Reparations: Why Did The Family Sell Bruce’s Beach BACK to L.A County?
Why exactly did the Bruce family decide to sell their Manhattan beachfront property back to L.A County after an historic reparations win? During the rise of the 2020 protest regarding
Why exactly did the Bruce family decide to sell their Manhattan beachfront property back to L.A County after an historic reparations win?
During the rise of the 2020 protest regarding George Floyd, the story of Bruce’s Beach began to gain intense traction online.
In addition, a Black woman land advocacy group, began to organize and push for accountability for the family.
In 1912, Charles and Willa Bruce bought a piece of land in Manhattan Beach, California and built a resort on this land for Black beachgoers to have a place during segregation.
The city claimed the land was needed to build a park, and seized the property under eminent domain in 1924.
Anthony Bruce, who is the great-great-grandson of Charles and Willa Bruce, told news outlets back when the property was initially transferred, that his family is not “rushing back” to set up business in Manhattan Beach.
Bruce says he felt current undertones in the Manhattan Beach community, reflects the legacy of excluding Black people in the area.
The agreement to return the property back to the descendants, included clauses that would have allowed the family to lease the property to the County for a little over $400,000.
It does not, however, allow the family to sell the property beyond a price of$20 million.
Bruce family attorney George Fatheree, appeared on KBLA radio and said that multiple family members are involved in the decision making process, who are at different ages and stages in their lives.
“The return of the property and the ability to sell the property and take the funds and invest it in a way that’s important to their lives, represents an important opportunity for my clients to get a glimpse of that legacy that was theirs,” Fatheree said.
KBLA Radio
Some African-American’s are frustrated that so much noise was raised and support put behind returning the property, for the descendants to turn around and sell the property right back to L.A County.
Despite any feelings people may have concerning the decision, it is important to note the historical move that returning Bruce’s Beach represents, and the opportunities for reparations on a local level moving forward.
It has already led to similar campaigns for those in the Latino community, seeking compensation for their descendants who were forced from their homes to build the Dodger Stadium.
