Posted on 12/04/2004 11:01:25 AM PST by SmithL
Pro skateboarder Neil Heddings carved out a reputation based almost as much on the pentagram tattoo on his chest and his rebellious lifestyle as his mastery of backyard pools and plywood half-pipes.
He named his youngest son Budweiser, sported a shaved head and traveled the globe performing for crowds and earning thousands of dollars a year from skateboard companies to help hawk their newest boards and gear.
That image served him well in West Coast skating circles. Heddings says it worked against him the morning of Nov. 23, 2002, when a San Jacinto (Riverside County) police officer walked into a bedroom and found the skater with the lifeless body of his 2-year-old son, Marcus, cradled in his arms.
Three months later, Heddings, 30, and his 25-year-old girlfriend, Christine "Pinky" Rams, were charged with beating the boy to death. They are scheduled to stand trial on first-degree murder charges Feb. 1.
Heddings blames the boy's death on an undiagnosed medical condition or neglect by Marcus' mother, Susie Moyer, in San Diego. An autopsy determined that Marcus sustained nearly a dozen sharp blows to the head, probably with a fist. The injuries were at most 2 days old, and Heddings and Rams were the only adults with Marcus during that time, prosecutors allege.
Yet Heddings' claims of innocence have drawn support not only from many fellow skateboarders, but also from usually cautious corporate America. The Vans skateboard shoe company contributed $1,000 to his defense fund, and a former subsidiary of Nike hosted a fund-raiser for him at a Portland, Ore., skate park.
Many of Heddings' supporters call the prosecution a sham, saying police prejudice against skateboarders runs deep.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
"..saying police prejudice against skateboarders runs deep."
New VICTIM GROUP Alert!
Nike is evil. I boycott them. Besides, (some) New Balance shoes are made in the USA.
Unbelievable. Celebrities who crazy things get treated with unbelievable kid gloves but they and their supporters cry persecution and moan about how the cops are out to get them. Amazing, simply amazing.
Reminds me of the OJ koolaid drinkers. ("He was framed for being rich and black"). I don't know what happened to this poor baby, but someone was not protecting him and that someone has to pay for what he/she did. It has nothing to do with skateboarding. And who is the "pig"? The police? Oh brother, I thought that went out with the Manson gang.
What the heck is a "Pro Skateboarder". Since when did that qualify as a legit job or sport? Jeebers I nailed skate wheels to a board when I was a kid, look at all the trouble I could have avoided if I'd of just proclaimed my "pro" status.
There seem to be some people who are born to walk the rim; we generally meet them when something interrupts their fall.
both of them should be in jail for neglect leading to death- nevermind who admits to the beating, the 2 of them did not seek medical treatment, and the baby dies from the beating while in their care.
Old victim group. "Skateboarding is not a crime" stickers have been around for a very long time. As someone who used to be into skateboarding, a lot of the complaints of police harassment are very real.
When you make a lot of money doing it. The big name skaters have major corporate sponsorship. Look at Tony Hawk as the extreme example. The man is worth millions.
And these fine shining examples of maturity 'inspire' a loser generation into thinking they can do the same, instead of getting an education, or some real job experience...
Some of my kids went through a skateboarding phase around ten years ago. We were in Connecticut, and the police were constantly harassing them, although groups they hung out with were well behaved and willing to move on if someone had a legitimate complaint. It seemed as if the police had nothing better to do than chase them all over town.
Nice of you to blanketly insult a whole group of people you know nothing about. Way to go there.
Right. Women generally have very different heart attack symptoms than men, though I guess not always. I had one and it wasn't a PAIN exactly like I would have expected a heart attack to be. It was more pressure over my heart. No pain down the left arm or jaw like some have. The only pain was an aching pain of sorts in my left side right in the front and close to my heart. . a gripey sort of pain. . and shortness of breath.
We all need to read labels and leave off the stuff with PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS OF ANY KIND in anything,
and we need to eat more fish than we do; at least once a
week some broiled fish. I like cooking it in parchment paper, but you have to be careful not to cook it on too high a heat or the paper will burn.
Are ya'll listening to me?
RE "...willing to move on if someone had a legitimate complaint. It seemed as if the police had nothing better to do than chase them all over town."
I want you guys to remember these statements when the time comes in your life that someones sues you because they were hurt doing something dangerous and stupid on your property without your permission.
When you see your insurance premiums doubled (or they refuse to renew your policy) perhaps you'll have a better appreciation of what constitutes a "legitimate complaint".
Now see, that's your problem.
Should have just stuck with the sports.
Hmmmmm, ever hear of Tony Hawk?
Skateboarding went Pro back in the late 70's.
Rent the movie "Dogtown" sometime. It's a pretty accurate description of the transformation from backyard technology like nailing skate wheels to a board and the advent of urethane wheels and sealed bearings. Even back in the late 70's early 80's Pro skateboarders were making 6 figure incomes.
life can be a real b*tch when you worship satan.
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