Teen ‘Fight Clubs’ Erupt on Packed La Jolla Beaches (Video)
When Chuck Palahniuk released his seminal, debut novel Fight Club in 1996, most teenagers today weren’t even born yet. Nor were the denizens of so-called Gen Z alive when the hit movie adaptation hit theaters in 1999, starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton.
And yet, the legacy of catharsis through fisticuffs lives on.
In the wealthy San Diego, CA hamlet of La Jolla Shores, police are cracking down on what they’re calling organized and violent fight clubs, or large groups of teens showing up at Marine Street Beach, causing a raucous, and duking it out on the sand. See below.
“These meetups are not random,” San Diego Police Department Sgt. Ricky Escalante told Fox 5. “We have had an influx of large groups coming into our beaches, not just from San Diego, but from other counties as well.”
According to the officers, the fights originally start as ordered boxing matches. But then, with the chaos of the crowd mentality, things escalate and all-out brawls break out.
“A lot of the times, the fights start up as more organized boxing matches, and then from that they do escalate to actual full-on fist fights,” Escalante said.
The crowds at these gut-punching gatherings can range from 100s of kids, to thousands, with many of them being coordinated and proliferated on social media. And often times, the crowds can spill into the surrounding neighborhoods, causing issues for residents.
“People going into the yards… urinating, defecating on their property,” Escalante said.
One beachgoer added: “It’s just very crowded. I see a lot of people get beat up and hurt. “I’m just trying to chill on the beach and have a good time.”
Comments on the video, however, were wildly supportive. Some of the most-liked notes included:
“Let them fight, at least they are not on iPads.”
“Not a single kid on their phone just living in the moment… love it. The world is finally healing from 2020.”
Marine Street Beach is between the popular, and heavily localized, surf spot Windansea to the south, and the excessively touristy La Jolla Cove with its iconic sea lion sanctuary.
Per Mondo Surf:
“This regional classic spot features a sand and rock bottom and can be surfed at all tides. The spot provides both left and right waves. Marine Street is suitable for intermediate surfers and sometimes breaks with waves less than 50m in length. The spot typically has few surfers, making it a good option for those looking to avoid crowds. However, it’s always important to respect the locals and follow surf etiquette.”