1990s palm-sized skateboards draw new generation of fans, competitors

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Many fingerboards are crafted like a traditional skateboard. “Imagine taking a skateboard and a shrink ray gun, and you literally shoot the skateboard with the shrink ray gun,” explains Clayton McCarthy, the owner of Slushcult Mini Mart, a Santa-Ana based fingerboarding shop. Photo by Danielle Chiriguayo/KCRW.

Fingerboards, the palm-sized skateboards you steer with your fingers, are tokens of 1990s nostalgia that’s gaining interest among a new generation of riders.

LA’s recently expanded “anti-camping” law will have a disproportionate impact on Black Angelenos, who make up nearly 45% of the city’s unhoused residents. 

The Echo Park Trash Club gathers a few times a month to help keep LA streets clean. They also serve homeless encampments, where they’ve had to spend time building trust with residents.