Palm Springs, California, is addressing its historical displacement of Black and Latino families from a neighborhood known as Section 14. This once-thriving community was destroyed in the 1960s to make way for luxury tourism, leaving behind vacant lots and shattered lives. Residents were forcibly evicted, and their homes burned down without compensation or warning. A billboard now stands at the city's entrance, highlighting this dark chapter and sparking a push for reparations.
Margaret Godinez-Genera, a former Section 14 resident, recalls the traumatic events when bulldozers and flames engulfed her neighbors' homes. This neighborhood was one of the few places where communities of color could live due to discriminatory housing laws. They rented land from the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. As Palm Springs became a tourist hotspot, the city saw an opportunity to expand tourism and targeted Section 14 for redevelopment.
The destruction was brutal, with 235 structures demolished between 1965 and 1967, displacing about a thousand residents. The state attorney general's 1968 report labeled the events a "city-engineered holocaust." The Agua Caliente tribe did not comment on these events.
Pearl Devers, another former resident, remembers the profound impact on her family. Her father, who built their home, stayed behind to protect it, only to succumb to alcoholism after losing their property. The trauma of losing her father and home still resonates with her. In 2021, former residents, including Devers, filed a claim against the city, alleging racially motivated and illegal evictions.
California is leading a national movement for reparations. Earlier this year, state lawmakers introduced reparation bills, setting aside $12 million. Palm Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein acknowledges the city's need to address past wrongs and move toward healing. In 2021, the city apologized for its actions and recently offered $4 million to former residents and their descendants, along with affordable housing and a healing center. However, the group's attorney, Areva Martin, estimates the reparations should be closer to $42 million.
Despite the city's efforts, the scars of Section 14's destruction remain. The empty lots where homes once stood serve as a stark reminder of a community lost. Godinez-Genera emphasizes that while financial compensation can address some harms, many wounds from this dark chapter in Palm Springs' history cannot be fully healed.
Link: NPR
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