Black and Latino families who were driven out of their neighborhood in Palm Springs, California in the 1960s, as part of the expansion of touristy parts of the city depicted in the movies, are now seeking damages worth $2 Billion from their city.
In 2021, the city council voted to issue a formal apology to the families that were displaced in the 1960s. But the Black and Latino families say the apology is not enough and the Palm Springs’ Council needs to do more.
The families now estimate that the council owes them a grand total of $2 billion at the rate of $1.2 million family. The amount was worked out by the Californian State Reparations Task Force.
Created to look into the grievance of families driven out to make room for expansion and development plans of the state at the expense of its marginalized communities, the task force is also looking into other similar cases of displacement.
Lawrence W. McFarland, one of the people displaced from Palm Springs, described his old neighborhood as a “little world of its own.” His neighborhood was torn and burned down. “We thought they were just cleaning up some of the old houses,” he said.
McFarland’s family, which included his single mother and young brother were forced to move out and hop around from town to town.
Palms Springs City Council say they are working with “reparation experts” to ascertain how to compensate the affected families.
