Bomb in Dolores Park Hill: Skaters defy police presence

San Francisco police almost managed to defuse the bomb on Dolores Park Hill—until a few dozen wayward skaters detonated a scaled-down version of it and raced down a slope just a block away.

A hillbomber who defied police by taking part in the unauthorized event on Saturday narrowly avoided a car turning right onto the Church Street side of the park as the crowd cheered his high-speed descent.

Another fell just as he reached the bottom of the hill, but quickly got back up and signaled to the crowd that he was OK, earning thunderous applause from the spectators.

Skateboarder Mark Urbieta, who introduced himself as “Shark,” hurried down the church wearing an N-95 mask to hide his face.

“That was a great feeling,” he shouted as he trudged back up the mountain.

Although the San Francisco Police Department did everything it could to prevent the event, holding a press conference the day before and stationing officers around the park hours in advance, it was much more restrained than last year.

When the skaters finally started on Saturday evening in front of a few hundred spectators, dozens of police officers simply watched. Some took photos.

Compared to the chaos of the 2023 mountain bombing – when police surrounded rioting crowds and arrested masses of people – it was a more benign, gentler mountain bombing.

For some skaters, this reticence softened their opinion of the authorities.

“It was ‘Fuck the city,'” Urbieta told The Standard. “We love the city now – but I don’t know how long that will last.”

A few minutes later, he collapsed at the bottom of the hill, writhing in pain on the ground as passersby and volunteer paramedics rushed to his aid.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine, I promise,” he said. “It happens. It’s part of this life.”

When a nurse advised Urbieta not to go down the hill again, he replied, “Don’t you know how skaters do it?”

Moments later he was racing down the hill again.

The day before the event, police held a press conference to warn skaters that they would be arrested if they tried to resist them.

Subsequently, an Instagram user who had originally promoted the event retracted his original post with an image stating that the event could not take place.

“Event CANCELLED!!! Police will be waiting in Dolores!!! My name is not allowed to be mentioned!!! Stay away!!!” the updated post said.

A few hours before the expected start time, officers began posting guards on Dolores Street between 19th and 20th streets.

A few young skaters, who said they were arrested at last year’s unauthorized event and declined to give their names, told The Standard they planned to “bomb” the hill despite the barriers.

For hours it looked as if they had no chance of making it – until it happened.

While officers were loitering and there was no crowd to control, residents complained about the police presence.

Maria Pugliese, a neighborhood dog owner, said she was disgusted that the city assigned so many police officers to the event while other crimes continued to be a problem.

“You do it at your own risk,” she said. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Why would they stop that but not the motorcycle gangs?” she asked, referring to groups of dirt bike riders who often ride through the Mission in a caravan. “They could kill someone, they run red lights every damn weekend.”

Chloe, who lives near the park and did not want to give her last name, said she does not understand why the city does not simply approve the event.

“I want a mountain bomb where medical assistance is available,” she said. “They spend so much money to prevent it, but it costs just as much to make it happen.”

Skateboarder Chris Long said he felt the city had made the event less safe by installing speed bumps on the street to deter potential hillbombers.

“I would be interested in attending if it were safe,” he said. “I’m disappointed that the city is handling things this way. … They’ve had plenty of time to prepare.”

Aaron Breetwor, a Mission resident who is also pushing for Hill Bomb approval, said he submitted a plan to the city to hold the event with just such safety precautions – but it was ignored.

He came to the park on Saturday with about 20 helmets for people to use in case anyone wanted to skate. He also gave skaters tips on how to talk to police if they get arrested.

Meanwhile, several motorists expressed their displeasure about the road closures.

“How am I supposed to get to my house?” a man shouted from his Lexus SUV.

As the afternoon progressed and there was no sign of a mountain bomb, officials discussed whether to meet again at another location.

“The boss told us to close the cordons all the way to 18th Street,” a police officer told a group of colleagues at the corner of 20th and Dolores Streets.

“Is there another hill we should cordon off?” asked another, smiling.

For a few hours, a group of skaters skated on the sidewalk in the middle of the park, which was partially blocked off by rangers and metal gates.

To the dismay of some skaters, this initially seemed to be the extent of Saturday’s event.

At around 6:40 p.m., rangers completely blocked the path for the skaters, which led to boos from both spectators and skaters.

“Someone has to hit that thing,” shouted one skater.

Some masked individuals attempted to steal part of the barricades, but only managed to get about 20 meters before they encountered park rangers and ran away.

Other skaters began skating on their backs under the ranger’s truck.

But as the afternoon gave way to evening, the group gathered their courage and risked arrest and injury by continuing the hillbomb tradition.

Breetwor said the fact that the show went on was a testament to the indomitable spirit of skaters.

“This is a city of hills – you can’t lock down every hill,” he told The Standard. “I’m proud of the community for coming together.”

Matt Flores, who said he has lived in the neighborhood since the 1990s, walked a few blocks from his home to watch the show.

“I think it’s relatively harmless,” he said. “I think people overreacted from the beginning.”

Nico Cruz, a Noe Valley resident drinking at nearby Bar Woods, cheered on the skaters with a pint of pilsner in hand.

“This is great,” he said. “This is so San Francisco.”