Lunada Bay Surfers

With great pleasure and a welcome sense of relief I read your article exposing the menacing gangs of Lunada Bay in Palos Verdes Estates (May 8). I grew up in Palos Verdes and learned to surf at Malaga Cove. At the age of 15 I essentially gave up my dream of surfing the better breaks in Palos Verdes because I didn’t want to be involved in the hazing, violence and vandalism necessary for acceptance into the Bay Boys.

Recently, one of my Japanese ESL students, 32, went out to “Indicator” (PV Cove). The locals hassled him before he descended the cliffs, and when he returned he found his tires slashed and an obscenity written in surfboard wax on the windows.

Over the years (I’m 30 now) I’ve dodged rocks, had the air let out of my tires, had my lunches stolen, heard disturbing comments directed at me, received threats of violence and endured contemptuous glares. It’s a very dangerous and depressing situation, and the police have ignored it for years. I think all the Bay Boys should have been sentenced to a year in prison. But karma will punish them, ultimately.

PATRICK D. LANDON

Palos Verdes

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I found it ironic that the front-page article regarding the reopening of the Berlin synagogue led directly to another article about a group of arrogant “boys” in Palos Verdes Estates who are attempting to seize a section of public beach for their own private use. It’s detestable how much savagery can be tolerated in otherwise “nice” communities.

C. J. WELCH

Los Angeles

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I was hassled myself by the Lunada Bay fascists about four years ago, so I was delighted to read that someone is suing the city of Palos Verdes for allowing this behavior to go on unpunished for so long. It is a documented fact that the city is well aware of the problem.

Furthermore, officials could easily stop the violence by sending one of their many cops down to the beach carrying a surfboard and simply arrest the individuals who assault him. From my experience, it would only take one trip for them to identify and arrest the worst offenders.

BRENT MATSCHKE

Santa Monica