Turns out the vibes were not all aloha at Lunada Bay during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day protest meant to end localism at the righthand point. A female surfer believed to be a Palos Verdes local was apparently dropping in and attempting to run visiting surfers into rocks, according to video footage obtained by The Inertia.
Two women repeatedly perpetrated these aggressive shenanigans, according to Victor Otten, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the federal class action lawsuit against the Bay Boys. Otten was not at the event, but speaks on behalf of his clients.
“A female surfer attempted to spear my client Ken Claypool in the face with her surfboard,” Otten said in an email. “There was also another local girl in the water intentionally dropping in on visiting surfers attempting to drive them into the rocks. As the link to the video shows, these two women spent the day harassing visiting surfers and intentionally putting them in danger.”
The incident was reported to Palos Verdes Estates police, who followed up with Otten.
“There’s a rock that pops up in the middle of this area, and their goal is to guide you into the rock,” says Chris Taloa, the organizer of the MLK Day event and one of the most outspoken people against localism at the righthand point, in the video. “It would be equal to going the speed of traffic in the fast land and having someone go from the lane next to you and decide to cut in to you and put you into the wall.”
“We’re going to be here every time there’s a swell, and we’re going to surf,” Taloa continues.
