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Bomb on Dolores Park Hill moves one block away, bypassing police lines

Theo

The much anticipated – or, depending on your point of view, feared – bombing on Dolores Park Hill was pushed off Dolores Street and onto Church Street on Saturday night, without any confrontations with police, as was the case with last year’s attack.

A brawl began and ended quickly after spectators intervened. Several skaters fell but appeared to sustain only minor injuries. One was sitting on the sidewalk and was being tended to by several volunteer paramedics who were examining a bloody cut on his head.

More than a hundred San Francisco police officers had already blocked off the park for hours before the first skaters arrived. They had zigzagged barricades along the sidewalks and blocked the intersections along Dolores Street. The barriers were manned by police officers and several police cars surrounded the park.

A group of young people, some with skateboards, stand together outdoors. Some are looking at their phones, others are wearing helmets. Trees and a road can be seen in the background.
The Dolores Park Hill bomb was moved to Church Street to avoid police cordons on Dolores Hill on July 6, 2024. Photo by Kelly Waldron.

So the skaters turned to a less policed ​​area – the park itself – before continuing onto the steeper Church Street on the other side of Dolores.

“Everyone stay to the side! No crossing!” shouted Chris Long, an experienced skater, urging the crowds around Church to make way for the downhill riders.

The skaters raced down the street at breakneck speed while the crowd roared and clapped. Whenever a skater reached the bottom safely, the crowd erupted in applause; when he fell, the crowd groaned loudly.

Music blared from speakers, teenagers and people in their twenties poured alcohol into plastic cups and began drinking Modelos and other light beers, and photographers and repeat offenders crowded the area hoping to snap a magical photo.

  • A skateboarder performs a trick on a downhill street while spectators stand on both sides of the road and capture the moment with their cell phones.
    The Dolores Park Hill bomb moved to Church Street. Photo by Kelly Waldron. July 6, 2024.
  • One person on an office chair and another on a skateboard race down a street while a large crowd cheers on the sidewalks. "No Turn on Red" Signs and parked cars can be seen in the background.
    A skater on Church Street. Photo by Kelly Waldron. July 6, 2024.
  • A skateboarder rides down a hill while a crowd of spectators stand along the street taking photos. The scene includes street signs, parked cars, and buildings in the background.
    Bystanders take videos and photos of skaters on Church Street after the crowd moved there to avoid police barricades on Dolores Street. Photo by Kelly Waldron. July 6, 2024.
  • A crowd gathers along an uphill city street, watching cyclists approaching. Tall terraced houses and trees line the sidewalk. The mood seems lively and engaged.
    The crowd that attended the Dolores Park Hill bombing moved toward the church. Photo by Kelly Waldron. July 6, 2024.

The annual event usually draws hundreds of skaters and spectators to the park in July. It is dangerous and has resulted in serious head injuries, a coma and a death in the past. And last year, police surrounded and arrested 113 young people after members of the crowd attacked buildings and Muni vehicles and threw cans and bottles at officers.

The mass arrest resulted in a civil rights class action lawsuit that is still ongoing. Youths arrested by police claim officers violated their constitutional rights and abused them by detaining them for hours into the night.

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