Manhattan Beach Woman, BLM Founder, Bruce Family Want Money, Land

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — In a public display of advocacy, Manhattan Beach resident Kavon Ward has partnered with Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors and Bruce family spokesperson Duane Shepherd in an online petition entitled "Justice for the Bruce Family."

The petition, which was put online several days before BLM of Los Angeles partnered with Ward's Anti-Racist Movement South Bay of Los Angeles Saturday in Manhattan Beach for a peaceful protest, asks for Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery and City Council to "Provide Restoration and Restitution to the Bruce family for forcing them off their land" in the following ways:

• Restore the land to the Bruce family
• Provide restitution for loss of revenue for the past 95 years.
• Pay monetary damages for the violation of Charles and Willa Bruce’s civil rights.

Those demands, while seemingly extreme and not likely to be met since the Bruce's land is now owned by Los Angeles County and has a lifeguard facility on it that is used to conduct lifeguard business, come at a time when the nation is rife with controversy and turmoil over recent police shootings of Black citizens and the pro-Trump "law and order" contingent of citizens who have cast themselves as foils to public outcry for systemic changes that include moving dollars spent for policing to dollars spent on mental health workers, homelessness, addiction and other issues so that police do not have to deal with situations that arise from social issues they are not trained authorities to deal with.

In a conversation with Manhattan Beach Patch, Ward said, "The city council has been elected to provide policies and perspectives on behalf of the city of MB. Regardless of what they can and cannot legislate themselves directly, the strength with which they align with or work against anti-racism efforts defines the tone of the city and whether it moves forward on the right side of history or exposes itself as a racist relic of the Jim Crow era."

There is at least one part of the petition that is not factually correct when it states, "Now, after only recently acknowledging the injustice the Bruce family has faced at the hands of the city for generations, Manhattan Beach City Council is proposing that a boutique hotel be constructed on the land as a form of restitution. That’s not right." Indeed, the Manhattan Beach City Council has not endorsed any boutique hotel on the property; that proposal came from a resident during public comment when council listened to a presentation on the history of Bruce's Beach at its meeting on Tuesday, August 18.

Editor's Note: Since this article published, the factual inaccuracy in the petition has been updated.

What council did direct staff to do in light of the presentation of the Bruce's Beach history was to gather information on how a task force could work on the issues surrounding Bruce's Beach. City Manager Bruce Moe will bring that information forward in a verbal report to City Council at this coming Tuesday night's city council meeting.

Of the online petition, Steve Napolitano, city council member, told Manhattan Beach Patch, "I support everyone's right to express their opinions and create petitions. I'll let others judge the substance of what's presented in Ms. Ward's, but one thing that is brought up repeatedly is incorrect--neither the City nor any City Council member has proposed a boutique hotel be built where the park is now. That was a proposal made by a resident during public discussion at our meeting on August 18. The City had nothing to do with that proposal, and neither would I support replacing a park, no matter what its history, with a hotel."

The petition had 3,855 signatures out of a goal of 4,000 as of Saturday. Ward said the platform the petition is on automatically increases the goal as the number of signatures grows, hence it began with a goal of only 100.

Many Manhattan Beach residents question why an online petition that allows anyone online to sign it should have any impact on Manhattan Beach. To that, Ward told Manhattan Beach Patch, "MB officials have frequently pointed to the fact that not all the signatures are from MB as a reason to disqualify the value of the online petition. Here's the problem with that: when you are looking through a lens that is inherently White and has historically been blind to the racial injustices of the past and the present, you sometimes need a wakeup call from the world outside this bubble that what is happening here is not okay. The outcry that is growing from the outside world is forcing the city to acknowledge that this is a real issue that must be addressed."

Two members of Black Lives Matter of Los Angeles, which partnered with ARMs for the peaceful protest in Manhattan Beach Saturday, spoke before the audience at City Hall and were adamant they weren't going to leave the Bruce's Beach and broader issues alone until their demands were met.

Said Jan Williams of BLM LA, "We demand reparations right f***ing now. You can answer. You can answer to everybody...Reparations or nothing. Reparations and redress or f*** y'all. This whole country can f***ing burn."

When BLM LA's Melina Abdullah spoke, she said, “They can do what they're compelled to do. You know what we need to compel them to do is exactly what Kavon [Ward of ARMs] said. Pay us. Pay us. Pay us. Until you pay us, there ain't gonna be no peace for y'all. There's no peace for y'all. We're not just gonna go in the house and be good Negroes ..."

The inciting remarks did not, however, push or compel any of the protesters Saturday to perpetrate any violence. Once speeches were completed at city hall, the group marched down Highland Avenue on the northbound side with signs of protest. Once they arrived at Bruce's Beach, Patrisse Cullor, one of BLM LA's three co-founders addressed the crowd using a bullhorn. Protesters ultimately took to the shoreline and ocean to mark the significance of what the Bruce family's ownership once allowed.

At the protest Saturday, Ward called for Mayor Pro Tem Suzanne Hadley's resignation, something some Manhattan Beach residents have also called for. Abdullah on Saturday referenced Mayor Richard Montgomery but seemed to confuse him with Hadley when she spoke of him. Needless to say, there was much anger on display during Saturday's protest from speakers at city hall.

Of the petition, Hadley told Manhattan Beach Patch, "Before, during, and after my term as mayor [she becomes mayor in December], there will continue to be a range of views on all issues that come before city council. That’s the American way. I look forward to working with my colleagues and residents as we chart a path forward together.”

Ward, who is one of the founders of ARMs, said, "The goal of ARMs is to find ways to drive hyper-local anti-racism actions and here we have this incredibly powerful and emotional case study of the trauma of racism right in our backyard. This is a highly personal case that is such a clear example of how racism injures Black people and destroys generational wealth, and the injustice here is easy for people of all races to see. It's a great cause to bring specificity to a widespread problem."

She added, "One of our leadership team members happened to know the story [of Bruce's Beach] from her time as a MB resident, and suggested we learn more about it. That took us on a journey to uncovering the real story not covered on the plaque and to connecting with the Bruce family directly. "

PREVIOUSLY: Manhattan Beach: Watch Video Of Black Lives Matter, ARMs Protest

PREVIOUSLY: Active Protest In Manhattan Beach By BLM And Anti-Racist Movement