BELFAST
II II
St Anne's, a small maze of ledges and steps in the center of Belfast, serves as a gathering spot for the city's skate scene. A British Army patrol, making its daily rounds for snipers, interrupted our afternoon session, As the soldiers walked through St Anne's with their fingers on their triggers, Bernard Rea, a local skater, sat down next to me and casually said, "Bet you don't see that in New York." He then proceeded to kickflip the nine
steps around the corner. The soldiers were not amused, Although the government pulled the army off the streets in April 1998- four months before my expedition to Belfast-mistrust and tension remains high.
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