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PALM SPRINGS, CA— On Thursday, November 14, the Palm Springs City Council voted unanimously (5-0), for a comprehensive settlement package with the Palm Springs Section 14 Survivors that includes $5.9 million in direct cash payments to Survivors of Section 14, as well as renaming a park in Palm Springs to honor the Section 14 Survivors, and creating a monument to commemorate the history of Section 14.
This unanimous vote marks the end of a decades-long journey for justice and healing for hundreds of families displaced during the 1950s and 1960s.
Additionally, outside of the legal settlement, the City Council voted 5-0 in favor of community initiatives for housing and economic development programs, including: $20 million in affordable housing initiatives over ten years ($10 million as part of a first-time homebuyer assistance program; and, a community land trust of $10 million); and, $1 million spanning five years toward small business development, to promote diversity and inclusion in Palm Springs’ small businesses. The City Council also agreed to establish a day of remembrance for Section 14 and is supportive of a racial and cultural healing center.
Photos and video of the meeting are available (please attribute to Diamond Dust Photography):
- Photos: https://diamonddustphotography.smugmug.com/Section-14-Surviver-s-Settlement
- Video clips: https://diamonddustphotography.smugmug.com/Section-14-Surviver-s-Settlement/Video-Clips
The agreement acknowledges the City’s role in the destruction of Section 14, a once vibrant one-square-mile community of predominantly African American and Latino residents that was demolished without warning as the City sought commercial development. The destruction of this community resulted in the loss of homes and personal property for hundreds of survivors and their descendants.
“This unanimous vote represents more than just monetary compensation – it is a long-overdue acknowledgment of a deep historical wrong that tore apart a thriving community,” said Areva Martin, lead counsel for the Palm Springs Section 14 Survivors. “While no settlement can fully heal the wounds inflicted by the horrors of displacement, this agreement is a monumental step in restorative justice. This vote tells the Section 14 Survivors: your pain was real, your stories matter, and you deserve justice. Finally, justice prevailed. I’d like to acknowledge and thank my partners and fellow attorneys at Martin & Martin, LLP, Michael Swartz and Sara Solfanelli of Schulte Roth & Zabel, Daniel Suvor and David Lash of O’Melveny, and Professor Eric Miller of Loyola Law School. Above all else, I am deeply grateful to the Survivors of Section 14 for placing your trust in me and my team throughout this process. It has been an honor and privilege to work with them to finally achieve justice after so many decades.”
“The eyes of the nation were on Palm Springs, and I am so thankful to this City Council for voting with their hearts and for doing the right thing,” said Pearl Devers, President of the Palm Springs Section 14 Survivors. “I am elated to see that this City Council did the right thing across the board. After years of lifting our voices, we can finally say justice has been achieved. In partnership with Areva Martin and her team, we have made it to this historic moment, so we can finally close this chapter of Palm Springs’ history and move forward, in unity and in healing.”
This agreement follows sustained advocacy efforts of not only the survivors and their supporters, but from elected officials, civil rights organizations, and social justice organizations from Palm Springs and across California and the entire nation, including: Senator Laphonza Butler, the National Urban League, the California League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Human Rights Campaign, Equality California, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and others.
“The minute I heard about this grave and painful injustice, I knew that we needed to get this done,” said Senator Barbara Boxer, Co-Chair at Actum. “At a time when it seems like we are so divided and angry, coming together to achieve this historic agreement is re-energizing and is a shining light of hope at the end of the tunnel. Whatever may happen at a national level, this unanimous vote is a reminder that in California, we still believe in justice, equity, and dignity for all. That means more than just words – it means action and accountability.”
“I am elated that we have reached a historic agreement in a case that has long cried out for justice. Actum, in collaboration with Attorney Areva Martin and the Section 14 Survivors, has worked tirelessly on a matter that has cast a shadow over Palm Springs for many decades,” said Rachel Noerdlinger, Equity Partner at Actum. “While we cannot erase the deeply rooted pain of the past century, nor can we overlook the inequities that have persisted through generations, this agreement serves as a model for any community that has suffered due to discrimination by governments at all levels.”
The agreement marks a new chapter in Palm Springs’ commitment to addressing historical injustices, allowing all Palm Springs residents, along with the Section 14 Survivors, to move forward in healing and reconciliation.
About Palm Springs Section 14 Survivors:
Palm Springs Section 14 Survivors is a non-profit group deeply rooted in the history and legacy of Palm Springs, composed of more than 1,000 survivors and descendants of Palm Springs Section 14.
Section 14, a one-square-mile area just east of downtown Palm Springs, was a vibrant community of predominantly African American and Latino residents. From the late 1950s through the 1960s, the City of Palm Springs, seeking commercial development, demolished this thriving community, destroying homes, personal property, and belongings without warning.
This destruction led to significant economic, physical, and emotional trauma for the residents of Section 14 and their descendants, who have not been able to recover the generational wealth that was taken from them. The survivors and descendants, with the support and counsel of leading civil rights attorney Areva Martin, continue to seek justice and restitution. Their mission transcends monetary compensation, it is a quest for acknowledgement of the past, communal healing, and the establishment of restorative measures that ensure such injustices are never repeated.
Learn more at Section14Survivors.com or KnowBeforeYouGoPalmSprings.com
