An ordinance that makes parkour illegal on town property was adopted on January 27, after a vote by trustees in the Fowler Town Council (Colorado) meeting. This decision was undertaken after benches and wheelchair benches were found to be damaged, with several witnesses pointing to local teens who had been jumping onto and off of the benches. The cost of repairs, for the damages and making the benches ADA compliant again, are estimated to be U$1,200.
While the Town Administrator, Dan Hyatt, has acknowledged that the damages were not deliberate, the ordinance is intended to protect property from further damage. He has further clarified that parkour “[is] not in any way being viewed as criminal mischief or vandalism” and emphasised that the ordinance “simply gives the police department the authority to prohibit parkour on city property”.
Fowler Police Officer Jacob Freidenberger has stated that: “Those found to be practicing parkour will not be prosecuted unless their actions could be reasonably calculated to cause property damage.”
For information on the ordinance, please look at Ordinance No. 693-14.
Was Fowler Reasonable To Ban Parkour On Town Property?
To state my personal stand on this, assuming that the property was indeed damaged by teenage traceurs, the town’s actions to prevent further damage is understandable; they have an interest to protect public property, which is property shared by the local community, paid for by tax-payers. The police’s stand on not prosecuting traceurs unless their actions had caused damage is also reasonable.
To add, we should be considerate towards other users of public property when training, and avoid damaging shared property (especially when it is not being used as intended). As much as possible, avoid training on amenities for disabled people because damaging those facilities would be most inconvenient for them.
Share your thoughts with us. Do you think the Town of Fowler was reasonable to make Parkour illegal on town property?
News Source: Fowler Tribune
