Take them out before they kill someone.

On Wednesday, I saw a man nearly killed on the street. It was in Plaça dels Àngels, the home of the MACBA (Basque Country Music Association), in Barcelona's Raval district. A skateboarder, a fully-fledged adult, who had been balancing over the wall of the stairs (the final section of the wall is about 6 feet high), performed an acrobatic jump on the sidewalk a second after a pedestrian had crossed. If he touched his head or knocked it to the ground, he doesn't explain it. It's pointless to explain that when I expressed my outrage, he got off me like a madman and went off to try another jump.

Skateboarders have privatized Plaça dels Àngels for their own use for years, including commercial use, because some of them arrive with their own stunt recording equipment and turn the space into a dangerous and unpleasant place, including the sidewalks of the streets they lead to. And there's a kindergarten, a primary school, and a high school right there, a little further down.

Barcelona City Council doesn't care. Well, yes, they put up some signs with rules that the skateboarders scrupulously flout. They've been talking about finding them a place to skate for years, but it seems they can't find one. Or maybe we're dealing with a powerful lobby. Or maybe the skaters' urban scoundrel touch prevails over the facade of a modern art museum, which provides a good photo opportunity for tourists.

A few days have passed since the incident, and what affects me most is the lack of empathy from the guy, who was screwed up. Not to mention the lack of respect and the scant sense of individual responsibility. A plague of misguided rebellion has taken over street life, as if it were necessary to run over others to mark territory and feel like someone.