City of Palm Springs to Pay $5.9 Million to Displaced Black and Latino Families

The City of Palm Springs, California has agreed to pay $5.9 million to Black and Latino families who were displaced from their neighborhood, then known as Section 14, in the 1960s.

In addition, Palm Springs City Council, which voted unanimously to approve the sum, also allocated $10 million towards a first-time homebuyer assistance program and another $10 million towards a community land trust and a monument, including the renaming of a local park, uplifting the history of the neighborhood.

Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein said the city is “taking bold and important action that will create lasting benefits for our entire community while providing programs that prioritize support for the former residents of Section 14.”

Before the 1960s, Section 14 was a small neighborhood, about one square mile, on a Native American reservation that was home to a thriving working-class Black and Mexican community. At the time, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians owned the land, and leased it to families of color.

In 1959, the City took over the land and forcefully removed residents. Residents were kicked out of the neighborhood with violence. Many houses were burned down.

Families who once called Section 14 home, and their descendants, have been fighting for justice since their displacement. They were initially seeking $2.3 billion for their upheaval and the damages it caused.

They weren’t officially issued an apology from the City until 2021. It is still unclear how money will be divided between the hundreds of former residents and their families.