JENKEM - The Art Teacher who founded West Oakland's first public Skatepark

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  • Опубликовано: 18 ноя 2024
  • Filmed & edited by Jeremy Mcnamara
    Growing up in West Oakland isn’t easy. Right across the bay from shiny San Francisco, the struggling city is riddled with gangs and has one of the highest homicide and robbery rates in the country. It’d be easy for the skateboarding scene to die off, or not exist at all, under such difficult circumstances, but Keith “K-Dub” Williams is making sure that doesn’t happen.
    In 2008, the full-time art teacher decided to take matters into his own hands and approached the city to open up a skatepark right in the heart of West Oakland. With no funding to speak of, K-Dub built ramps out of found wood and funded other materials out of his own pocket while encouraging local skaters to get involved to help build the park up completely from scratch.
    The park solidified itself in 2014 when Levi’s Skateboarding partnered up with K-Dub and upgraded the park from old, repurposed wood to full concrete. For our newest installment of Locals, we talked with K-Dub, a founding father of West Oakland’s skate scene and the lead organizer of Town Park, the city’s constantly growing DIY skatepark.

Комментарии • 69

  • @kennethdavo-roberts2673
    @kennethdavo-roberts2673 8 лет назад +61

    that guys my idol man , just opened a park myself on the island of guam in the same kinda of area with the same kind of help !!! keep the community alive

  • @tom_nobreaks6450
    @tom_nobreaks6450 7 лет назад +24

    Man this dude is as real as real gets. I wish that every town had a guy like him the world would be a better place. This guy is a modern day saint

  • @DennisEnglishREHS
    @DennisEnglishREHS 8 лет назад +15

    That Man is a true role model for the Youth in West Oakland as well as older folks like myself.

  • @rrbSK8
    @rrbSK8 9 лет назад +29

    Ive been here and talked to this guys. Rad park and rad scene

  • @Cheap_propaganda
    @Cheap_propaganda 9 лет назад +33

    Love these videos

  • @armin38822
    @armin38822 9 лет назад +49

    I can't belive how fast these kids get good.

    • @patski7105
      @patski7105 6 лет назад +1

      armin38822 real talk man girls too I been skating since like 99 and just have a small trick selection ha

    • @Robert1337_
      @Robert1337_ 6 лет назад +1

      its becasue there not pussies

    • @susanrichards8722
      @susanrichards8722 6 лет назад +7

      "and then I just learned how to ollie real quick"
      *gaps a 360 flip*

    • @Toet_toet
      @Toet_toet 4 года назад +5

      @@susanrichards8722 varial kickflip right ;p?

    • @adamballard4784
      @adamballard4784 4 года назад

      J C tre flip

  • @dylanwho6299
    @dylanwho6299 6 лет назад +6

    K Dub is the realest. I remember when Town park was some gnarly wood ramps full of splinters and holes. Watching the process of town park was inspiring and seeing KDubs influence on the kids was such a positive thing. That grand opening was lit that day. Damn i miss the bay.

  • @julianarellano1216
    @julianarellano1216 9 лет назад +5

    Very great stuff to see. It's people like this that change the world for the better

  • @Jayarea510
    @Jayarea510 9 лет назад +1

    Thanks Jenkem this park gets better every time i go!

  • @ZappasMudshark
    @ZappasMudshark 4 года назад

    What a legend. Thanks for covering these people.

  • @skulleagletartat
    @skulleagletartat 9 лет назад +11

    Dude is cool, way to lead by example.

  • @gnarshread
    @gnarshread 4 года назад

    I can't smash the thumbs up enough on this. This dude is awesome! Mad respect!

  • @borys444
    @borys444 6 лет назад

    Props to the homie, much love and respect.. I salute u

  • @matthewwilson8897
    @matthewwilson8897 4 года назад

    great story, guy is an inspiration! We will for sure be hearing about kids that come from that park blowing up the pro scene soon

  • @sangyenamdrol9392
    @sangyenamdrol9392 4 года назад

    K-bub is the best of humanity🙏. The world should learn from this man.
    The 8 who disliked this come on now, you can do better than that.

  • @bobbywright6062
    @bobbywright6062 6 лет назад

    Love that guy, he was always so nice and positive when I lived in West Oakland.

  • @veegains1160
    @veegains1160 9 лет назад +3

    Awesome dude

  • @7teenagesmokers309
    @7teenagesmokers309 9 лет назад

    This is cool. Great episode.

  • @MyNoRyGO
    @MyNoRyGO 8 лет назад

    Dope. K-Dub is a true Hero

  • @jamessum825
    @jamessum825 6 лет назад +1

    This is inspiring! When that little kid said he learned how to Ollie real quick I didn’t expect him to bust out a trey flip like that lol I hope he sticks with it and gets good enough to get sponsored and get his family out of the hood

    • @boogie..
      @boogie.. 6 лет назад +2

      That was a verial kickflip but it was still dope

  • @superstonedjoey412
    @superstonedjoey412 6 лет назад

    I just have to say this is a very awesome channel

  • @spliffaminal
    @spliffaminal 9 лет назад +1

    We love you k dub

  • @mikacotty7607
    @mikacotty7607 9 лет назад

    I love you for this.

  • @janjens3592
    @janjens3592 8 лет назад

    thats beautiful thanks

  • @mouija1450
    @mouija1450 6 лет назад

    This is great. When I was a kid in CT, there was a small abandoned factory in the woods out in Hebron that became an excellent DIY spot that some of the older guys built. The floor was tile, so it was really smooth after it got swept out. I was pretty young at the time, so I just skated there without any part in the building. There was a masonite bank section from the old Playground park in Wallingford that got reassembled in the place. At it's peak, there was a full 4'x16' miniramp in there, but some assholes set it on fire and burnt down most of the building. After that you'd get ticketed if you got caught there.

  • @alexoplex0422
    @alexoplex0422 6 лет назад +4

    "i learned how to ollie quick" *does a varial flip over gap* like WTFFF

  • @SafetyLast447
    @SafetyLast447 9 лет назад +2

    i love this

  • @jamesradskijr.9745
    @jamesradskijr.9745 3 года назад

    What a great 👍 guy doing good stuff.

  • @stevenshanks1903
    @stevenshanks1903 6 лет назад

    this man is a legend

  • @apalo70
    @apalo70 9 лет назад +4

    What a good man

  • @SkitheEast
    @SkitheEast 7 лет назад

    heck yeah. this is great.

  • @krookiemonster2673
    @krookiemonster2673 6 лет назад

    This dude is the real deal!. Im sure the really appreciate what hes done. He deserves a fuckin medal

  • @majesticuncasual186
    @majesticuncasual186 6 лет назад

    good stuff. sorry I missed it the first time around.

  • @camschmidt5476
    @camschmidt5476 2 года назад

    The dude at the end got a free boarding trip and barely said thank you 😂

  • @some______guy
    @some______guy Год назад

    What a great guy.

  • @bux77
    @bux77 6 лет назад

    This guys rocks!

  • @KadirKucuk
    @KadirKucuk 9 лет назад +4

    raddest man

  • @patrickbyrne5070
    @patrickbyrne5070 5 лет назад

    This is cool af
    This guy is awesome.

  • @DaveKrug
    @DaveKrug 6 лет назад

    Awesome project! We have something similar yet different in a Stockholm suburb

  • @tomgillbanks
    @tomgillbanks 9 лет назад

    Legend.

  • @ravenlotus
    @ravenlotus 9 лет назад

    Me and my friends gonna start helping our skatepark too he hella cool for this

  • @alexhelms8544
    @alexhelms8544 9 лет назад

    So dope

  • @michaelwhitley5113
    @michaelwhitley5113 8 лет назад

    that guys a real good dude

  • @toynazi
    @toynazi 7 лет назад

    Good guy!

  • @bobbywright6062
    @bobbywright6062 6 лет назад

    14th and chestnut, I used to live two maybe three blocks away!

  • @vincenzospaghetti
    @vincenzospaghetti 6 лет назад

    Now this is what deserves RESPECT! No bumming cigs, no fucking with the ones who don't want fucking with, and no reselling thrift skate merch for rich posers looking to be "fresh"... do you and blaze your own street

  • @humblerdoughnut
    @humblerdoughnut 6 лет назад

    K dub 🔥

  • @non_brewed_condiment
    @non_brewed_condiment 4 года назад

    Just found someone to model myself after

  • @caleb4369
    @caleb4369 5 лет назад

    You bet his office smells funny

  • @douglaswares5614
    @douglaswares5614 5 лет назад

    I’m glad sen dog builds diy

    • @douglaswares5614
      @douglaswares5614 5 лет назад

      Insane in the brain was a mediocre song at best bro

  • @jamesradskijr.9745
    @jamesradskijr.9745 3 года назад

    The Hells Angels attend and were hired as security at Grateful Dead show back in the day in their backyard of Northern Cali, when the show turned violent and I believe someone was stabbed. Just Saying

  • @SuprMexicanLuis
    @SuprMexicanLuis 9 лет назад

  • @nicholasformato5847
    @nicholasformato5847 8 лет назад

    hood games

  • @skinhead-ej8ff
    @skinhead-ej8ff 6 лет назад

    666th like. Hail.

  • @jimdor8353
    @jimdor8353 7 лет назад

    until you go there and the little blackies fucking steal your board