Jansen’s condition in January with an Instagram post calling on his community to reject violence.

“As skateboarders, I/we have all been in this situation a million times over,” he wrote. “But never once did I think violence on our part would help in any way shape or form. Fighting is for kooks - a lose/lose proposition that ruins the spot for everyone, ruins skateboarding, let alone ruining this man’s life.”

Eisenhour added: “As a skateboarder, I cannot stay quiet on this type of thing. If you or your friends act this way on the daily, take a long hard look at all involved in this incident.”

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

  • DHS to End ‘Shoes-Off’ Travel Policy

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a new policy today which will allow passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening at TSA checkpoints. Read Now

New Products

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.