CITY COUNCIL – Juneteenth at Bruce’s Beach nixed this year
by Mark McDermott
The Manhattan Beach City Council Tuesday night considered a City-sponsored Juneteenth celebration at Bruce’s Beach Park this year but instead opted to wait a year in hopes of organizing a larger, more citywide event.
Councilperson Steve Napolitano said he favored a Juneteenth celebration perhaps beginning with speakers at Bruce’s Beach Park and then branching out to a larger celebration of Black history at other City parks. But the two-month timeframe at present, he said, made organizing an event with any such scope impossible.
“I know that sounds like a punt, and I suppose it is because I would like to refer this back to the Parks and Recreation Commission to look at it and to see what would be appropriate and how we can engage people,” Napolitano said. “Maybe it’s performers, maybe it’s a play, maybe it’s music, maybe it’s spoken word. At that time, next year, when we have enough planning for this, I think a perfect place to kick it off is a ceremony at Bruce’s Beach Park.”
Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates the day — June 19, 1865 — on which the last enslaved people in the United States, in Galveston, Texas, finally learned they were free. Bruce’s Beach Park honors the pioneering Black-owned resort founded by Willa and Charles Bruce in 1912 and the community that coalesced around the resort, all of whom were ultimately forced to leave when the City condemned the land for racially-motivated reasons.
The City has engaged with that history for the last three years. Activists who would ultimately form the Justice for Bruce’s Beach movement first held a quiet vigil at Bruce’s Beach Park on Juneteenth in 2020. That movement grow into louder protests that brought renewed attention to the land’s history, which inspired LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn to lead a legislative movement that resulted in a historic act of reparations — the land at the oceanside end of the park, now owned by LA County, was returned to the Bruce family. The City, meanwhile, formed a task force that among other things produced the most definitive history yet of Bruce’s Beach, which in turn led to a new plaque in the park giving a more accurate history of what occurred and the City’s role in the dispossession. At its last meeting, the Council issued a formal apology to the Bruces and all the other families who were subject to dispossession a century ago.
Napolitano referenced this when he expressed support for a City-led Juneteenth celebration next year rather than in two months.
“I think obviously there’s a certain momentum that we have in this city at this moment from the [Bruce’s Beach] history report, from the public art piece approval, and from the apology,” Napolitano said. “But I also want to separate Juneteenth from the whole Bruce’s Beach history, as well because it’s separate, it’s not tied to it — it’s representative, but it’s not the same thing. It deserves celebration. I think it also demonstrates our inclusivity in Manhattan Beach, and we want to send that signal out far and wide, but I also hesitate to approve anything for this year because I just think we’re trying to force something with a lot of good intentions.”
The fact that the Council was even considering a Juneteenth celebration at Bruce’s Beach Park angered some residents.
Mike Michalski noted that every member of the Council had voted against special events at Bruce’s Beach Park, some twice, in votes that occurred in 2018 and 2022. Last year, the Council turned down a request for a Juneteenth celebration submitted by the South Beach Culture Club, a local non-profit.
“Those same issues of traffic, parking, noise, trash, etc. that apply for permitted events also pertain to City-sponsored events, which is what we’re discussing today,” he said. “My point is that it doesn’t matter who is sponsoring an event, a private party, or the City — the issues are the same, which is why Bruce’s Beach Park was an inappropriate venue for special events in 2018 and 2022 and is still an inappropriate venue for a City-sponsored Juneteenth event today.”
Amalia Cimmarusti said she and her husband have lived a few blocks away from the park, on the Strand at 27th Street, for 15 years during which they enjoyed tranquility. But she said over the past two years, they have been forced to call the police 45 times.
“Here are some of the issues we deal with and that I can prove,” she said. “Parking in front of our home, getting out of their cars to urinate as well as [deficate] in front of our home — it happens every week, and we are forced to clean up the filthy tissues and feces. Homeless people parking in front of our home, camping out. Drunk individuals regularly parking in front of our home in the middle of the night, screaming, throwing bottles, blaring loud music. On multiple occasions, we have witnessed couples parking in front of our home having an evening of passion in their cars and discarding used condoms in front of our home.”
Several residents also supported a Juneteenth celebration this year. Michael Jenkins said the two-month lead time was enough to organize a “modest-sized” event that would not disrupt the neighborhood. He said any resident who lives near a park must be ready for disruption.
“Concerns expressed here from neighbors who chose to live next to a park and enjoy its benefits year-round ring hollow and are a bit selfish, under the circumstances,” Jenkins said. “And honestly I don’t really see what the relevance is of misbehavior by individuals who may be drinking or misbehaving down near the Strand, not in the park, unrelated to any special events.”
Cristi Hogan said that in an age of Tik Tok influencers, an event celebrating the rich but difficult history surrounding Juneteenth would be particularly valuable for young people.
“The story provides an opportunity to remember just how much it takes to be who we want to be in this democracy…Juneteenth celebrates how a government of the people by the people and for the people can begin to right wrongs, that self-government can do big things, important things, moral things,” she said. “And as someone who’s dedicated her whole professional life to local government, talking to members of my community who have made sacrifices to serve the public, I say that government doing the right thing is worth celebrating.”
The Council voted 5-0 to refer the matter to the Parks and Recreation Commission and begin organizing a citywide 2024 Juneteenth celebration. ER