Skater Opts For Jail Over Paying Fine
By NunoXEI • May 19th, 2008 • Category: Blog
A 25-year-old Fredericton man is behind bars today after surrendering to police.
His crime?
Skateboarding on the streets.
Lee Breen was originally ticketed in the summer of 2007 for skateboarding on the streets of Fredericton. This was after receiving several warnings about Bylaw S-9, which makes it illegal to use a sled, toboggan, wagon or skateboard on the streets of New Brunswick’s capital.
“I was skating on King St. in Fredericton (and) was actually going to buy my brother a skateboard helmet,” he said yesterday. “(When) I saw the police car, I jumped off my board. The officer who pulled over and approached me had actually given me a warning the day before.”
Breen, a local businessman who has no previous criminal record, said he politely told the officer he wasn’t going to pay the fine or stop skateboarding.
In April, a judge increased the fine to $100 and gave him the choice of paying it or spending five days in jail.
Breen decided he’d rather be locked up.
“I won’t pay because I believe I’m following the Fredericton Green Matters campaign in finding alternative transportation with my skateboard,” he said yesterday at a rally in support of him at city hall.
“If I pay the fine, I would be admitting I was doing something wrong.”
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NunoXEI is Co-Founder of TheGreenRocket.com and self proclaimed internet-surfing-guru. You can find his personal blog at NunoXEI.com, the home of his podcast, The Lowdown, his comic-related properties and his webcomic, Republic Domain.
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I was reading this last week and I think its ridiculous..
whats the difference between riding a bike and a skateboard? Bike riders piss me off when they think they can own the road at 7 km/hr..so whats the big deal with a skateboard? Not to mention that its economical and good for the environment…
great choice going to jail because he has stirred up a hornets nest that will draw attention for a while.
The only reason I support him because he is respectful, signals, follows the rules of the road etc..if he was just some punk who obstructed traffic and endangered road drivers then I would have a different opinion.