Temple skatepark is fully open again after restricted hours, but some say not everyone feels welcome

Temple University has a responsibility to keep its campus safe. But what about its responsibility to the teenagers visiting its open, public North Philadelphia campus?

Temple students and the Philly Socialist Alternative group hosted a rally on Friday to protest how the university has policed its skatepark and made some North Philly teenagers feel unwelcome there. Historically, Temple students and local high schoolers have used the public space to skate or hang out.

Temple restricted the hours at the plaza at Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue from March 20 to March 30 so it would only open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., before most high schoolers would be able to enjoy the space. The university also erected barriers around the park so it is accessible only at certain entry points. The park has since reopened 24-7, but the waist-high metal fencing remains.

“They don’t want your family at the skatepark, they don’t want your friends at the skatepark. … Temple considers the human decency of others to be disruptive,” Temple sophomore Samuel Jimenez said to the rally crowd.

Jade Chloe Snell-Matthew, a Temple first-year student, said it was frustrating for Temple to tout and advertise its open, urban campus but make it harder for North Philadelphians to freely relax there.

“What comes with the city is its people,” she said.

No single incident prompted Temple to heighten security last month, but there has been a pattern of “disorderly behavior,” including assaults and vandalism, in the area, according to Jennifer Griffin, Temple’s chief of police and vice president for public safety.

The skatepark area does have a recent history of high-profile incidents involving young visitors or Temple police. A teenage boy was shot in the arm near the skatepark in March 2025, and four Temple students were assaulted there a month later. The plaza is adjacent to the Cecil B. Moore subway station, where other shootings have occurred.

In a message to the Temple community the day the skatepark began restricting its hours, Griffin warned about the likelihood of more large gatherings of young people around campus as the weather got warmer. She said the university would respond with an increased security presence.

Temple security recently met with the Philadelphia Police Department to discuss policing strategies around the area, and settled on restricting hours and putting up the barriers, Griffin said.

“We have a responsibility to keep that location safe,” Griffin said.

At Friday’s rally, students expressed outrage at how Temple is treating their younger North Philly peers and demanded the fencing be taken down.

Some students spoke about Temple banning high schoolers from the skatepark and checking IDs at the park entrances, and feared the shortened hours would be made permanent.

But Griffin said Temple has never checked IDs or otherwise restricted access for high school students, and the skatepark returned to being open 24-7 on March 31.

“It’s an open space for all,” she said.

Yet the students argued that just because the skatepark may technically be open to everyone, it does not necessarily mean high schoolers would see it as a place where they are welcomed.

Temple plans to beef up its police staffing so there will be more watchful eyes around campus. The university has pledged to hire 58% more police officers over the next five years, after an internal study found its force was understaffed. By the end of 2025, the university employed 77 sworn officers and planned to get up to 114. Some students said adding police would not make the skatepark area safer and could cause violent incidents.

“They have an excessive amount of police always surrounding the area. … They vilify and look for ways to escalate situations,” Snell-Matthew said. Another rally participant noted that people can feel uneasy when they are being watched.

Griffin said Temple would continue assessing security at the skatepark but was noncommittal on specific plans for the area.

The Temple students argued the tensions surrounding the skatepark were just symptoms of larger problems in North Philadelphia.

They spoke about how school closures and underfunded recreation centers meant there were even fewer public spaces for teenagers to hang out in North Philly and the rest of the city, which they blamed at least partially on Temple for its redevelopment of the neighborhood. It was unfair to make it more difficult for high schoolers to hang out at Temple’s open campus, they said.

So far, it is unclear whether the recent tensions regarding the park will affect North Philly high schoolers seeking it as a refuge. After the rally broke up, the skatepark gradually began filling up with skateboarders and other young people sitting around its edges. With school out, groups of teenagers made their way to the area, while several police officers stationed themselves along the street.