Driving Soapboxes to Build Community

Soapbox derby cars are often seen as a relic of the past, like subway tokens or the Brooklyn Dodgers. But one Coney Islander is showing they still have a place in the videogame era.

Pamela Harris says her neighborhood faced a problem five years ago

"We had an abundant amount of crime in Coney Island and my kids were scared to come out," Harris said. "All I would hear the kids say was, 'Miss Pam I don't want to come outside and play becuase I don't want to die.'"

So a new idea was hatched on vacation in Jamaica, when she saw a car made out of a milk-crate.

"I was like, Oh my God, that's the key! If I can get these kids to build soapbox derby cars and work together between the generations - little kids with teenagers, teenagers with the adults - maybe I could help curtail the violence and get these kids back into playing."

The Soapbox Derby is now in its fifth year. This Saturday about 100 kids from age 5 to 17 will be riding their homemade cars through Brooklyn's Kaiser Park. Another hundred act as cheerleaders or crew.

The derby is put on by Coney Island Generation Gap, a media arts program where Harris serves as Executive Director. Individuals cars are sponsored by local businesses like the NY Aquarium or local politicians like Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

Harris says they don't actually have a hill to go down like a standard soapbox derby, but the kids pushing each other is the kind of community-building she wants.

"If the car goes to the left, you want it to go straight. If it goes to the right, you want to go straight. They understand that," said Harris. "And the good part is that they understand that not only are they going straight in this car, but they're going straight in their lives."

Harris said since the derby started, the kids aren't afraid to use the park anymore.