Community rallies around Santa Fe skate school after break-in

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico’s skateboarding community is big and they recently rallied around Skate School in Santa Fe after someone allegedly broke into their building.

In the nearly two decades since they opened, Skate School has seen students go pro and generations of skateboarders come through.

Around two weeks ago, a neighboring business called owner Joe Lehm, saying the door to the school didn’t look right.

When Lehm arrived, he knew exactly what they meant.

“Sure enough, we got broken into,” he said.

Someone apparently broke in with a crowbar, which was still there when Lehm got there. Inside, it was clear the thief or thieves tried to take what they could.

“We have a lot of skateboards that are for teaching, so they are very different from each other and they are a wide variety. They took a bunch of those. Those are used boards. Some are even beat up so that was a little strange,” Lehm explained.

Also gone were skateboards and wheels, along with thousands of dollars worth of skate gear.

“We got away with 20 years of not getting broken into,” Lehm said.

The community did not let them stand alone, though.

“We did get a GoFundMe started by some of our students and that’s gone well. That’s helping us fully recover,” Lehm stated.

Some people even donated skating gear so they can continue to teach. It’s important to the state’s skating community, as they view Skate School as a pillar. The school has taught kids, adults and even seniors how to skateboard over the years.

“There’s a way to learn. There’s a best way to teach the importance of safety gear and especially helmets, so that’s always been my passion, helmets and safety skills so that you can be well into your 50s and 60s and still be skateboarding,” Lehm said.

“That’s kinda what we’re pushing is to keep your safety skills ahead of your skateboard skills and then you can go bigger, higher and faster because you know what to do,” he added.

Lehm said finding out about the break-in hurt but he’s grateful for the community’s support.

The school didn’t have any cameras up. However, they plan to add more security measures going forward.

If you’d like to learn more about Skate School, click this link.