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If every corner of Los Angeles County tells a story, the story of one property at Ocean Avenue and Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica lies buried beneath the Viceroy Hotel for decades. .
“Since I found out about this, I’ve gone through an emotional journey,” Milana Davis said. “I didn’t know that for a long time.”
The land where the Viceroy currently stands is owned by the city of Santa Monica, which collects rent from the hotel as part of a long-term lease. But how the city came to own the land is currently being reexamined.
“I experienced disbelief at what happened, what happened to him and what he endured,” Davis said.
Prior to city ownership, the land was owned by Silas White, a black entrepreneur and Davis’ uncle, who purchased the property in 1957.
White purchased the land just two blocks from the beach and the former Elks Lodge building that stood on the land. He wanted to turn that space into a club, a place where the local black community at the time could gather and socialize. There were very few such facilities.
A year later, the city transferred the land to a prominent owner and demolished the building within a few years.
“They claim the reason they took it away was because they needed it for public parking,” Davis explained. -Star hotel. ”
Silas died in 1962, just four years after the city took his land and his dreams, and the story of what happened was largely lost to the sands of time.
“We all kept quiet about it,” Cyrus’ daughter Connie White said. “Milana said she lived with her mom for a while and her mom never said anything about it.” Ta.
The $20 million sale of Bruce’s Beach to L.A. County was made official Monday, sparking controversy over compensation. Ted Chiang reported on NBC4 News on January 30, 2023.
White, 90, lives in Northern California and is now part of a concerted effort to have the city of Santa Monica return the land to her family.
“He wanted it to be a haven where not only black people but brown people and people of color could go and relax and have fun,” White said.
What happened remained untold for decades, but the family recently learned what happened thanks to the organization “Where Is My Land?”
The group was founded by Kavon Ward and aims to identify incidents of land theft by black landowners across the country. Ward started the group after starting Justice for Blues’ Beach. The group successfully lobbied Los Angeles County to return waterfront land to the Bruce family, which had lost it to the City of Manhattan Beach through the Landmark Estate in the 1920s.
“We don’t want an apology. We don’t want another shield,” said Ward, who is currently focused on the White family case. “And if you’re willing to provide that, we want to combine it with real justice: the return of land and compensation for decades of lost wealth.”
Recently, Ward and the White family met with Santa Monica Mayor David White and Councilmember Caroline Trosis, who was the only one of seven City Council members to attend the meeting.
Trosis said the city is working to implement a citywide equity plan that would include consideration of a restitution and reparations model, but so far there has been no support for the city council to return the land to the White family. He said it is unclear whether there is.
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“If we are truly proud to be a progressive city, we need to take a hard look at our history,” Trosis said. “I know this process is not simple, but I think it’s clear that we have to think about what we can do. For me, reparations means giving back the land. ”
The issue also came up at a recent City Council meeting as the family continues to have a dialogue with other City Council members.
In a statement, the City of Santa Monica said in part:
“Santa Monica is listening and recognizing community voices on this issue and is actively seeking appropriate and practical remedies. We know that justice will not come soon for those who have been subjected to such mistreatment, and we take very seriously what we have learned from families and individuals who have been harmed by these acts. We are a better city because of your continued attention to the issue, and we are committed to getting this right.”
Although the city’s response to the NBC4 report did not specifically acknowledge White’s case, Connie White said she believes justice must be served.
“For us to feel some form of justice in this case, we need something tangible and meaningful to come forward,” she says.
Davis said she expects actions, not words.
“The city of Santa Monica has said on numerous occasions that it apologizes to the black community,” Davis said. “I’m curious about what’s behind the words?” Is there an intention? Will there be any action? Because it’s guaranteed. ”
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