Now, after years of legal controversy, the land again belongs to the Bruce family. Anthony Bruce, the great-grandson of the original landowners, told As It Happens guest Ginella Massa that the news was a “happy occasion” for his family – but also a “bitter” one. “We are really happy that this is happening in our lives today. It’s just that, unfortunately, there is always a reminder of what we just went through, the turmoil that lasted so long,” he said. “It’s like you survived a near-death experience, you know. It’s like a relief. But, wow, we’re glad it’s over.”
Persecuted by a racist campaign
Villa and Charles Bruce, a married couple, first bought land on Manhattan Beach, California, in 1912 and opened a hot dog and lemonade kiosk. The couple continued to expand their business to a resort, with a restaurant, ballroom and spa called Bruce’s Beach. It became a destination for black vacationers, entertainers and Manhattan beachers. But that all changed in the 1920s, when, according to the family, a concerted effort was made by the white neighbors, the local government and the Ku Klux Klan to oust them. “The Ku Klux Klan launched a campaign,” Duane Yellow Feather Shepard, another descendant of Willa and Charles, told As It Happens last year. “There were cross burns, burning of mattresses under verandas, tires being cut.” Anthony Bruce says his great-grandparents were harassed and targeted by those trying to repel what they considered a “Negro invasion” of the area. In the early 1900s, Willa and Charles Bruce turned 2 empty lots along the water in a community outside of Los Angeles into a destination for black vacationers, entertainers and residents of Manhattan Beach, California (Submitted by Duane Yellow Feather Shepard) In 1924, Manhattan Beach City Council occupied land through prominent ownership, a legal authority that allows the government to expropriate private property for public use. “You can’t just tell people to move out of their land and property,” said Anthony Bruce. “They will fight and stay there.” Villa and Charles Bruce did indeed fight – but to no avail. A court order forced the couple to sell their property in the city for $ 14,000, a fraction of the $ 70,000 worth of land at the time. The family – along with many other black residents – left the area. “They were not given opportunities,” said Anthony Bruce. “In fact, they were deprived of all opportunities.” The city demolished the family resort, claiming it was paving the way for a public park. Instead, the land remained vacant and unused for decades until Manhattan Beach moved it to the state of California in 1948, which eventually opened a park in 1957. In 1995, the state transferred it to the prefecture, with restrictions on further transfers.
The struggle to get back their land
Generations of Bruce, however, fought to get their land back, culminating in victory Tuesday when the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to return it to the descendants of Villas and Charles. “We can not change the past and we will never be able to cover up the injustice done to Villa and Charles Bruce a century ago, but this is a beginning,” said Janice Hahn, the county supervisor who initiated the complex process. return of the property in April 2021, he said before the vote. People take pictures on Bruce Beach. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP / Getty Images) In order to make it possible for the land to be returned, the state legislature passed a bill last year that removes the restriction on the transfer of the property. “Land on Manhattan Beach that was illegally removed by Villas and Charles Bruce should be returned to their living descendants and is in the public interest of the State of California, Los Angeles County, Manhattan Beach and “The people of the State of California should do so,” the law states. Senator Steve Bradford, who drafted the bill and is a member of the state’s special compensation group, told CNN: “This is what compensation looks like.”
What’s next?
Bruce Beach is currently home to a park and a lifeguard training facility. The land transfer includes an agreement to lease the property in the county for 24 months, with an annual rent of US $ 413,000 plus all operating and maintenance costs. The deal also gives the county the right to buy back the land for up to $ 20 million. A Bruce family reunion on Bruce Beach. (Submitted by Duane Yellow Feather Shepard) The family has not yet said what they plan to do with the property in the long run. “We’re leaving the door open right now,” said Anthony Bruce. “It’s just one of those things where we learn how to be wealthy Americans again. But we are the Bruce family and we will continue to shop somewhere, and we hope it will be a thriving business as it was before.” Written by Sheena Goodyear with archives from the Associated Press. Interview with Anthony Bruce produced by Arman Agbali.
