Palm Springs approves reparations settlement with displaced families of color

The city of Palm Springs, Calif., will pay nearly $6 million in reparations to Black and Brown families who were displaced from a neighborhood there during the 1960s.

The tentative settlement will be split among families who had lived in the neighborhood known as Section 14. In the 1960s, the city demolished the neighborhood for commercial development.

The settlement will see $5.9 million go to survivors and descendants. It also includes $10 million for a first-time homebuyer assistance program and another $10 million for a community land trust, as well as a monument to commemorate the history of the neighborhood.

“While no amount of money can fully restore what we lost, this agreement helps pave the way for us all to finally move forward,” Pearl Devers, a Palmdale resident who lived in Section 14 until she was 12, told The Associated Press.

The settlement follows an official apology from the city in 2021, but survivors and descendants of the displacement continued to pushed the city for reparations.

California Sen. Laphonza Butler (D) wrote a letter to the mayor and city council earlier this year, urging their government to provide reparations in addition to the apology.

“Palm Springs has the opportunity to set a historic, yet much needed, precedent not only for California but for the entire nation, by reaching a reasonable, fair resolution with the survivors and their families,” Butler wrote.

Survivors and defendants originally sought $2 billion but ultimately accepted the city’s final offer of $5.9 million.

"The City Council is deeply gratified that the former residents of Section 14 have agreed to accept what we believe is a fair and just settlement offer,” Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein said in a statement. “The City Council has always respected the historical significance of Section 14 and with this resolution of the claim which includes $20 million in housing programs and $1 million in business support we are 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."

The settlement is the latest round of reparations to be voted on, both in the state of California and across the nation.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a law in September to formally apologize for the state’s legacy of racism and discrimination against Black residents.

In 2021, Evanston, Ill., became the first city to offer reparations to Black Americans for housing discrimination.

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