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| Four of five. Photo Credit Rob "Birdlegs" Caughlan |
Five intrepid local surfers decided to brave the "closed" beach at Martin's, with the intent of catching some waves. They also happened to catch some flack from the cops, who issued tickets to them for trespassing on the beach. Luckily for the surfers, and the rest of us who have sought to reestablish access to Martin's, they weren't just ordinary fence jumpers--their stated premise for crossing the property was that they were exercising their constitutional right to access the beach. Their actions elevated what would have otherwise been a standard trespassing case to a case of significant public interest and stake.
At 9am on February 7, 2013, the defendants were arraigned on their charges at the San Mateo County courthouse. The District Attorney asked to have their case dismissed based on "insufficient evidence". The charges were dropped. Spirits were raised! All involved saw this as a major victory, at least for the time being, in that visitors seeking to exercise their constitutional right to access the beach would not be prosecuted.
One small step for the Martin's Beach five. One giant leap for those who've sought to regain access.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22544218/trespassing-charges-against-surfers-dropped