Taking time out for Freedom

CHARLESTON - Taking the time to enjoy something you love is what the Freedom Charleston Movement is all about.

The brainchild of 21-year-old Zachariah Dawson, a skater and artist who works at a Downtown art gallery, Freedom Charleston began as a Facebook group and a few friends hanging out giving hi-fives to random passers-by, but now Dawson and his compatriots are hosting cookouts at Charleston's only public skatepark off Sycamore Avenue in West Ashley.

"A lot of people don't realize we're out here," Dawson said. "People live like ants, we travel to work on the vessels we call streets, we go home to our box, we watch TV in boxes and sometimes play our xboxes.

"Anything you do can make you free," Dawson said. "One day we just decided to stand out here and just give out hi-fives."

Dawson came up with the concept back in February and eventually his group wanted to do more than make people smile via random positive interactions with strangers, and use their presence on Facebook to start making real-world friends, so they began hosting cookouts at Ackerman Skatepark.

The group made some stickers with it's semi-official logo, two hands mid hi-five, and Dawson has been designing and selling T-shirts for the group. All the money they make on the shirts goes toward purchasing food for the cookouts and for supplies for more T-shirts.

"I want to take other people's concepts of freedom and make T-shirt designs out of them," Dawson said.

A strong do-it-yourself current flows through the group. From organizing on Facebook to converting an old metal tool box into a small grill to creating their own stickers and T-shirts they are building their own sense of community and celebrating the freedom to do the things that make them happy.

"Just be worry free for a day," Dawson said. "This Sunday don't worry about your job, just worry about your skateboarding or your hot-dog."

Dozens of people have turned up for each cookout. Most are skateboarders, from 13- and 14-year-olds to young adults in their 20s. Lots of other people show up as well to watch, meet up and hang out or grab some grub.

Tyler Carter, one of the younger skaters at the park has attended all three of the Freedom Charleston cookouts so far.

"I skate for freedom," the 14-year-old said. "It's all about making smiles."

Philip Ward found Freedom Charleston on Facebook and loved the idea.

"I want to take this segment out of the week every week," he said.

Ward said he sees lots of people taking life and the freedoms they have in the United States for granted. He said he doesn't want to waste his life away sitting in front of the TV or trapped in a mundane daily cycle.

"Freedom is now, freedom is here," he said. "You never know what will happen."

Dawson sees the Freedom Charleston movement as a "living documentary" of how people of his generation free themselves from the mundane. They regularly post photos and videos on the Freedom Charleston Facebook page, and Dawson said they hope to do a lot more with the group in the future.

Right now, when they do have skate contests during the cookouts, all the winner gets is bragging rights, as the movement grows Dawson said he'd like to be able to offer some prizes. One of the group's longer-term goals is to find a way to improve Ackerman if possible.

"Right now it's all about getting the word out," Dawson said. "It keeps us out of trouble."

"This is the only free, legit park in Charleston," Ward said. "Obviously we appreciate it, look at how hard we skate it."