Thread by @latimes

On President's Day in the waters off of Manhattan Beach, a racist scuffle, now referred to as the "incident" exposed a dark side to the localism customs that dominate surfing.

It spurred a racial reckoning in the surfing world.

latimes.com/lifestyle/stor…

It started as a normal South Bay outing for Justin “Brick” Howze and Gage Crismond, two friends who have been regulars there since they started surfing together eight months ago.

But a traffic jam in the water ignited tensions.
latimes.com/lifestyle/stor…

As emotions climaxed, an older, white surfer inserted himself into the fray.

He called Brick the N-word repeatedly and violently splashed water in his face.

He called Gage a gay slur and told him to “go back to the streets.”
latimes.com/lifestyle/stor…

As the altercation ensued, a crowd of mostly white surfers surrounded Brick and Gage and refused to intervene.
A Black passerby noticed the scuffle and, not used to seeing Black surfers in the water and upon hearing the N-word, knew he had to document it.
instagram.com/p/CLVwKanFMPN/

It’s not the first time BIPOC surfers have been involved in racially charged or sexist altercations in the water.

Jessa Williams, another beginner Black surfer, says she was called the N-word multiple times while surfing in Dec. latimes.com/lifestyle/stor…

Collisions and aggression are typical in surf culture, along with vague codes of conduct.
Manhattan Beach has a reputation for invoking the latter to justify the former, especially when it comes to surfers deemed by locals as outsiders. latimes.com/lifestyle/stor…

"Localism,” as it is known, is the culture that surfers adhere to.

But many say it's a veil for racism. latimes.com/lifestyle/stor…

Read more from @julissaj_ about the President’s Day incident, localism and the steps Brick and Gage are taking to lift up Black surfers.

latimes.com/lifestyle/stor…