Skateboarding may not seem like the most efficient way to get around for long distances or going uphill, but for four patinetos from El Salvador, it was the best way to flee the gang violence that surrounded their everyday lives. In a fascinating story, Rolling Stone followed Kelvin, Rene, Kevin, and Eliseo to tell the story of how they traveled 2,000 miles – through myriad risks, including some of Mexico’s most dangerous regions, armed border patrol, extortion from Los Zetas and more – to get to the United States.
“Using skateboarding to cross borders is really radical,” Kelvin told Rolling Stone. “When skateboarding started, they broke the rules because they were prohibited from skating. There are some that still think that skating is bad. But it’s better to be on a skateboard, breaking barriers, breaking the law because, in reality, the world shouldn’t have borders.”
There’s only so much Rolling Stone can tell us without putting the group in jeopardy, but the piece is definitely worth a read. Check it out here.