Remember back in 2012 when Lil Wayne partnered with Moutain Dew to open up a skatepark in New Orleans for the youth of the city? Well, now almost two years later what was supposed to be a safe haven for kids is about to shut down but New Orleans residents don’t want to see that happen and are taking action by starting a Kickstarter campaign to keep the skatepark open.
Wayne broke a record when he cut that ribbon at the opening ceremony for his skatepark, “Truckstop”, two years ago right before his 30th birthday. Now, after his relationship with then partner Moutain Dew hit the fan because of some controversial lyrics about Emmit Till on the remix of “Karate Chop”, the park is nearing its closure.
Unfortunatley, the skatepark has been unusable since its grand opening back in September of 2012. The deal for the park was that The Glu-Agency, another partner in the project, was supposed to cover all expenses from the mortage payments to all maintaince and repair fees. However, that agreement did not include coverage of electric, plumbing, heating or cooling and now with no one to take over these expenses and the park out of order since it’s opening, doors will soon close for good.
That is, unless, the good people of New Orleans can turn things around. Residents who run the Lower 9th Warn village have started a hopeful campaign to raise $75,000 by Tuesday, May 27th in order to keep “Truckstop” in business. So far, the campaign has 345 supporters and has raised $21,076. That means they need almost 54 thousand more dollars in less than a week to make it happen. Sheesh.
Now, where’s Wayne with all his money to help out? Turns out, Wayne is reportedly no longer involved with the park releasing a statement that read:
“It was my intention, through my relationship with brand partners, to provide the good people of New Orleans with a skatepark. Unfortunately, the deal did not work out, and due to issues beyond my control, I am no longer involved with the skatepark. Helping New Orleans has always been important to me. My team and I are looking into other initiatives for the future.”
Well, if this campaign doesn’t hit its goal in time, maybe some of these other initiatives can take its place.
Check out the trailer for the campaign here:
SOURCE: XXL
