A reparations rally outside San Francisco City Hall on March 14, 2023. Photograph: Jeff Chiu/AP
June 19, 2024 Story by: Editor
Eminent domain, a legal tool enabling cities and governmental bodies to seize private land for public use, has historically disrupted and eroded generational wealth in Black and brown communities. California is addressing this issue with several reparations bills moving through the state Legislature, aiming to provide restitution to those whose land was taken with racist intent.
California state Senator Steven Bradford, a Democrat from Gardena, has authored three of these bills. He emphasizes that the discriminatory use of eminent domain is deeply woven into the state’s history. Notable examples include the 1924 Manhattan Beach case, where the Ku Klux Klan pressured the city to use eminent domain to drive out a Black-owned seaside resort, and the 1958 Santa Monica case, where the city confiscated Silas White’s property intended for the Ebony Beach Club.
“There are multiple examples of African American families who were forced off their land, for no other reason than they didn’t want them there anymore,” Bradford said. “And now their homes have been replaced with freeways or parking lots, or as in Manhattan Beach, an alleged park that was 40 years before it even came into development.”
Bradford’s bills propose the establishment of the Freedmen Affairs Agency, which would evaluate claims and provide remedies such as the return of seized lands or monetary compensation. This effort stems from Bradford’s work on the state reparations task force, which studied the impact of public policies, including eminent domain, on Black Californians.
At a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Bradford and Jessie Johnson shared the ongoing pain from land seizures, such as the one that affected Johnson’s grandfather in the predominantly Black and Latino Russell City. This land was later annexed by the city of Hayward and developed by private entities.
Bradford believes many more Californians could seek financial remedies if the proposed laws pass. He noted, “I can’t assign a dollar figure — that’s how big it is.”
Nationwide, racially biased eminent domain practices have also displaced numerous communities of color. Dr. Mindy Thompson Fullilove’s study found that between 1949 and 1973, civic projects displaced 1 million people, two-thirds of whom were Black Americans.
While Bradford’s legislation primarily focuses on Black Americans, it also aims to assist other racial groups affected by racially motivated property seizures. He hopes this broader approach will highlight the importance of reparations.
The bills coincide with Assembly Bill 1950, introduced by state Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), which seeks restitution for families displaced from the Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop neighborhoods of Chavez Ravine in the 1950s. This land, initially earmarked for public housing, now hosts Dodger Stadium.
Carrillo explained that families were compensated below market value for their homes, labeled as “slums” by the Los Angeles Housing Authority. For those who resisted, eminent domain was used to force them out.
Kavon Ward, founder of Where Is My Land, has been instrumental in advocating for Black families seeking restitution. Her work with Bradford on Bruce’s Beach led to the first instance of a local government returning land to a Black family, who later sold it back to the county for nearly $20 million.
Ward and Bradford’s collaboration aims to eliminate the statute of limitations on eminent domain challenges, acknowledging that many injustices occurred decades ago. “There should be no statute of limitations on stolen land like this,” Ward said.
Despite potential political challenges, Bradford remains optimistic that more families will find pathways to restitution, though he acknowledges not all cases will have outcomes like Bruce’s Beach.
The effort for land-based restitution aligns with the broader reparations movement, which also includes Indigenous leaders seeking the return or co-management of ancestral lands. Ward expressed support for the LandBack movement, emphasizing the need to focus on Black land restitution alongside Indigenous efforts.
Bradford and Carrillo’s bills do not mandate local governments to compensate families but aim to encourage voluntary reparative actions. The ultimate goal is to achieve justice and rectify historical wrongs, promoting racial and economic equity in the use of eminent domain. Source: Climate California
