Palm Springs Approves $6 Million Payment To Black And Latino Families Over Burned Homes In 1960s
In a historic move, the Palm Springs City Council has unanimously approved a $5.9 million settlement for Black and Latino families displaced during urban renewal campaigns in the California city during the 1950s and 1960s, The Associate Press reported. The decision comes decades after the destruction of homes in Section 14, a square-mile neighborhood on Native American tribal land that was once a vibrant community for working-class families.
The council’s Nov. 14 night vote was met with applause from a packed audience. Survivors and descendants of Section 14 residents expressed relief and hope.
“I feel like I can breathe finally,” said Pearl Devers, a Section 14 survivor, told The Los Angeles Times. “This settlement is a beacon of hope for people across the world. What happened here should inspire justice everywhere.”
The reparations will provide compensation based on the current value of personal property lost by verified former Section 14 residents and their families. It also includes initiatives to commemorate the neighborhood’s history, including a designated day of remembrance.
Section 14, located in the heart of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Reservation, became a haven for Black and Latino families excluded from other areas due to discriminatory housing practices. Despite limited infrastructure and poor living conditions, it flourished as a community of workers who supported Palm Springs’ growing hospitality industry.
Starting in the 1950s, city and tribal officials, driven by urban renewal ambitions, orchestrated the removal of Section 14 residents. Eviction notices were issued, and homes were razed—many burned to the ground without adequate notice. By the 1960s, the neighborhood was effectively destroyed, displacing hundreds of families.
In 1968, a state investigation labeled Palm Springs’ actions a “city-engineered holocaust,” condemning the forced evictions but falling short of criminal charges.
The settlement builds on the city’s 2021 formal apology for its role in displacing Section 14 families. In addition to the $5.9 million, Palm Springs has committed $20 million toward affordable housing programs and $1 million for business initiatives targeting marginalized communities.
“No amount of money can undo the harm inflicted,” Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein said. “But we can take steps toward healing and restorative justice.”
Families represented by attorney Areva Martin initially sought $2.3 billion in compensation, equating their displacement to the devastation of Tulsa’s Black Wall Street. The approved settlement is far less, but the broader initiatives approved by the council aim to address economic disparities and support former Section 14 residents and their descendants. Programs include homebuyer assistance, a community land trust, and the creation of a monument honoring Section 14’s history.
“Palm Springs destroyed what we built,” Alvin Taylor, who grew up in Section 14, told The Los Angeles Times. “But this is a start—a recognition of our history and our pain.”
