Will Authorities Demolish The Bay Boys’ Clubhouse?

When you’re part of a gang, having a dedicated physical area to congregate is a must. Children make forts. Scouts meet in clubhouses. And the Bay Boys rule Lunada Bay from a stone structure built into the cliff.

But according to city staffers, the Palos Verdes fort must go!

The LA Times reports that City Manager Tony Dahlerbruch has developed a plan, recommending that the illegal structure be removed, which will be considered by the city’s elected leaders on Tuesday.

The report comes following “pressure from the California Coastal Commission and the arrival of a geo-technical report that confirmed the removal will not cause erosion of a nearby bluff.”

The Bay Boys are an interesting phenomenon; As surfing has evolved from its rebellious counter culture roots, they’ve refused to abandon their fierce localist traditions, a somewhat lost code in surfing (which they vehemently honour, often through violence). At the start of the year, Palos Verdes’ new police chief promised to take on the Bay Boys. And since then, as the outside world has knocked harder at their door, they’ve only dug their heels deeper.

The palapa has been their spot for decades, maintained through generational changes. But… “The Coastal Commission recently targeted the un-permitted structure after renewed reports that the Bay Boys were using it as a private party spot and that drinking there fuelled their ongoing bullying and intimidation of people who came to use the public beach.”

This would be a radical step in the battle between authorities/the community vs. the Bay Boys.

If you build it, they will come. But if you destroy it, will they leave?