It's indisputable: Palm Springs seized, burned and razed homes of Section 14 residents
The opinion piece published April 9 by Norm King misrepresented the facts surrounding the histories of the Section 14 victims themselves. His piece belies indisputable facts of Palm Springs history and city officials' role in seizing, burning and razing the homes and property of the Black, brown and native people who resided in Section 14.
Mr. King’s piece blames everyone other than the city for the events, from the tribes to other entities to the tenants themselves. Yet destruction dovetailed with city plans that had been in the works for decades, with the city doing everything in its power to erase or eliminate anything that undermined its identity as a playground for the white elite.
Researcher R.M. Klay found that marketing materials from the time show the city spent the years leading up to the destruction promoting Palm Springs as a "white spot" in California: "Although this trope appears to comment on crime rates, it signifies the mapping of racial demography," he wrote. (The Path to Paradise: Expropriation, Exodus, and Exclusion in the Making of Palm Springs, R.M. Kray, Pacific Historical Review, 2004.)
When provided opportunities to better the lives of its lower-income residents with federal funding to address a critical shortage of affordable housing, the city rejected the funding, claiming the Federal Housing Administration construction standards didn’t measure up to Palm Springs standards (Limelight, Aug. 30, 1945 p.2). Meanwhile, Palm Springs engaged a city planner—and outlined as its most pressing needs a golf course, municipal swimming pool, polo matches and horse shows. "The city ignored housing needs in favor of developments that maintained an aura of exclusivity." (Limelight April 4, 1946, p14.)
The opinion piece repeats the familiar racist tropes, made by the city at the time that describe the homes on Section 14 as "substandard," but fails to disclose that city leaders had for decades neglected the needs of the working poor tenants, denying them city resources and services including water, sanitation, paved roads, gas and electricity — all while Section 14 owners paid property taxes on their homes and businesses at similar rates charged across the city. (See The Desert Sun article May 15 1942, "County to Tax All Property Owned by Non-Indians on Palm Springs Reservation," pp.1, 8 for further detail or see "Property Owners of Section 14," Palm Springs Desert Sun, Feb. 3, 1950, p1. – Section 14 had a combined tax rate of 4.79; other districts had 4.83 and 4.88.
The facts on record support the truth that the survivors and their descendants have revealed in their own words: City leaders conspired with various city departments, private entities and others to burn, torch and demolish the homes of residents and clear the area for commercial use, destroying the personal property and belongings of thousands of residents.
As outlined in an official 1968 report from the California Attorney General’s Office, the city and its agents carried out the demolition of Section 14 without proper legal notice to the residents or regard for the rights of the residents—destruction the report refers to as “a city-engineered holocaust.”
Those who have attended recent meetings with Section 14's survivors and descendants have witnessed gaslighting and disinformation from a small group, mostly older and white, of residents who are seemingly angry about the demographic shifts in their city. That same small group also appear to be angry that the survivors and descendants are being recognized and heard by the city council, state legislators and national media—and that the facts about Palm Springs’ dark and sordid past is being exposed. The survivors, descendants and allies refuse to be silenced and vow to keep pushing for transparency, reparative justice and a community where are all people are respected, and not just a select few.
Areva Martin, Esq. is a multi-award-winning civil rights attorney, legal commentator, TV/radio talk show host and the lead attorney for Section 14 survivors and descendants. Her email is info@martin-martin.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: It's indisputable: Palm Springs seized, burned and razed homes of Section 14 residents
