LOS ANGELES — Since 2002, a group of skateboarders in San Pedro have tried to get their local government to bring a skate park to the community.

After their calls were left unanswered, some decided to build their own, now known as the Channel Street Skatepark. The park helped cultivate skateboard culture in the area and even led to locals like Robbie Russo to lead a professional career in skateboarding.

The site is located under a freeway overpass near the intersection of Channel Street and Pacific Avenue in San Pedro. In 2014, construction for a freeway overpass shut the site down and left the DIY park damaged. Now, after getting the site up to code, the park has made a legal comeback with the help of Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino.

Channel Street Skatepark is now back open to the public and is being managed by the San Pedro Skatepark Association, a nonprofit founded by the original builders of the park. For more information about the Channel Street Skatepark or to donate toward the park's estimated $17,000 in operating costs, visit here.