We, the undersigned citizens of Manhattan Beach, wish to extend an apology to the Bruce family for this town’s decision in the late 1920’s to seize land from Willa and Charles Bruce and destroy the business they built. We acknowledge that this was a racist act, and we support Los Angeles County’s decision to return this land to the Bruces' descendants, who are the rightful owners. While we are unable to reverse the sins of the past, we believe it is important to acknowledge this regrettable fact of our history. We want Manhattan Beach to be an open, tolerant and inclusive town, and we hope this small gesture will help heal the wounds of the past and allow us to build a better future for everyone.
Updates
October 5, 2021
The momentum behind this petition highlights a collective desire to confront our history with honesty. This support indicates that our community values justice and is ready to move toward a more inclusive future.
24 Comments
I am glad to apologize for what was done to the Bruce's in the 20's. The beaches are for everyone to share.
The reaction of some in our city to the Bruce apology and plaque language proposal this past spring was an embarrassment that will not soon be righted.
My grandmother's family used to freely come to 24th street in MB when she was just a kid in the 20's and 30's from Glendale, a city who later apologized for its redlining policies. Its so unfortunate that MB could not be that welcoming to all visitors, and that it still is not today. I hope some day some MB City Council can see its way clear to apologize for the racist action its predecessors took against the Bruce Family. 100 years is a long time to go without that. I hope we never reach that century mark. For now, its on us residents to do it. I apologize for MB's racism. May we all rid ourselves of it someday.
The city of Manhattan Beach is responsible for a purely racist act. Admit, accept responsibility, apologize, make amends.
I'm a former resident of Manhattan Beach, and only learned of this a few months ago. I am so glad the county is taking this step to reverse such a horrible wrong taken against this family. I hope the Bruce family is able to enjoy this property for generations to come.
Please see my local editorial at stewarfournier.com under the heading "priorities". There is a letter about my thoughts with regard to Bruce's Beach.
Restitution frees one’s soul
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We, the undersigned citizens of Manhattan Beach, wish to extend an apology to the Bruce family for this town’s decision in the late 1920’s to seize land from Willa and Charles Bruce and destroy the business they built. We acknowledge that this was a racist act, and we support Los Angeles County’s decision to return this land to the Bruces' descendants, who are the rightful owners. While we are unable to reverse the sins of the past, we believe it is important to acknowledge this regrettable fact of our history. We want Manhattan Beach to be an open, tolerant and inclusive town, and we hope this small gesture will help heal the wounds of the past and allow us to build a better future for everyone.
Updates
October 5, 2021
The momentum behind this petition highlights a collective desire to confront our history with honesty. This support indicates that our community values justice and is ready to move toward a more inclusive future.
24 Comments
Seth, thank you for initiating this. An apology is unquestionably necessary here; coupled with the recent property restoration to the Bruce family, these steps are just the beginning of a long journey towards creating racial equality. Suzanne Hadley branded our City with a deep, scarring shame. We must be better, show with actions that we want to progress to being more compassionate humans than those who (temporarily) represent Manhattan Beach.
I am glad to apologize for what was done to the Bruce's in the 20's. The beaches are for everyone to share.
The reaction of some in our city to the Bruce apology and plaque language proposal this past spring was an embarrassment that will not soon be righted.
My grandmother's family used to freely come to 24th street in MB when she was just a kid in the 20's and 30's from Glendale, a city who later apologized for its redlining policies. Its so unfortunate that MB could not be that welcoming to all visitors, and that it still is not today. I hope some day some MB City Council can see its way clear to apologize for the racist action its predecessors took against the Bruce Family. 100 years is a long time to go without that. I hope we never reach that century mark. For now, its on us residents to do it. I apologize for MB's racism. May we all rid ourselves of it someday.
The city of Manhattan Beach is responsible for a purely racist act. Admit, accept responsibility, apologize, make amends.
I'm a former resident of Manhattan Beach, and only learned of this a few months ago. I am so glad the county is taking this step to reverse such a horrible wrong taken against this family. I hope the Bruce family is able to enjoy this property for generations to come.
Please see my local editorial at stewarfournier.com under the heading "priorities". There is a letter about my thoughts with regard to Bruce's Beach.
Restitution frees one’s soul
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Seth, thank you for initiating this. An apology is unquestionably necessary here; coupled with the recent property restoration to the Bruce family, these steps are just the beginning of a long journey towards creating racial equality. Suzanne Hadley branded our City with a deep, scarring shame. We must be better, show with actions that we want to progress to being more compassionate humans than those who (temporarily) represent Manhattan Beach.