By Dianne Anderson

Fast paced social media platforms can boost advertising awareness, but Palm Springs survivors are also counting on a good old fashioned billboard to draw the eye to the long entrenched racism of one of the wealthiest places in the nation.

Rich in tourism, the city attracts new and old money, but it’s equally known among local people of color for wiping out an entire Black and Latino community.

Descendants of those who lost homes, and their livelihoods continue to call for reparations from the city.

Pearl Devers, Chairperson of the Palm Springs Section 14 Survivors, said their billboard campaign wants to drive community action, but also alert tourists to the history of social injustice that ripped people from their homes.

“The billboards emphasize our mission to make sure that both visitors and locals in Palm Springs know the true history of where they are choosing to vacation and spend their money,” she said.

The “Know Before You Go” billboard campaign includes herself and others, the survivors and descendants who are seeking restitution to address the race-based social injustice.

This time of year, Devers said many visitors come out to the area to enjoy the warmer weather, but the billboards intend to raise awareness for visitors that drive the city’s economy.

“It’s to stand with us in our march for restorative justice. Every year, the City of Palm Springs welcomes more than 14 million visitors, resulting in an $8.6 billion economic impact for the city,” she said.

On Monday, January 15, the Palm Springs Section 14 Survivors, Stonewall Democrats, Special Needs Network, Inc., Community Build, and Los Angeles Urban League will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A 11:00 a.m., their Unity Rally will be held at Frances Stevens Park, located at 555 North Palm Canyon Drive, followed by a Symbolic March to the United Methodist Church of Palm Springs at 1555 East Alejo Road at 11:30 a.m., about a mile away. At 12:30 p.m. An Interfaith Service will be held at the United Methodist Church featuring clergy tributes, a Gospel choir, and guest speakers.

Section 14 Survivors compare their 1960s history to the devastation of Tulsa, Rosewood, and Florida race massacres, where their families relegated to a one-mile reservation had built a thriving community. Thry say that under then-Mayor Frank Bogert, an order was issued to bulldoze and burn down over 200 homes, and confiscate property without sufficient notice.

The group, which is made up of over 1,000 survivors and descendants, said it happened so abruptly that many didn’t realize what happened to their homes until family members returned home from school and work.

The City Council has issued an apology, and has held some meetings, the last of which was in November 2022.

Devers said Palm Springs continues to profit enormously from the results of the destructive acts they committed decades ago, but Survivors of Section 14 have yet to see any financial restitution or repayment.

“In 2021, city officials issued an apology for destroying our community and promised to make it right, but they have yet to develop any tangible solutions for the families they displaced or their descendants. Recently, our negotiations with the City of Palm Springs reached a standstill,” she said.

In 1966, the State Attorney General’s Office opened a criminal investigation of Palm Springs officials’ use of terror against Section 14, followed by a 1968 report that concluded Palm Springs officials engaged in a “city-engineered holocaust” against its Black and brown residents.

Once again, the group is calling on city leaders to come back to the table to address how to make the impacted families whole again.

On the question for a potential class action lawsuit, she noted they have been in negotiations for two years with little or no movement. The billboards are to remind city officials the group is not going away, and are open to discussing all options to make the social injustice right.

“Across the country, other municipalities are stepping up to redress past wrongs, from Bruce’s Beach in Los Angeles to Evanston, Illinois. We will continue our march for reparative justice with the same devotion to our cause,” she said.

Areva Martin, Esq., civil rights attorney and lead counsel for Palm Springs Section 14 Survivors, said they are cautiously optimistic that the issue can settle without protracted litigation, but are exploring all options. Among them, they are calling on the California Attorney General, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

She said the billboards are designed to inspire and inform visitors, as well as encourage the City Council and City Attorney to return to the negotiating table.

“They are a symbol of the Palm Springs Section 14 Survivors’ commitment to reparative justice, and to our commitment to exploring all options that result in more than surface-level apologies,” she said in a statement. “Section 14 Survivors – whose families were discriminated against for being Black and Latino – have suffered intergenerational trauma because of this, and we will continue our march for justice until these families are made whole.”

To sign the petition, see  https://section14survivors.com/

or https://www.knowbeforeyougopalmsprings.com/