bruce's beach land reparations

He was soft-spoken, but he would be communicating things. You know, when folks started learning about what had happened to Charles and Willa Bruce and saw that policy actually changed and ensured this family gets the land back, they became hopeful. The land the Bruce family bought for less than $2,000 could be worth up to $75 million today. Shortly after purchasing the land, Charles and Willa Bruce turned the location into a seaside resort . Yes, it did do a detailed report. Your email address will not be published. June 23, 2022 4 California Bruce's Beach can return to descendants of Black family in landmark move signed by Newsom Gov. Many African Americans have stories like mine and like the Bruces in our family histories. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Nearly 100 years after the property known as Bruce's Beach was seized by Manhattan Beach through eminent domain, California has agreed to return the. Justice for Bruce's Beach, demanded a return of the land to the Bruce family, and also reparations from the city . Yes, that detailed report documented tremendous and horrible abuses and killings and burning of businesses and taking of property," he says. hide caption. The murder of George Floyd last year sparked a renewed push for the city to acknowledge its crimes against the Bruce family. Rebecca works as a Law Clerk for Silverman Thompson Slutkin & Whites Baltimore office and is a research assistant for Professor Vallario in the field of Trusts and Estates. (Cal. They were fake No Trespassing signs, Shepard said. First, it was called City Park, but in the nineteen-sixties it became Bayview Terrace Park, and then, in 1974, Parque Culiacn, to mark a sister-city relationship with Culiacn, Mexico. [38] Although it is unclear how the federal government will deal with the possible tax implications of future reparations, in the interest of fairness, simply assessing land reparations as gross income should not be an option. Photograph: Allen J Schaben/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images. Today, activists have won the return of the beach to the Bruce family in the first-known case of land reparations for Black people in the US. Brigham noticed the first hint of the Bruces story when he moved to Manhattan Beach, as a boy, in 1939. On Sept. 30, California Gov. Bob would ride his bicycle up and prop his bicycle outside my office and come in, and I would think, Heres Bob, you know, Ward recalled. But families such as the Bruces whose property was taken generations ago don't have legal recourse to get their land back, Mitchell says. To me, it was not about the words on the plaque. Willa and Charles Bruce requested $120,000 for both damages and the value of their property, but the city granted them $14,500. Manhattan Beach land seized from Black family may be returned to descendants nearly a century later. I read an article about Bruces Beach in the newspaper, and like others who read that story, I was struck by the injustice and also inspired by the business success of these amazing entrepreneurs, whose story we had never heard, and whose legacy had been so prematurely erased, or so it seemed. hide caption. The record of this transfer is preserved in perpetuity as a public record. The county will be the first in the nation to do this, so we feel like we can be a model, Hahn said. Bruce's Beach is an African-American beach resort at Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles County, California. The city of Manhattan Beach has struggled with the ugly history for generations, and in 2006, it renamed the site of the razed resort community Bruce's Beach. The Bruces descendants plan to lease it back to the county at market value, at least for now. pic.twitter.com/B0ssG5Jw8f. He's a clan chief of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation. So, Kavon, would you mind telling me how you got involved? Chief Duane "Yellow Feather" Shepard at Bruce's Beach. [5] Because there is no statute in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) specifically addressing land reparations,[6] the tax implications for Bruces Beach remain unclear. In November 1923, a white realtor named George H. Lindsey approached Manhattan Beach's Board of Trustees with an option to condemn Bruce's Beach through the Park and Playground Act of 1909, according to an April 13, 2021 report by the Bruce's Beach Task Force, a resident-led task force appointed by the Manhattan Beach city council last year. However, some white residents of Manhattan Beach feared an "invasion" by the African American community, according to local historian Robert L. Brigham's 1956 Fresno State master's thesis Land Ownership and Occupancy by Negroes In Manhattan Beach, California. They will discuss the details in this video. I dont know how we started talking about Bruces Beach. Ward had heard about Brighams thesis in the nineteen-nineties, before meeting Brigham. Willa was gone in seven years, from the stressshe had just lost her mind. She and attorney George Fatheree, a partner at the law firm of Sidley Austin with a robust pro bono practice who has represented Black Lives Matter Los Angles, are with us today. [28] See supra text and accompanying notes 1920. But thanks to the LA County Board of Supervisors, led by . Terrence M. Franklin: That sounds exciting. First, this has the potential to serve as a national model to communities around the country and world, about how to engage in a process of racial economic reconciliation. Were taught as lawyers that if you or your family have been wronged, the law should provide a remedy to right that wrong. So the argument [now] about the plaque, I think thats a step forward.. PSYCHOLOGY 2 Though Paper: Discrimination" California's Novel Attempt At Land Reparations The novel is about discrimination against people of color in various ways, especially the Bruce family. All rights reserved. according to an April 13, 2021 report by the Bruce's Beach Task Force. You know, policies like eminent domain, are not policies from the past. Two things came to mind. Well, what does all this mean for other people and other communities facing similar situations, either from a legal perspective, George or, from an advocacy and policy perspective, Kavon? There are two big things going on right now. Kavon was instrumental in bringing awareness to Bruces Beach injustice and racial discrimination and land rights to the national conversation. Not now, not ever. The Bruce family had requested $120,000 in compensation $70,000 for the two lots and $50,000 in. From the city center of Hanoi, you can move to the Baara Land man-made beach in the direction of Thang Long Avenue and go to Provincial Highway 421B. Video of Bruce's Beach protest by Jessa Williams "I read about George Floyd's ancestor Hillery Thomas Stewart who back in the late 1800s had owned 500 acres of land in North Carolina, and that land was stolen by white farmers," Martin says. That process will also include confirming the Bruce's rightful heirs. ConclusionWith the rise of reparations advocacy groups[37] and the passing of the Bill, the story of Bruces Beach serves as a model for how states may hold themselves accountable for cheating Black families out of generations of wealth through discriminatory land use practices. *Rebecca Odelius is a second-year day student at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she is a Staff Editor for Law Review and a Royal Graham Shannonhouse III Honor Society Scholar. Since the murder of George Floyd, the rumblings about reparations that have buzzed in the background have turned into a roar. Many of us dont have those records Im pretty sure my family, which isnt even clear about what the name of one of my great-grandmothers was does not. Theres no room for error and the familys going to need strong legal representation. "You had Black entertainers, actors and actresses, jazz artists, Black politicians as well as business owners and socialites.". "Our research team has come up with a preliminary estimate of $300 billion," Mitchell says, noting that it only accounts for the farm land itself. "This land was taken from the Bruce family because they were Black and, before it was stolen, was one of the precious few beaches Black families could enjoy," Hahn said. They worked hard, saved up, bought land, built houses, started businesses, and then had everything snatched away by mobs, convenient legal statutes, or other forms of racial terrorism. George Fatheree: I just, I want to say thanks again. Jonathan Burgess treasures the historic legacy of his 19th Century ancestor, Rufus Burgess, who gained . While the rest of America debated if and how reparations should be given for the injustices of slavery and segregation, [1] the state of California took legislative action to atone for the mistreatment of one Black couple whose land the state wrongfully took through eminent domain [2] in 1924. During summer 2021, she interned for the Maryland SAFE Center for Human Trafficking Victims. Ward told me that Pecks descendants had allies on the city council. [7:02] The story of Bruce's Beach [19:36] Breaking news on reparations at Bruce's Beach [22:20] Tony and Adam's plan to draw Black people back [33:24] How listeners can get involved Robert Brigham's grad school thesis, "Land Ownership and Occupancy by Negroes in Manhattan Beach" (1956) is HERE Anthony Bruce, a descendant of Charles and Willa Bruce, told the Times that the issue "continues to tear his family apart." Reparations milestone: California returns land to Black family In the 1920s, California's Willa and Charles Bruce had their beachfront property, home to the West Coast's first resort for. Like many other Americans of African descent, the Bruce family had moved West as part of the Great Migration, seeking opportunities to participate in the promise of the California and American Dream. By 1924, Manhattan Beach city officials invoked eminent domain, claiming the city would build a public park over 30 lots, including the Bruces' land and four other lots owned by African American families. We have set the precedent in the pursuit of justice, Janice Hahn, a member of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors and one of the champions of the Bruce familys efforts, said during the ceremony. 2019). Heres the thing, Bradford said. And so, they have to hold their government officials accountable, they have to challenge the status quo. And the strength of what Kavons organization is doing is that its organizing at the grassroots level and its impacting policy, and its influencing lawmakers. And then, one year later, Charles Bruce passed away.. And he would say, Mom, how come theres so many weeds down there? I have a family out in Austin, who is fighting Texas because Texas is trying to take land to build a highway. The couple sued for racial discrimination and eventually received $14,500 but never got their land back, according to The Los Angeles Times. There were families who had been fighting to get their land back for 30, 40 years but to no avail. Its always a pleasure to see my good friend Ms. Kavon Ward. The movement toward reparative justice in California with the states Reparations Task Force, and now the return of Bruces Beach is a beacon of hope for us all and a reminder that even if it takes 100 years to achieve justice, its still worth pursuing. 159, 15961 (2010). But the Bruces were run out of Manhattan Beach and forced to shut down their successful resort. I think if anyone knows how hard it is to become dispossessed that in itself is a grave puncture, Derrick Bruce, one of Charles and Willas great-grandsons told NBC News in an interview. The historic Bruce's Beach case is inspiring social justice leaders and reparations activists to fight for other Black families whose ancestors were also victims of land theft in the United States. [22] See I.R.C. IV. We have the records that show the actual piece of property that was bought by Willa and Charles Bruce. So, were working through these types of issues with the hope of having the property returned to the family by the spring of this year. at 431; see also I.R.C. The Task. Only one other beach in L.A. County welcomed African-Americans at the timeSanta Monica had a segregated patch of sand called the Inkwelland Black families drove for hours from around Southern California to sunbathe and swim at the Bruces property. Student Work, Submission Information, Symposia Announcements. The Bruces will then lease the land back to the county for $413,000 a year for the continued operation of county lifeguard facilities . Also, we need more funds, so please donate. Bruce's Beach stands as just one example of land theft that's taken place across the United States through violence, intimidation and legal maneuvers. For years, the land was owned by the county of Los Angeles until last month, when California passed a law that allowed the property to be transferred back to the couple's descendants. Your email address will not be published. The city was about an hour away from Los Angeles on surface roads, though a light-rail corridor had recently opened, to make the trip a little easier. That's peanuts in Manhattan Beach, where the median. The parcels marked in gold are parcels that were owned by Black families in the 1920s. Today, we are returning stolen land for the first time, but it will not be the last., As reparations and restitution cases go, this one will probably be the easiest to accomplish, Hahn told NBC. What is Joint Tenancy and When Should I Use It? After discovering the Bruces' story, Kavon Ward founded Justice for Bruce's Beach, a grassroots movement to restore the family's land and fight for the reparations . Bruce's Beach resort was shuttered and demolished, and the property sat vacant for decades. Today, the two parcels of land are worth an estimated $75 million. In the nineteen-eighties, Brigham taught me to drive a car at Mira Costa High School, in Manhattan Beach. During the Jim Crow era, they built a destination where Black tourists could swim, dance, eat and rest. We are www.whereismyland.org and we need help, as much help as possible. All Rights Reserved. A county supervisor, Janice Hahn, set out to return the property. The Bruces and other Black landowners tried to block the condemnation through legal means, but the effort failed, and the Bruces eventually demanded seventy thousand dollars for their land and business, plus fifty thousand dollars in damages. Copyright 2022, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Terrence M. Franklin: So, where are we now with Bruces Beach? MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. On June 19, 2020, nearly two dozen activists got together at Bruce's Beach park in Manhattan Beach, discussing the complicated past of the land they stood on, and determining a path forward. For decades, the expulsion of Black families from Manhattan Beach was largely ignored. And so the only thing we can do is to make sure we're dealing with this, one family at a time.". 1001(b) (The amount realized from the sale or other disposition of property shall be the sum of any money received plus the fair market value of the property (other than money) received.). Then local politicians used eminent domain to take control of Bruce's Beachside resort and the land that's valued at $20 million today. The appropriated. [31] Applying this doctrine to Bruces Beach, a court could relate back to when Willa and Charles Bruce lost their land through the racially motivated use of eminent domain.[32]. Hahn told NBC that Manhattan Beachs current city council has refused to apologize to the Bruces for what happened 100 years ago. Although Los Angeles County has offered to purchase the land outright for $20 million, the Bruce family plans to lease it back to the county, for now. They werent authorized by the city. [36] Whether the IRS will decide to expand its current ruling or create a rule specifically for slavery and segregation reparations remains to be seen. Hahn's daughter, Supervisor Janice Hahn, is spearheading what she hopes is another ground-breaking moment in civil rights . Ward prevailed narrowly. [31]Smith & Waterhouse, supra note 1, at 180; U.S. Legal, https://definitions.uslegal.com/d/doctrine-of-relation-back/ (last visited Jan. 21, 2022) (Doctrine of Relation Back is a principle that something done today will be treated as if it were done earlier.). She also formed Justice for Bruces Beach, a community grassroots movement, continuing the good fight to obtain REPARATIONS for the Bruce family through RESTITUTION and RESTORATION of their land.. After the Bruces receive the deed, according to the agreement, they will lease the property back to the county for $413,000 annually for two years. In 1927, eminent domain was used by the city of Manhattan Beach to seize the property with the plan to create a park. The larger proceedings dragged on for years, but by 1927 all landowners in the rectangle were forced to sell and vacate their properties. Willa and Charles Bruce were among the first Black people to settle in Manhattan Beach, Calif., but the city . The city council created a task force to look into the history of the land, but ultimately decided against paying reparations to the Bruces descendants for lost income on the family business. But in 1924, Manhattan Beach officials invoked eminent domain and condemned the Bruces . Mitch Ward, the former mayor, agrees: Its a debt that Manhattan Beach owes to the Bruce family. He also thinks that Brigham would be pleasantly surprised by the transfer. In light of the legal impediments that our research revealed, I initially refrained from reaching out to try and contact members of the family. And so, I organized within the community, I lined myself with organizations like Black Lives Matter, I created a petition with Black Lives Matter through Color of Change, I attended very harmful and abusive city council meetings, I had a march in protest. And at the end of last year, the state and county formally amended the deed to the property, to remove the transfer restrictions. We appreciate your feedback! In 1927, eminent domain was used by the city to seize the property with the plan to create a park. And then last summer happened," Hill adds. They moved to whats now South Los Angeles, where they took jobs cooking in someone elses restaurant. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday, June 28, to return two parcels of oceanfront property to the Bruce family, more than 90 years after Manhattan Beach used . How to Change Your Legal Records, Resources for Trust and Estate Law Students, Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition, Heirs Property and Generational Land Loss, Black Farmers, Land Loss and the Racial Economic Gap, 40 Acres and a Mule: Reparations and the Estate Tax, California beachfront land takenfrom Black family returned in ceremony, Op-Ed: Why Bruces Beach may be an outlier in terms of reparations for Black Americans, The Time is Right: Starting a National Reparations Policy, A Black family got their beach back and inspired others to fight against land theft, LA County prepares for Bruces Beach land transfer, Los Angeles Daily News, Bruces Beach to be returned to Black family 100 years after city used the law to steal it,, Bruces Beach Task Force: History Subcommittee Report. It was just to displace African-Americans. He added that a municipality using eminent domain for a government need, such as a highway,was a different story, whether or not the displacement of those living there was fair. "One of the reasons why the Bruce's case has been generating so much attention is because it represents the first instance in the history of the United States where an African American family or community that had their property taken unjustly, ended up having it returned," says Thomas W. 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