The history of Bruce’s Beach, which is located in the Manhattan Beach section of Los Angeles, has been under the microscope recently as reports surfaced, noting the Bruce family was allegedly taken by the city of Los Angeles through a series of unfortunate events.
Willa and Charles Bruce—the namesake of Bruce’s Beach, purchased two lots of land near the Strand between 26th and 27th street. The couple created a beach space along the coast for black families to congregate at on the weekend. As a result, many began calling the area Bruce’s Beach.
However, white neighbors, along with the KKK, began to give the couple trouble, as people started to put up fake signs to deter black people from coming into the community to visit Bruce’s Beach. The harassment didn’t stop Black people from attending, but the city condemned the neighborhood in 1924 and seized over two dozen properties, citing “eminent domain.” The city reasoned that there was an “urgent need” for a new public park.
As a result, the Bruces and other Black families sued the city, and litigation would go on for years before they were awarded $14,500 for what they went through. However, the Bruces were unable to get their property back, as the city razed the beach, which ultimately led to the property being vacant for decades.
Source: latimes.com
