'Justice Demands The Return Of Bruce’s Beach'

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA —With Senate Bill 796 now in front of the Senate, State Senator Steven Bradford and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn have put out an opinion piece in the "Los Angeles Daily News" on the subject of returning Bruce's Beach to its descendants.

"History is by no means a thing of the past. We have our history. Injustices that occurred years, decades, and centuries ago continue to shape the lives of people today. And that means that tackling the mistakes of the past is more than a symbolic gesture. That is the part we need to build the just society we are aiming for. That’s why it’s important to seize the opportunity to become the first government in the country to return land seized from black owners with just the color of their skin," they write in the article.

In 1912, a young black couple named Willa and Charles Bruce purchased beachfront property in Manhattan Beach and built a resort that served Black residents. It was one of the few beaches where black residents could go because so many other local beaches did not permit black beachgoers. The Bruces and their customers were harassed and threatened by white neighbors including the KKK. Eventually, the Manhattan Beach City Council moved to seize the property using eminent domain in 1924, purportedly to create a park. The city took the property in 1929 and it remained vacant for decades.

SB 796 next will need a vote of two-thirds to pass before heading to the Assembly.

Read the full opinion piece from the Los Angeles Daily News.