News
MB Patch: Racial Slurs Hurled At Surfer In Manhattan Beach; His Response
"A white man inserts himself into a conversation between surfers in the water & ends up throwing the N word around & splashing Black surfers." Read the whole story here. Click here and here for the original statements from the surfer who was targeted. We stand in solidarity with him against racism.
LA Times: In Manhattan Beach, a Lesson on the Racism of Generational Wealth
"This is the generational wealth my parents, who started with nothing but their educations, were able to effect — and which Black families have been systematically deprived of. It was only this summer with the Black Lives Matter protests that I learned the GI Bill was far less effective for Black veterans. In Manhattan Beach, they could not even buy a home."
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"I remember one political event we attended showcasing people running for the City Council, where one candidate proudly said that he had been active in keeping Blacks out of Manhattan Beach in the past and promised he would continue to do that if elected. We were both shocked and I stood up and objected."
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Read three letters to the editor on the generational consequences of Manhattan Beach's seizure of Bruce's Beach, including these excerpts, here.
MB Patch: Manhattan Beach Racism Alive & Well As Peaceful Protesters Baited
"White men show up to harass, intimidate protesters during peaceful event at Bruce's Beach. Manhattan Beach Police are nowhere to be seen." We stand in solidarity with West LA For Black Lives, who organized this protest. Read the whole story here.
MB Patch: Bruce's Beach: City Council Candidates State Their Positions
"Former Manhattan Beach Mayor Mitch Ward asked City Council candidates questions about how they would handle Bruce's Beach, race relations." Read the whole story here.
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Empowered Trans Women and ARMs Around the South Bay Forum: Black Trans Lives Matter
Daily Breeze: Manhattan Beach protest calls out demands for Bruce’s Beach
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*Please note: if viewing on a mobile device, the preview for the video will look cut off. However, if you press play, it will open a full-screen window that will show the entire video. Apologies for any confusion!
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"People placed sunflowers, marigolds and roses into the surf on Saturday. Aug. 29, to symbolically present them to Willa Bruce, a Black businesswoman in the early 20th century who founded Bruce’s Beach. About 80 participants showed up in front of Manhattan Beach City Hall on Saturday before walking a half-mile north to the former 1920s beach resort that she created for Black people to enjoy the sea." Read the whole story here.
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Streets Blog LA: Campaign Pushes for Manhattan Beach to Honor Full Black History of Bruce’s Beach
"There is a new campaign underway urging the city of Manhattan Beach to commemorate Bruce’s Beach, including telling a more full history of the site and making restitution to the Bruce family from whom the site was taken in the 1920s." Read more here.
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Daily Breeze: Black Lives Matter gives national push to Bruce’s Beach justice movement
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"An advocacy group that has been among the leaders in pushing Manhattan Beach to provide reconciliation to the descendants of the Black couple who founded Bruce’s Beach — and to provide an honest historical accounting of the racism that drove them out of town — have published an online petition listing specific demands of the city." Read the whole story here.
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DigMB: Following Hacking, ARMs Movement Vows To Move Forward In Manhattan Beach
"The ARMs Around the South Bay (LA)'s Zoom forum on racial justice in Manhattan Beach had barely just begun on Friday night when a hacker broke in and scrawled an obscenity across the screen. Organizers quickly shut down the hacker - and the slides, just to be sure - but kept the presentation moving forward." Read the whole story here.
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MB Patch: Manhattan Beach: Racist Words, Hackers Invade Online Presentation
"Hackers attempt to wreak havoc and hate in an online forum on the 'Past, Present and Future of Public Safety in MB' and are kicked out." Read the whole story here.
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Southern California Law Review: Prosecution or Forced Transport: Manhattan Beach’s Unconstitutional Banishment of the Homeless
Lawyer Jared Osborne argues that Manhattan Beach's 2018 ordinance against camping—one that is targeted at people experiencing homelessness—is unconstitutional because it forces individuals to leave Manhattan Beach and because "constitutional rights of interstate and intrastate travel, are void for public policy, and exceed the statutorily authorized range of punishment." Furthermore, he argues that the plan will not decrease the rate of people experiencing homelessness or increase public safety—it is a cosmetic solution to a deeply urgent problem. Read his full argument here.
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Community Forum on Policing
On July 9, 2020, the Manhattan Beach City Council hosted a community forum on policing. Watch it below, or read the city's transcript here.
ABC7 Report: Analysis of police arrest data in Southern California reveals dramatic racial disparity
"'These numbers have been consistent, unfortunately consistent, for the last 10 to 20 to 30 years,' a criminal justice professor said."
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Read the whole story here.
Los Angeles Times: Manhattan Beach fire chief sacked after ‘throat’ comments
"The use of the phrase 'not taking our foot off their throat,' made multiple times by Manhattan Beach Fire Chief Daryn Drum, along with other remarks, led to his firing..."
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Read the whole story here.
Easy Reader: No riot going on: Black Lives Matter comes to Manhattan Beach
"'Our lives get stolen, we get violated in our own homes. And what do we hear? Silence, crickets. Now look, when we all unify, look at how scared they get. Look at all these boards,' [organizer Dalia] Feliciano said, gesturing to the plywood-covered storefront windows on Manhattan Beach Boulevard. “They boarded up the Ralphs on Sepulveda [Boulevard] 10 minutes away — 10 minutes away!”​
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Read the whole story here.