It’s never too late to fix your wrongs, even if it was a century ago.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced on Friday that the county is in the process of returning a scenic parcel of Manhattan Beach land to the rightful descendants of a Black couple who originally owned it.
According to ABC7 News, the Black couple, Willa and Charles Bruce, operated the beach resort known as Bruce’s Beach that was derided by residents and eventually taken by the city.
The transfer of the portion of the land to the descendants requires state legislation to remove the restrictions on the land on which the county’s lifeguard training center is now located.
“I learned very quickly that I just can’t give the property back,” Hahn said during a news conference overlooking the parcel near the Strand and 26th Street. “It came with restrictions, where it limited our ability to sell or transfer this property. So I need state legislation to lift these restrictions and allow the county to transfer this property.”
“I look forward to working with the county getting this legislation signed into law this year.,” Sen. and Chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus Steve Bradford stated when saying he would support the legislation in Sacramento to make it happen.
“Sadly, the Bruce story is not unique here in California or across this nation,” Bradford added.
The seizure of the Bruce Beach property has left a bad taste among the seaside community for years. In 1912 the Bruce couple bought the land for $1,225.00 and added other parcels over time to create a beach resort catering towards Black residents who already had very few options along the California coast, the outlet reported.
The attraction became a target of the white populace in the area. The resort experienced vandalism, attacks on cars of Black guests, and a 1920 attack by the KKK.
The Bruce’s prevailed and continued to run their business despite the mounting pressure. But in 1929, the city condemned the property and other parcels in the area and seized it through eminent domain with the plans of building a city park.
The Bruces and other Black families lost their land, and the resort was forced to close.
After filing a lawsuit citing a racially motivated campaign, the Bruces were able to get some money for damages and other displaced families. Still, they weren’t able to reopen.
The plans for the park laid dormant for decades as the land sat vacant.
Then in 1960, the park was built on a portion of the taken land.
“I’m embarrassed to say that I knew very little about this history,” Hahn said Friday, saying she was well aware of the scourge of racism in other parts of the country, but “somehow I thought that didn’t happen here. But in fact, it did.”
“And when I realized that the county of Los Angeles now had ownership of the Bruces original property, I wanted to do what I could to start righting this wrong,” she said. “I felt there was nothing else to do but to give the property back to the direct descendants Willa and Charles Bruce.”
Holly Mitchell, a fellow county supervisor, also supported the decision to give the Bruce family back their land and said it shouldn’t be looked at as a “gift” to them.
“The county isn’t gifting anyone anything,” she said. “The county is returning property that was inappropriately taken. We are returning to the Bruce family … property that they rightfully owned.”
In 2006, the city agreed to rename the park “Bruce’s Beach” as a tribute to the evicted family. But many saw it as a hollow gesture.
The Manhattan Beach City Council heard public comments Tuesday night, many of which condemned the city’s past actions. Still, the family was given no apology, but the council agreed to install new historical markers at the location.
Chief Duane Yellowfeather Shepard, a descendant of the Bruce family, slammed the council after the Friday announcement. He let it be known the family would seek legal action to be reimbursed for their loss and the punitive damages they endured.
Shepard praised Hahn for taking action and for realizing the injustice.
“The Bruce family is grateful for your efforts and pray that God guides you and rewards you for your efforts,” Shepard said.
“We reserve our rights on this Earth to be men, to be women, to be human beings, to be given the rights of human beings, to be given the respect of human beings in this country, in this day, in this society and in this damn city,” he said.
Hahn said the county is in negotiations with the family to discuss the future of the land and the lifeguard training center that sits on it. It is a possibility that the family will have their land returned and can lease it to the county so that the center can stay on it.
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