Responding to a Persuasive Prompt
Prompt
For 15 years, Hollyfield Park has been a gathering place for skateboarders. But recently, the city council has decided to pass an ordinance banning the use of skateboards in all city parks.
Read two letters addressing the issue as well as a copy of the possible ban the city council will be voting on soon.
Amendment to the Regulation of Individual Conduct and Activity
Skateboarding on Public Property
The City Council of Jerrytown hereby ordains:
Skateboarding on Public Property
Letter to the Editor 1
Dear Editor:
I want to be clear about my position on the possible ban on skateboarding: I love the ban! Let me explain. I live near Hollyfield Park, and I have a small child. We like to walk through the park regularly. But the skateboarders pose a serious threat to us. They weave through crowded walkways. My mother-in-law was once knocked down by a skater.
Also, has anyone else noticed how barren some of our flowerbeds look? That’s because skaters end up running into them. I’ve seen a skater sail right through a bunch of daisies, flattening them to the ground. That’s my money that pays for the upkeep of those daisies! Also, the skaters hop up onto the handrails along the walkway. I can see where they have chipped and damaged the handrails as well as the curbs on the street.
I certainly hope the city council votes in favor of the ban. We’ll all be grateful.
Letter to the Editor 2
Dear Editor:
In recent weeks, there has been a lot of discussion about the possible ban on skateboarders on public property. I have been hearing a lot of passionate argument for the ban, but I want to present the other side. I think the ban will be bad for the whole city.
You probably think that I am some young skateboarder myself. Nope! I’ve never set foot on a skateboard in my life. But I think that the skateboarding community brings a lot to our town, and I don’t want to lose it.
People from all over the world come to skate in Hollyfield Park, including some of the world’s top professional skateboarders. This attracts passersby who enjoy watching the art.As more people come to the city, they also spend money! That’s called boosting the economy, people. Parks that allow skateboarding attract new residents and appeal particularly to young people—the very people who revitalize a city.
I recently talked to an elderly woman who lives near the park. Guess what she’s afraid of? Not skateboarders! She fears that without the skateboarders in the park in the evenings and at night, there will be nobody to keep an eye on the park and protect it from crime.
So please remember that there are plenty of us who oppose the ban against skateboarders.
Assignment
Should the city pass a ban on skateboarders on all public property, or are the citizens who oppose the ban right when they argue that there are benefits to having the skateboarders in public parks? Plan and write a response in which you state your position and persuade readers to agree with you. Support your position with reasons and examples drawn from the proposed amendment to ban skateboarding and from information in the letters to the editor, as well as from your own experience.
