City of Palm Springs to pay $5.9 million to Black and Latino families forced from their homes – Essence

More than 50 years after Palm Springs officials demolished and burned the homes of a whole lot of black and Latino residents in Section 14 – a once-bustling majority-minority neighborhood – survivors have secured a historic $5.9 million settlement. The agreement marks a major moment in town’s reckoning with its past, because it becomes one of the few municipalities within the United States to offer compensation for racial evictions.

In the late Nineteen Fifties and Nineteen Sixties, a one-square-mile development generally known as Section 14 that housed Black and Latino homeowners and residents – who had been excluded from other neighborhoods due to racial discrimination – was demolished by city officials to create space for business development by primarily white business owners.

The destruction of Section 14 not only displaced over 2,000 families, but in addition deprived them of generational wealth, a loss that reverberated for generations to come. Today, this elegant desert resort is home to a thriving tourist industry and the typical home costs $649,000.

In 2021, the Palm Springs City Council issued an official apology for the destruction of the community. Although the $5.9 million settlement is significantly lower than the settlement $2.3 billion families initially demanded the displacement of 2,000 families, the ceremony was marked by Pearl Devers, president of the Palm Springs Survivors Section 14, who called it “a pivotal moment in the history of Palm Springs,” as reported Palm Springs Mail. In a press release, Devers said: “For years we have tried to bring attention to this case… This settlement is a long-awaited recognition of what we have experienced and how our lives have been changed by the destruction of our homes. While no amount of money can fully restore what we have lost, this agreement helps pave the way for all of us to move forward.”

Palm Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein also expressed satisfaction with the agreement. “The City Council is deeply pleased that the former residents of Section 14 have agreed to accept what we believe to be a fair and equitable settlement offer,” he said in a press release.

The agreement was the result of continued support from survivors and their legal counsel, strengthened by the support of social justice and civil rights organizations, in addition to influential leaders including California Senator Laphonza Butler, the Human Rights Campaign, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the California League of United Citizens Latin America (LULAC).

In addition to financial compensation, the compensation package emphasizes cultural protection. Plans include making a monument honoring the history of Section 14 and renaming a Palm Springs park in honor of the survivors. Additionally, town pledged to work with Section 14 Survivors, including 1,000 survivors and their descendants, to create a “community-led cultural and racial healing center.”

“We are making history in Palm Springs. This settlement demonstrates that it is never too late to acknowledge past wrongs and take meaningful steps toward justice,” said Areva Martin, an attorney representing Section 14 survivors in Palm Springs. “With this vote, Palm Springs has the opportunity to set a powerful precedent for how cities can meaningfully address historic injustices and create pathways to true healing.”

Approval of the agreement places Palm Springs amongst a small but growing group of municipalities grappling with the legacy of racial injustice through reparations. For example, Evanston, Illinois, became the primary city to offer compensation in 2021, earmarking 25,000 housing subsidies and direct money payments to address systemic discrimination in housing.

Meanwhile, cities prefer it New York and Tulsa, Oklahoma, have established commissions to study reparations, although progress has been mixed. However, two survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, during which the affluent Greenwood community generally known as Black Wall Street was burned to the bottom, killing a whole lot in the method, were repeatedly denied demands for reparations. The Palm Springs Accord highlights each the challenges and the potential for local governments to take significant steps toward restoration.

In addition to the nearly $6 million settlement, survivors can profit from an extra $21 million earmarked for the broader Palm Springs community. The City Council will allocate $20 million to housing programs, half of which can go to a primary-time homebuyer assistance program. The other half would establish a Community Land Trust Fund, prioritizing Section 14 families. $1 million would even be put aside for small business support specializing in Section 14 families.