I came across this site today. If any of you have played the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, you know the skate park called Burnside. It’s a skate park underneath a bridge on the wrong side of the river in Portland, OR. As Prodigal Jon said when he pointed me toward this collective in his best Tom Cruise impression, “You had me at Donald Miller.” Anyway, I checked it out, and the first thing I read was so poignant that I had to switch over and post this right away.
I spend at least a couple afternoons every week at theAXIOM in downtown Oroville. I know what you’re thinking, “There’s a downtown?” But there really is. And kids come. In full force. And my selfishness is so apparent while reading this that it hurts. I recommend this article to anyone and everyone that tries to connect with/understand/care for/about young people. It’s written from the point of view of someone in the ghetto, but it hits home no matter where you live. We don’t get kids. We think we have things figured out, but this is a brilliant reminder of our thin analysis skills. Tony said this week that he was challenged by a book called Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior that “The moment we label a person or a situation, we put on blinders to all evidence that contradicts our diagnosis.” I pray we can live outside of these labels/blinders.
The Letter From the Inner City Kid
