Manhattan Beach Resident Wants More Than Plaque For Bruce's Beach

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Editor's Note: The following is a Letter to the Editor. The opinions expressed are the author's.

What do you see when you drive along Highland Avenue at 27th Street in Manhattan Beach and look west, where Bruce’s Beach is? Do you see a lot of people enjoying a beautiful park? No, you don’t. Because it isn’t a beautiful park, and there aren’t a lot of people using it. It’s the worst use of land in the city, and perhaps the worst use of oceanfront in California. You can’t play sports on it – it slopes! The basketball “courts” are a joke. And no one really picnics there. It’s directly adjacent to the most wonderful park there is – the beach!

Bruce’s Beach is a monument. To white supremacy. When your friends visit and ask, “Why is there a big empty lot in front of the beach when everything from the South End to El Porto is stacked with homes?” you have to answer, “Well, see, back in the 1920s some white supremacists wanted to drive out a black family…” It’s not a park; it’s a shame.

Now the [Bruce's Beach] Task Force will recommend, and the city council will decide. But Ray Charles could see where they are headed — a re-worded plaque. It’s not enough. We need to have an open, thorough debate on the value of this “park.” The citizens should decide between a re-worded plaque or meaningful proposals such as mine to build a hotel and reconciliation center, or new homes that fund justice for the victims. Let the people decide. Justice or shame?

—Christopher O'Brien, Manhattan Beach

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