The following appeared as a letter to the editor from a Central Plaza store owner. Over the past two years, the number of shoppers in Central Plaza has been steadily decreasing while the popularity of skateboarding has increased dramatically.

One Central Plaza store owner, in his letter to the editor, proposed city’s ban on annoying skateboarding there. Pointing out evident business decline and worsening environment, the author deduced that skateboarders should be blamed. While I sympathize with his frustration, his argument is deeply flawed since several critical questions remain unanswered.

First of all, we have to question the author’s description of current trends, which is fundamental to his argument. Are shoppers really diminishing, or is this a misconception from fewer customers the author served? As to the claim of rising skateboarding popularity, is it accurate or is it a prejudiced summary from experienced unhappy encounters with skateboarders? And how do the public perceive all this? Among shopkeepers, many seem to agree with the author, yet it’s dubious whether proposed prohibition would attain wide support when enforced. Perhaps proponents for skateboarders such as sportswear shop would act aggressively than middle-aged owners who just detest youngsters bustling.

In addition, we shall cast doubt on causality between ‘’disturbing visitors” and deteriorating reality. Maybe the vicinity has already suffered from economic hardship, fleeing investments, which causes previous customers to move away. As middle class leaves the area, the surrounding neighbourhood is left with low-income workers and even the homeless. Is the wandering impoverished people instead of skateboarders that leads to degeneration of the Plaza? What if increasing vandalism is just the tip of the iceberg?  If so, the author’s ban seems frivolous.

What’s more, the proposal neglects responsibility of other parties, such as shopkeepers and the Plaza management authorities. On one hand, it’s reasonable to assume that inherent failure to maintain regular service turn away customers and plaza tenants, discouraging shops to pursue consumer satisfaction. On the other hand, though skateboarders are often implicitly pictured as unruly athletic juveniles, prone to wrongdoings like harassing ladies and breaking windows, does such stereotype really fit the situation here? If not, it’s obviously useless to try reversing degradation by simply punishing scapegoats.

In brief, the owner’s proposal is somehow superficial clouded with personal concern and biased reasoning. The city authorities should gather consensus and take attentive procedures to bring back a kempt and flourishing plaza rather than jumping into prohibitions with unwarranted cause.

One Central Plaza store owner, in his letter to the editor, proposed the city should ban on annoying skateboarding there. After complaining about evident business decline and worsening environment, the author deduced that skateboarders should be blamed. Though I sympathize with his frustration, his argument is deeply flawed since several critical questions remain unanswered.

Firstly, we have to question the author’s description of current trends, which is fundamental to his argument. Are shoppers actually diminishing, or is this a misconception from fewer customers the author served? As to the claim of rising skateboarding popularity, is it accurate or is it a biased summary from experienced unhappy encounters with skateboarders? Moreover, how does the public perceive this problem? Numerous shopkeepers seem to agree with the author, yet it’s dubious whether the proposed prohibition would attain enough support when enforced. Perhaps proponents for skateboarders, such as sportswear shops, would act more aggressively than middle-aged owners who simply detest youngsters bustling.

In addition, we shall cast doubt on causality between ‘’disturbing visitors” and deteriorating reality. Probably the vicinity has already suffered from economic hardship and fleeing investments, which causes previous customers to move away. As a result, the surrounding neighbourhood becomes filled with low-income workers and even the homeless. What if it’s the wandering impoverished people instead of skateboarders that leads to degeneration of the Plaza? What if increasing vandalism is just the tip of the iceberg?  If so, the author’s ban seems frivolous.

What’s more, the proposal neglects discussion of other parties’ responsibilities, such as shopkeepers and the Plaza management authorities. On one hand, it’s reasonable to assume that inherent failure to maintain regular service turn away customers and plaza tenants, discouraging shops to pursue consumer satisfaction. On the other hand, though skateboarders are often implicitly pictured as unruly athletic juveniles, prone to wrongdoings like harassing ladies and breaking windows, does such a stereotype truly fit the situation here? If not, it’s undoubtedly futile to try reversing degradation by merely punishing scapegoats.

In brief, the owner’s proposal is somehow superficial clouded with personal concern and biased reasoning. City authorities should gather consensus and take attentive procedures to bring back a kempt and flourishing plaza rather than jumping into prohibitions with unwarranted cause.