Many people perceive surfers as being a mellow peaceful friendly group of people. However, there is also an ugly side of the surfing community. Many local surfers use violence, threats, intimidation, vandalism and even sexual abuse to drive off other surfers. These "locals" fear there are not enough good waves for everyone, so they use these tactics to ensure their local waves do not become overcrowded. As a surfer myself, I have witnessed localism all up and down the West Coast.

A recent LA Times article chronicles the what happens when localism goes unchecked. The article focuses on the "Bay Boys" in Palos Verdes Estates, Ca. The Bay Boys is a group of surfing men that come from wealthy backgrounds that have lived and surfed Lunada Bay for years. They are known as being notoriously hostile to visitors and any surfer that is not known to them. They constantly verbally abuse visitors, throw rocks at them, and use whatever means necessary to keep people from surfing Lunada Bay. Law Enforcement is often of little help and does little if anything to hold the Bay Boys accountable for their actions.

People finally got sick of the Bay Boys' antics and have filed a Class Action Lawsuit against them in an attempt to restore law and order to Lunada Bay. The lawsuit is seeking to prevent the Bay Boys from congregating at Lunada Bay and will force the police to investigate incidents at Lunada Bay.

If you are the victim of a crime and would like to know your rights and remedies against the wrongdoer, please call Portland Oregon Attorney Jeremiah Ross. Please call Ross Law LLC at 503.224.1658. Also, please remember this post is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions related to the law or the issues in this post please call a lawyer.