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The walls of the Trukstop Skatepark in the Lower 9th Ward are still adorned with posters advertising DEWeezy, Trukfit and rapper Lil Wayne's 2013 album "I Am Not a Human Being II." Mountain Dew logos decorate the recycled concrete ramps built by California Skateparks. In the grassy lot behind the building, a tracking solar array built by Joule Energy gleams in the sun.
And yet, with the exception of a few weeks of sporadic operation, the Trukstop Skatepark has been closed to the public since its grand opening in September 2012. Conceived as part of the DEWeezy marketing campaign, a joint venture involving Lil Wayne, Mountain Dew and the New York brand strategy group the Glu Agency, the park was intended to "celebrate the revitalization of the Lower 9th Ward," as a 2012 press release put it. But funding shortages and code violations have put operations indefinitely on hold.
Now, the popular 7-year-old community center known as the Lower 9th Ward Village, where the skatepark was built, is facing its own problems. Ward "Mack" McClendon, a New Orleans native who founded the center, is trying to raise $160,000 within the next 30 days to avoid foreclosure.
Lil Wayne, for his part, has relinquished his involvement in the skatepark, saying that its failure was beyond his control. Other investors in the project attributed the outcome to mismanagement, but admitted no direct responsibility.
Earlier this month, in a last-ditch effort to keep the center afloat, McClendon and two young volunteers launched a Kickstarter campaign requesting $75,000. On April 24, they embarked on a six-day tour of East Coast colleges in an attempt to raise money and tell the story of the Village, which many say played a crucial role in the rebuilding effort after Hurricane Katrina.
Shortly thereafter, the skatepark was closed when the building failed an electrical inspection. For months, whenever McClendon entered or left the building, local kids with skateboards swarmed him, begging to be let in, he said. "I was the bad guy because I had the keys."
Lil Wayne and his entourage, meanwhile, continued to use the park when they passed through town, as they did for the 2013 Super Bowl.
"Wayne would skate here for hours, until 5 a.m. sometimes," McClendon said.
But in the spring of 2013, Lil Wayne stopped coming by the Lower 9th Ward Village. In a remix of "Karate Chop" by the rapper Future, Lil Wayne contributed a derogatory lyric referencing Emmett Till, an African-American boy who was murdered in 1955 after allegedly whistling at a white woman. Mountain Dew, reacting to pressure from Till's family, wrote in a statement: "His offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand." The soft drink company severed its multimillion-dollar endorsement deal with the rapper on May 13.
Lil Wayne, reached through his publicist, wrote the following in an email:
"It was my intention, through my relationship with brand partners, to provide the good people of New Orleans with a skatepark. I skate everyday and wanted the kids in my hometown to be able to skate in a safe place for free. 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."
And yet, with the exception of a few weeks of sporadic operation, the Trukstop Skatepark has been closed to the public since its grand opening in September 2012. Conceived as part of the DEWeezy marketing campaign, a joint venture involving Lil Wayne, Mountain Dew and the New York brand strategy group the Glu Agency, the park was intended to "celebrate the revitalization of the Lower 9th Ward," as a 2012 press release put it. But funding shortages and code violations have put operations indefinitely on hold.
Now, the popular 7-year-old community center known as the Lower 9th Ward Village, where the skatepark was built, is facing its own problems. Ward "Mack" McClendon, a New Orleans native who founded the center, is trying to raise $160,000 within the next 30 days to avoid foreclosure.
Lil Wayne, for his part, has relinquished his involvement in the skatepark, saying that its failure was beyond his control. Other investors in the project attributed the outcome to mismanagement, but admitted no direct responsibility.
Earlier this month, in a last-ditch effort to keep the center afloat, McClendon and two young volunteers launched a Kickstarter campaign requesting $75,000. On April 24, they embarked on a six-day tour of East Coast colleges in an attempt to raise money and tell the story of the Village, which many say played a crucial role in the rebuilding effort after Hurricane Katrina.
Shortly thereafter, the skatepark was closed when the building failed an electrical inspection. For months, whenever McClendon entered or left the building, local kids with skateboards swarmed him, begging to be let in, he said. "I was the bad guy because I had the keys."
Lil Wayne and his entourage, meanwhile, continued to use the park when they passed through town, as they did for the 2013 Super Bowl.
"Wayne would skate here for hours, until 5 a.m. sometimes," McClendon said.
But in the spring of 2013, Lil Wayne stopped coming by the Lower 9th Ward Village. In a remix of "Karate Chop" by the rapper Future, Lil Wayne contributed a derogatory lyric referencing Emmett Till, an African-American boy who was murdered in 1955 after allegedly whistling at a white woman. Mountain Dew, reacting to pressure from Till's family, wrote in a statement: "His offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand." The soft drink company severed its multimillion-dollar endorsement deal with the rapper on May 13.
Lil Wayne, reached through his publicist, wrote the following in an email:
"It was my intention, through my relationship with brand partners, to provide the good people of New Orleans with a skatepark. I skate everyday and wanted the kids in my hometown to be able to skate in a safe place for free. 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."
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