IN FOCUS SOCAL: The story of Bruce's Beach

Описание: During Black History Month in 2021, "In Focus SoCal" host Tanya McRae features the history of Bruce's Beach and spoke with Duane Shepard about a new petition to get the city of Manhattan Beach to restore land rights and restitution to his family.

In 1912 and 1920, Willa and Charles Bruce purchased two lots of land along the Strand in Manhattan Beach, and turned the location into a seaside resort. They named it Bruce’s Lodge and it became a welcoming respite for Black Angelenos and visitors from other states. It became known as “Bruce’s Beach.”

As the resort gained popularity and attracted Black beachgoers, many white residents of the surrounding predominantly white community reacted with hostility and racism. In 1924, prompted by a petition from local white real estate agents and other citizens, the Manhattan Beach City Council voted to condemn the Bruce’s resort site and the surrounding land through eminent domain to build a park.

It is well documented that the real reason behind the eminent domain process was racially motivated with the intention of bringing an end to the successful Black business and to thwart other African Americans from settling in or developing businesses in Manhattan Beach.

In 1929, the court validated the City of Manhattan Beach’s claim to the Bruce's property through eminent domain, stating the urgent need for a public parl. The city paid the Bruce family a meager sum that was much less than the land's value, and demolished the Bruce’s Beach resort. The family ultimately moved out of the area, but the land sat empty for decades. A park was not built on the property until 1956.