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Tacoma skate park hit by destructive break-in
Thousands of dollars worth of gear was stolen from Alchemy Skateboarding, a Tacoma nonprofit that mentors local kids. Now, the skate park it rebounding after the destructive break-in.
TACOMA, Wash. - A Tacoma nonprofit organization dedicated to mentoring local youth is recovering after burglars broke into its facility, stealing thousands of dollars worth of equipment and inventory.
Burglars targeted Alchemy Skateboarding on South 7th Street on Tuesday night. Intruders smashed a window, broke through protective security bars, and stole $6,000 in gear, including power tools, technology, and shop inventory.
A boarded up window at Alchemy Skateboarding in Tacoma after a break-in. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Community Haven for Local Youth
What they're saying:
Alchemy Skateboarding operates Pierce County’s only indoor skate park, offering local kids a safe place to gather out of the rain. For $5, kids can drop in for a few hours after school to skateboard and learn practical job skills like woodworking and board-making.
Executive Director Taylor Woodruff has spent 14 years building the nonprofit into a safe haven.
"Our park is really small, but it's dry. It's consistently available," Woodruff said. "A space that young people can come interact in and sort of, be themselves to the point where they can find themselves."
As part of the program, participants learn custom board fabrication using various techniques.
"They're able to do stains, paints. A lot of the youth end up doing custom graphics in the mixture of like spray paint, or paint pens," Woodruff said.
Keeping Local Youth on the Right Path
Dig deeper:
The organization focuses on keeping local kids engaged in positive activities. Landon Puree, 27, first arrived at Alchemy as a teenager who was skipping class, but credits the facility with helping him complete his education.
"I showed up to all the classes so that I could have the skateboarding class and, like, graduated high school. So, like, I singlehandedly attribute that to Alchemy," Puree said.
Pushing Forward to Raise Funds
Despite the financial setback, staff and leadership refuse to let the break-in stall their mission. Clean-up efforts at the facility are complete, and the team is focused on moving forward.
"Skateboarders are a very determined crowd. They're not going to stop. They're always kind of thinking outside the box," Woodruff said regarding the organization's response to the crime. "We're going to kind of take the other hit on the chin."
Alchemy Skateboarding in Tacoma (FOX 13 Seattle)
Campaign for Free Winter Skating
What's next:
Alchemy Skateboarding is now asking the community for support as it works to raise $10,000. The funds will allow local kids to skate for free all winter, keeping them safe, dry, and off the streets.
"The dream really has always been to foster a community space. Provide an indoor, safe, dry place for the skate community to recreate," Woodruff said.
The Source: Information for this story came from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle's Dan Griffin,
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