Everybody is waiting for the triumphant return of Detroit, but not everybody is sticking it out and working to make it happen. After going bankrupt in 2013, Detroit continues to be in flux. The unemployment rate is still double the national average, and the transportation and the financial system all need to be rebuilt from the bottom up.

Derrick Dykas is one of the dudes that is sticking it out and taking matters into his own hands. Raising money and getting signatures at punk shows, he was one of the major forces in getting The Wig, Detroit’s famous DIY skatepark, established. No professional builders. No prefab ramps. Every obstacle in the park was created and molded by the skaters and the community, building between their day jobs.

With that in mind, we took a quick flight to the D to continue our Locals series with Levi’s skateboarding and talked Derrick about the Wig and the future community built green skatepark that he is currently working on.

derrick dykas at work / photo: evan hutchings

derrick dykas – front feeble / photo: hutchings

ron allen – hoop ride / photo: hutchings

alex mueller – fs ollie / photo: hutchings

ryan kehrer – smith / photo: hutchings

pat galloway – pivot fakie / photo: hutchings

Filmed by: Jeremy Cooper
Edited by: Ian Michna
Photos by: Evan Hutchings
Produced by: CK
Want more? Updates via our Facebook
Visual spam on our Instagram