Should Manhattan Beach Apologize For Bruce's Beach?

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA —Whether or not Manhattan Beach should issue an apology for Bruce's Beach is a question that will be considered at the April 6 city council meeting.

In 1924, the City used eminent domain to force Willa and Charles Bruce off the land they lived on, where they ran a resort for Black families. The property, which is located on Highland Avenue at 27th Street, is currently owned by Los Angeles County and houses the county's lifeguard headquarters and training center.

On the agenda will be four versions of an apology; one proposed by the Bruce's Beach Task Force, councilmembers Steve Napolitano and Hildy Stern's alternate versions, and Councilmember Joe Franklin's statement of acknowledgment and condemnation.

The issuance of apology is the only holdover item from the March 16 meeting at which the council voted to approve three of the task force's recommendations and then to disband them.

The Bruce's Beach Task Force's resolution asks for the City of Manhattan Beach to acknowledge and apologize for "historic racially exclusionary policies and practices," requesting a commitment to redressing the enduring negative effects of racial exclusion.

Napolitano's alternative resolution requests that the City of Manhattan Beach acknowledge and apologize for the City's role in the racially motivated condemnation of properties in the area known as Bruce's Beach."

"I don't agree with the scope of the Task Force's apology," Councilmember Napolitano told Patch. "My version of an apology acknowledges a wrong that was done by the city nearly 100 years ago. Today's Manhattan Beach is not that Manhattan Beach. We're a welcoming community, not a racist one, and my apology isn't asking any current resident to apologize."

Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Stern's apology requests that the City of Manhattan Beach acknowledge and apologize "for the City's role in the racially motivated condemnation of properties in the area known as Manhattan Beach" and to commit to promoting racial equality and inclusion.

Councilmember Franklin proposes a Statement of Acknowledgement and Condemnation. In his recomendation, he states:

"The Manhattan Beach of today is not the Manhattan Beach of one hundred years ago. The community and population of the City of Manhattan Beach are loving, tolerant, and welcoming to all. We reject racism, hate, intolerance, and exclusion.

"Today’s residents are not responsible for the actions of others 100 years ago. However, we offer this Acknowledgement and Condemnation as a foundational act for Manhattan Beach’s next one hundred years and the actions we will take together, to the best of our abilities, in deeds and in words, to reject prejudice and hate and promote respect and inclusion."

All four of the proposals are available for viewing.