"More than 1,400 residents were forced to move in what is now recognized by city and county officials as a historic wrong, the destruction of a predominantly Black and Latino community to make way for an industrial park. Former residents say the loss of homes, land, and businesses erased opportunities to build generational wealth—harms a new fund is intended to acknowledge through cash payments."
"Government agencies commonly seized land from Black and Latino property owners to expand cities and build infrastructure. Restrictive deeds, later made illegal, meant people of color were often able to buy property only outside city limits that lacked services like trash pickup or public sewer access, making them vulnerable to such moves."
"It was a place where people raised farm animals, tended crops, and hosted a culturally important blues club attracting legendary stars like John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, and Etta James. In 2020, a demand to redress historic wrongs grew following the murder of George Floyd and the national Black Lives Matter movement."
Russell City was a thriving Black and Latino community in Hayward where residents built homes, businesses, and cultural institutions including a blues club that hosted legendary performers. In the 1960s, government agencies seized the land through eminent domain to construct an industrial park, displacing over 1,400 residents. This destruction was part of a widespread pattern where communities of color were targeted for removal to expand cities and build infrastructure. Residents faced additional vulnerability due to restrictive deeds that limited property ownership to areas outside city limits lacking essential services. Following George Floyd's murder and the national reckoning on racial injustice, local officials apologized and established a fund providing cash payments to acknowledge the historic wrong and address lost opportunities for generational wealth.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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