A Los Angeles County commission voted Tuesday to return prime oceanfront land to the original owners’ family, 98 years after California officials seized it from a Black family that had built a thriving community there.
The descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce, who bought the land in 1912 for $1,225 and developed it into a seaside resort for Black families, will reclaim ownership of Bruce’s Beach in the city of Manhattan Beach. The land had been taken from them under the guise of eminent domain in 1924.
“For us as a family, this had a wonderful beginning. And then it turned into a tragic story for my family,” Anthony Bruce, the great-great-grandson of Willa and Charles Bruce, told NBC News. “Back in the day, prejudice was rampant. And unfortunately, my family was the victim of a hate crime and the prejudice that was around during those times.
“So, now that this is finally taking place, for us as a family, we are greatly relieved, and we are so thankful that this has made such an impact on our nation.”
On the property that now houses the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Training Center, the resort included a lodge, café, dance hall, and dressing tents with bathing suits for rent. Despite vandalism to visitors’ vehicles and an attack by the Ku Klux Klan in 1920, the family remained steadfast. When it became clear that the Bruces would not budge, the city seized the property and condemned the surrounding areas in 1924, claiming that it would build a park in the area.
It property sat dormant for more than 30 years.
The land is returned to Marcus and Derrick Bruce, Anthony Bruce’s parents and the great-grandsons of Willa and Charles, under the terms of the agreement. They intend to lease the land back to L.A. County for $413,000 per year in order to keep the county lifeguard facilities at the site operational.
Other terms of the agreement state that the family can sell the property back to the county for no more than $20 million, which Anthony Bruce believes will happen.
“I’m not sure if anything else needs to happen over there at Manhattan Beach, where it is extremely racially lopsided,” Bruce said. “The demographics there are affluent, Caucasian people. And so, for us to go over there and try to start mingling and getting involved is highly unlikely because of the things that have happened to my family and other Black families that have been there. I don’t feel like it’s a safe place for my family.”
The battle to reclaim the land for the Bruces began in April 2021, when Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn started the complicated process of setting up the transfer of property. Local advocacy groups, such as Kavon Ward’s Where Is My Land and Justice for Bruce’s Beach, got involved and helped raise awareness about the seizure.
California state Sen. Steven Bradford authored Bill 796, which handed Los Angeles County the legal authority to transfer the property back to the descendants. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation in September that brought the transfer of ownership closer to a final decision on Tuesday.
To allow the county to transfer ownership, a change in state law was required. County officials also had to identify the Bruce family heirs and resolve the various financial implications of transferring the property.
“To see how many people rallied to get this done and bring it to the forefront of people’s minds… we thank you so much,” Anthony Bruce said. “We’re just really excited that this is happening, and honestly, we’re overjoyed and overwhelmed by the magnitude of it.”
Bradford chastised Manhattan Beach for failing to publicly apologize for the actions of the City Council during the 1920s.
“Let’s be clear,” Bradford said. “The county is not giving anything back to the Bruce family. We are returning what was stolen.”