Safer Streets for All: The Stark Family Commits and Drops In

Photos, interview, and graphic by Dakota Parks for Bike Pensacola

“We all want to change the world,” as The Beatles so aptly sang in their renowned track, “Revolution.” For Russell and Jessie Stark, that’s exactly what they’re doing, ensuring their son Avery’s life continues to make a lasting impact on the world.

The Stark Family has been deeply involved in the Pensacola community for years with Russell working in beach vacation rentals and Jessie at the Children’s Home Society. Married for 15 years and residing in their Old East Hill neighborhood for the past decade, they moved closer to Downtown Pensacola with dreams of living in a safe community where they could walk to dinner, skateboard, ride bikes, and raise their two children. But their world changed forever in April 2023 when their 11-year-old son Avery, a devoted skateboarder, drummer, and Beatles aficionado, tragically passed away in a skateboarding accident just three blocks away from home.

In the wake of his loss, Russell has become a passionate advocate for skateboarding safety, collaborating with City officials and nonprofits to create safer skate spots. Russell became involved with Upward Intuition, a nonprofit founded by Jon Shell in 2015 to spearhead and raise funds for the Blake Doyle Skatepark. Now, the organization is expanding its mission to advocate for “Safe Spot Skate Spots” to be built in parks across the City of Pensacola, with the first hopefully breaking ground in East Hill, named in Avery’s honor. These spots will give skaters a safe place in their own neighborhoods, helping prevent future tragedies.

While Russell immersed himself in advocacy, Jessie took a more reflective path, quietly processing her grief. Yet, she fully supports her husband’s efforts to ensure Avery’s memory lives on through the community that loved him. Through their work, the Starks are creating a legacy that gives local kids a safe place to skate, while keeping Avery’s spirit alive.

First, tell us a little about the road conditions in your neighborhood.

Jessie: Our street, Jackson Street, runs straight to the skatepark and to the police station, so people use it as a thoroughfare.

Russell: Even before the accident, we tried to get some speed bumps, and we had one of those little green guys with the flag to encourage drivers to slow down. A lot of people use this as a cut through to avoid the stop signs or the brick road next to us, so we have always been vigilant to speeding traffic here. We would take turns driving Avery the four blocks to Waterboyz because we didn’t want him crossing Ninth Avenue traffic. We’re exactly four blocks from Waterboyz and four blocks from the skatepark, but we always drove him.

Before we talk about the accident, can you tell us a little more about Avery and what kind of person he was?

Jessie: No matter what he did, he just went full send into everything. He would be obsessed with one thing and learn everything he could about it, then move onto something else. But skating was something he stuck with as he got older. He loved music and playing the drums. He was obsessed with The Beatles. His teachers would tell us that’s how they rewarded him in school by playing a Beatles song. He was the kind of kid that always wanted to be where the adults were talking to them instead of playing at recess.

Russell: He really did go full send into everything. We put on house shows here where it cost you a dollar for an adult beverage, so I lost money, but he got to perform and play the drums. He went to Waterboyz every single day after school and all day on the weekends, easily spending 25 hours a week there. I’ve been skating since I was 10 years old, and I think Avery got on his first skateboard when he was less than a year old. It was something we always did together. He used to have this phrase about dropping in to skate a bowl: “Dad, you just have to commit and drop in.” We have that logo of a skater with those words painted under it down on Wright Street. Ashton Howard had that painted for us.  

Can you share with us what happened on the day of Avery’s accident?

Russell: We always drove Avery to and from the skate spots because of the danger of speeding cars. I was at work and Jessie was working from home that day. Avery said he was going around the block, just skating in the neighborhood, but he went over to Waterboyz instead. On his way home, he was hit by a vehicle on Wright Street and Eighth Avenue. The driver wasn’t at fault and wasn’t charged; it was just a freak accident. But that can always happen— you take that slight risk any time you walk, bike, or skate somewhere. He was unresponsive for two days and passed away at the hospital. He was just finishing up fifth grade, trying to figure out where he was going to middle school. We saw a lot of nasty comments on news articles saying, “who lets their kid skate alone three blocks from home?” And, it’s like, who doesn’t? Didn’t you grow up riding a bike around your neighborhood? Our children should be safe in their own neighborhoods.

What is it about skating that you both loved so much and how has your relationship to skateboarding changed?

Russell: The skating community is a really tight-knit community. You can wear whatever and be whoever you want. There were times I’d be at Waterboyz and see someone who’s been skating for 30 years pat Avery on the back to encourage him or stop to show him how to do something. I probably skate more now that I used to. For me, it’s therapeutic, and it makes me feel close to Avery. It makes me want to keep his name alive— the way he jumped into this community makes me want to be way more involved with anything skating-related in Pensacola.

Jessie: It’s been a hard year. I haven't been able to be involved like Russell from the beginning. That was how he coped and grieved. I couldn't even drive down the street where it happened. I couldn’t talk about Avery even though I constantly thought of him. It’s getting better now, and I want to remember and talk about him. I leaned on our friend group to help me get through it; our friends have been really amazing. It still makes me nervous whenever Russell goes out skating or on a bike ride, when I never would have worried before. I have never been a more careful driver in my life. I won’t even go the speed limit through neighborhoods now because it feels too fast. Something can happen too fast. We heard so many stories after the accident about how Avery impacted people— teaching them how to do a skateboarding trick or always stopping to talk to them.

Russell: We had no idea how wide of a footprint Avery had on this community— how wide the print of his life was. He had a huge impact on the people he knew, way more than we ever imagined. I love hearing those stories and getting recognized in public as Avery’s dad. 

How have you advocated for safer skating conditions to prevent accidents like this from happening to another family?

Russell: I’ve met with our City Council woman, met with the mayor, spoken at City Council meetings, participated in video projects with organizations like Bike Pensacola, and I’ve spoken to the news multiple times about it. I try to share Avery’s story as often as I can. I’ve met with other families who have lost loved ones to traffic accidents, and it can take years to get anything accomplished. There is so much red tape with infrastructure changes, so it’s a slow process. My focus now is on helping Upward Intuition build small skate spots in different neighborhoods around Pensacola, so you don’t have to cross a busy street to skate. Avery actually met the founder of Upward Intuition, Jon Shell while peeking over the fence before the skatepark was built, and he even got to skate it twice before it was opened. Jon immediately reached out to me and came to the hospital several times, and we struck up a close friendship. There are 93 parks in the City of Pensacola, and we want to create small drop-in skate spots alongside the existing sports and playground equipment.

Jessie: All I can think about is how amazing it will be to go to the first skate spot and think about Avery and how excited he would be about it. I’m just excited for Russ and grateful for all the cool people we’ve met along the way.

In a dream world without red tape, what would you like to see implemented in your neighborhood to make skating, walking, and biking safer?

Russell: Inside the core of our neighborhood, I just want the cars to slow down. I’ve been vocal about the need for a better crosswalk across Ninth Avenue with flashing lights that makes it easier to cross from Waterboyz. I also want to create a path from Waterboyz to the skatepark with bright painted icons to draw attention to skateboarders since so many people go back and forth between the two spots, and now there are two skate shops between them. Anything to get the cars to pay more attention. We bought this house with the idea of being close to Downtown and riding our bikes everywhere, but it’s not as easy as you think. I’m hoping if enough people make their voice known, it'll continue to get better and better. I don't feel like we're going in a worse direction. Plus, projects like The Bluffline are bringing attention to this by trying to connect a green space from East to West, where you could walk, bike, or skate safely from one side of Pensacola to the other. Upward Intuition is also advocating to build the Hollice T. Williams Greenway, which would revitalize the vacant 14 blocks remaining underneath the interstate, right next to the skatepark.

Is there anything you want readers to know about Avery’s story or that you want people to know who are reading this wanting to make Pensacola a better place?

Jessie: This sounds so cliche, but never in a million years did we think something like this would happen to us. Nobody does. I just think so much about what we have and what we can do for other people.

Russell: I think people need to get more involved in their community. I used to focus on work and taking care of my family, but I wasn’t worried about the community. There's only so much time in life, and it’s important to remember that we're bigger than just our own house. It makes you more grateful for what you have. I still consider myself blessed, but I would trade it all in a second to have Avery back. At the end of the day, we still have a lot to give back and to invest in our community.

*This interview and the Safer Streets for All campaign were made possible thanks to a grant from The Last Mile.