City Trespass Ordinance Means Fewer Problems at Skate Park, But is it Constitutional?

After numerous calls to the police at the Riverwalk Skate Park, the Bradenton Police have been given the ability to start trespassing individuals from the park.

The park is now safer for the skaters it was intended for.

"They keep people from getting in trouble and fights breaking out," said Taylor Labrandi, a skater at Riverwalk Skate Park.

But the local chapter of the ACLU says that they have gotten complaints about the trespass ordinance and how it is being used.

Andrea Mogensen, a local defense attorney and a board member for the local chapter of the ACLU, which covers Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties, said that they are "actively looking at" whether the trespass ordinance is constitutional.

Mogensen they are looking at the ordinance to see whether it is constitutional on the face of it — banning people from public spaces — and whether it is being applied in a way that is constitutional. They want to know whether certain people are being targeted with the new ordinance.

Mogensen said she believes they will have an answer to some of the questions within the next 30 days.

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But those who use the skate park at Riverwalk say the trespassing ordinance is only punishing those causing trouble at the park, not the skaters or others who want to use the park as it was intended.

"It's just random bystanders that come hang out (that cause problems) that shouldn't even be here," said Christian Patterson, a skater at the Riverwalk Skate Park.

Watch out video above for more information on how the trespassing ordinance has effected the skaters at the park.