The joyful sound of wheels grinding against cement could be heard all throughout West Oakland over the weekend, as Levi's revealed a revamped skate park in DeFremery Park.

Levi's was originally approached by Keith “K-Dub” Williams, a local artist and teacher who had been working with Oakland Parks and the City of Oakland since 2009, to realize his dream of a permanent skate park. Levi’s Skateboarding jumped at the opportunity to donate financial support and organized, alongside Williams, a community-wide volunteer effort to create the first installment of a permanent skating facility in the neighborhood. The new park opened with great fanfare and a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, November 1.

"Bless this little piece of concrete," Williams said at the ceremony.

Phase two of the project will begin later next year, after taking community feedback into account to address opportunities for improvement. 

Levi’s Skateboarding has created skate parks in underserved communities in India and Bolivia, but this is the first park they've built in the Bay Area.