The following appeared as a letter to the editor from a Central Plaza store owner.Over the past two years, the number of shoppers in Central Plaza has been steadily decreasing while the popularity of skateboarding has increased dramatically. Many Central

In this article the author points out that by prohibiting skateboarding in central plaza, business promotes again and reach its previous high level. To support this conclusion, the author renders the fact that the number of skate users has increased in the plaza. To bolster the assertion, he/she also mentions that there has been dramatic change in vandalism through plaza. Close scrutiny of each of those facts reveals that none of them lends credible support to the projection as it stands.

The author assumes that skateboarding is responsible for decreasing in business, but he/she ignores other possible causes for decreasing business in plaza, for example lacking of parking lot for clients, existing better stores outside the plaza to name just a few. Without ruling out alternative explanations such as those, the author cannot justify the conclusion that skateboarding has decreased business in plaza.

Another problem with the argument is that the author seems to assume that increasing skateboarding in the plaza causes more vandalism in that area. However, he/she does not indicate how it can cause that effect. It is entirely possible that due to other causes such as bad economical condition or increase in population, it have happened.

The author does not indicate what he/she meant by the term “many” when he/she mentions store owners. Perhaps, only little group of store owners agree with the author. If so, the author’s projection is uncalled for. Before I can determine the extent to which the study supports the assertion, I really need the specific definition of that important term.

In sum, the article relies on doubtful assumptions and questionable facts that render it unconvincing and ill grounded at it stands. To persuade me that business will increase in the plaza, the author must provide more explanations that why the business has decreased through the plaza. To empower the conclusion that prohibiting skateboarding will help to thrive business the author also needs to supply how it can help.