Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, June 19, 2025…
- In Palm Springs, a historic reparations effort for Black and Brown families who were forcibly removed from their homes 60 years ago is moving closer to reality. The city made history in November when it agreed to a nearly $6 million settlement with surviving former residents and descendants of the neighborhood known as Section 14. But roughly six months later, they’re still waiting on that money.
- Organizations across Northern California are celebrating Juneteenth Thursday and in the coming days.
- Black Surf Santa Cruz recently hosted their fifth annual liberation paddle-out to celebrate Juneteenth.
Palm Springs Reparations Effort For Displaced Families Nears Payout, But Survivors Are Still Waiting
Palm Springs is one step closer to paying reparations to Black and Latino families who were forcibly removed from their homes more than 60 years ago. But nearly six months after the city approved a historic $5.9 million settlement, survivors are still waiting for the money.
The delay isn’t on the city’s end. Officials said they’re ready to release the funds. But they’re still waiting on a final, verified list of eligible recipients from civil rights attorney Areva Martin, who represents the group Section 14 Survivors. Martin said the vetting process has taken time but that’s intentional. “We’re more interested in fairness and making sure everyone that wants to participate is given an opportunity to do so than driven by any deadlines,” she said.
To qualify for the cash settlement, survivors and their descendants were required to submit three documents proving they lived in Section 14 during the years the city cleared the neighborhood. That’s proved difficult for many applicants who are in their late 70s and 80s and don’t use email or online platforms. Martin’s team received about 350 claims, relying on everything from old phone books and school records to marriage certificates to verify eligibility.
From the late 1950s through the early 1960s, the city of Palm Springs bulldozed and burned homes in Section 14, a one square mile neighborhood that was home to mostly low-income Black and Latino families. Many residents were never compensated. The city claimed it was clearing out substandard housing
Juneteenth Celebrations Planned Across Northern California
Juneteenth commemorates the abolition of slavery in 1865. This year marks the 160th anniversary. Throughout far Northern California, groups will honor the anniversary in a variety of ways.