Mayor Mamdani,

 

I’m here today not just to ask you to save a piece of pavement.

 

I’m asking you to help save a community.

 

For many of us, Pier 76 is more than a pier. It is more than an open space on a map. It is a place where we found something that is becoming increasingly difficult to find in New York City: a place where we are actually allowed to exist.

 

We are skaters.

 

Some of us roller skate. Some of us inline skate. Some skateboard. Some dance on wheels. Some are learning. Some have been skating for decades.

 

And we come from all different ages, backgrounds, neighborhoods, and walks of life.

 

But at Pier 76, we all have something in common.

 

We finally have somewhere to go.

 

Since Pier 76 opened to the public in 2021, this enormous former tow-pound site has become one of the most important gathering places for skaters in New York City. The Hudson River Park Trust itself describes Pier 76 as an unusually large public space and recognizes that the surrounding Hell’s Kitchen area has very little open space. 

 

And that is exactly why we are standing here today.

 

Because when you live in New York, space is everything.

 

A flat, smooth, open piece of ground is not something we can take for granted.

 

For skaters, especially, a space does not have to have ramps, rails, obstacles, or expensive equipment to be valuable.

 

Sometimes the most important thing you can give us is simply room.

 

Room to move.

 

Room to learn.

 

Room to fall without crashing into someone else.

 

Room for beginners to build confidence.

 

Room for experienced skaters to practice.

 

Room for people to dance.

 

Room for people to exercise.

 

Room for people to meet one another.

 

Pier 76 gives us that.

 

It is one of the few places in this city where we don't have to constantly apologize for taking up space.

 

And that matters.

 

Because New Yorkers are constantly told that we need hobbies.

 

We are told to get outside.

 

We are told to exercise.

 

We are told to build community.

 

We are told to take care of our mental health.

 

We are told that our parks and public spaces belong to everyone.

 

But then, when communities actually find a place where they can do those things, that space disappears.

 

We get pushed off tennis courts.

 

We get pushed out of schoolyards.

 

We get told we're in the way on sidewalks.

 

We get told we're in the way of cyclists.

 

We get told we're in the way of pedestrians.

 

Indoor skating is expensive, limited, or simply unavailable.

 

And dedicated skating spaces are nowhere near sufficient for a city of this size.

 

So when we finally find a place that works—when we finally find a place where we aren't bothering anyone, where we can safely practice our sport, where we can meet our friends and build a community—we shouldn't have to immediately start fighting to keep it.

 

That's what makes Pier 76 so special.

 

We don't just use it.

 

We take care of it.

 

We know this is a public space.

 

We know other people deserve to enjoy it.

 

We clean up after ourselves.

 

We respect the space.

 

We respect other visitors.

 

We do our best to keep it safe.

 

And we have demonstrated, day after day, that skating and public space can coexist.

 

There isn't a crisis here that needs to be solved.

 

There is a community here that needs to be recognized.

 

And I want to be very clear about something:

 

We are not against development.

 

We understand that the pier needs long-term investment. We understand that it needs to be reconstructed. We understand that Hudson River Park needs sustainable funding. We understand that the future of the pier is complicated.

 

The Hudson River Park Trust has already said that Pier 76's future is supposed to balance revenue generation with significant, high-quality public open space. Its own planning documents say continued community consultation should be the foundation of the process. 

 

So we are asking you to make sure that "public open space" actually means public space for the public.

 

Don't let the people who already use this space become an afterthought.

 

Don't let "green space" become a beautiful rendering where there is no room for the people who actually live, work, and play in New York.

 

And please don't replace one enormous, flexible public space with a collection of spaces that look good on paper but leave no room for the activities that New Yorkers actually love.

 

We need trees.

 

We need grass.

 

We need benches.

 

We need places to sit.

 

We need shade.

 

We need beautiful waterfront access.

 

But we also need hard, flat, open space.

 

Because not every form of recreation requires grass.

 

And not every person finds community sitting on a bench.

 

Some of us find community by putting wheels on our feet.

 

Some of us find our mental health on a pair of skates.

 

Some of us find our friends there.

 

Some of us find confidence there.

 

Some of us find freedom there.

 

And some people who may have never felt like they belonged anywhere in this enormous city have found a home on that pier.

 

That should mean something.

 

Your administration has talked about creating a New York where people can get outside, be active, and enjoy safe public spaces. The city has also acknowledged that New York does not have enough dedicated spaces for action sports and has invested in creating more of them. 

 

So I am asking you:

 

Please don't let Pier 76 become another example of New York creating a community and then taking away the space that community needs.

 

Instead, make Pier 76 an example of what New York can do right.

 

Make it a model for what inclusive public space looks like.

 

Preserve a substantial, permanent, free, smooth, flat skating area.

 

Make it accessible to roller skaters, inline skaters, skateboarders, beginners, experts, children, adults, and people of all abilities.

 

Give us lighting.

 

Give us shade.

 

Give us places to sit.

 

Give us access to bathrooms and water.

 

And most importantly, give us a seat at the table.

 

Let the people who have spent years using this space help design its future.

 

Because we are not asking you to preserve Pier 76 exactly as it is forever.

 

We are asking you to preserve what makes it irreplaceable.

 

The openness.

 

The freedom.

 

The accessibility.

 

The community.

 

The ability to simply show up without paying an entrance fee, making a reservation, joining a club, or buying something.

 

That is what public space is supposed to be.

 

Mayor, New York City does not need another place where people are told what they can and cannot do.

 

It needs more places where people can simply be.

 

Pier 76 is already doing that.

 

It is already alive.

 

It is already loved.

 

It is already being used by New Yorkers.

 

And we are asking you not to wait until it is gone to realize what we had.

 

You have an opportunity right now to say:

 

We see you.

 

We value what you have built.

 

And we are going to make sure there is a place for you in the future of New York City.

 

Please help us save Pier 76.

 

Not just for skaters.

 

Not just for today.

 

But for the next generation of New Yorkers who deserve to discover what it feels like to have a place in this city that truly feels like their own.

 

Thank you.