Powell-Peralta’s Ban This

The sixth and final entry in the Bones Brigade video series, Ban This captured Powell-Peralta at the crossroads of two eras — the waning age of vert dominance and the dawn of street skating. Ray Barbee’s solo debut part became one of the most iconic and influential sections of the decade.

Company: Powell-Peralta

Released: 1989

Era: The Vertical Invasion / Transition to Street

Featured Skaters: Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Ray Barbee, Lance Mountain, Tommy Guerrero, Frankie Hill, Rudy Johnson, Guy Mariano, Salman Agah, Bucky Lasek, and more.

By 1989, Powell-Peralta had already reshaped skateboarding multiple times over. But Ban This wasn’t just another sequel in the Bones Brigade series — it was a document of a team and a culture in transition. Released as the sixth and final Bones Brigade video, it captured a moment when vert still ruled but the streets were clearly calling louder.

Directed by Stacy Peralta and Craig Stecyk, the video runs nearly 80 minutes and unfolds as something between a highlight reel and a social commentary. Skits and fictional segments are woven throughout, poking fun at the way the public viewed skateboarders — as delinquents, nuisances, and lawbreakers. It’s a more ambitious structure than most skate videos of the era attempted, and it mostly works.

The vert skating is, predictably, excellent. Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, and the rest of the established Bones Brigade do what they do, and the production quality is everything you’d expect from Powell at its commercial peak. But the more interesting story is in the street sections, particularly the younger generation of riders given room to breathe.

Lance Mountain’s segment is a highlight — creative, loose, and full of the anything-goes energy that always made him stand out. And then there’s Ray Barbee. His part is the undeniable centerpiece of the video: a fluid, almost effortless display of flatground innovation set against the gritty streets of Los Angeles. Barbee had appeared briefly in the prior year’s Public Domain, but this was his true solo introduction to the world. Where most skaters of the era were chasing height and speed, Barbee moved with a slow-motion grace that was completely his own. No comply variations, step-hops, creative footwork — it all felt like a different language. The music matched the mood perfectly.

Ban This matters because it marks the end of a specific chapter. Powell-Peralta would continue making videos, but nothing again captured this particular moment — the old guard at full power, the new guard already changing everything. For anyone who grew up in the late 80s, it’s pure time capsule. For younger skaters, it’s essential context for understanding what came next.