By a considerable margin, the majority of public comment on non-agenda items in Tuesday’s City Council meeting was in regards to the controversial issue of ownership of the land where the Viceroy Hotel now sits at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Pico Boulevard.
A Black entrepreneur and Santa Monica resident named Silas White purchased the land and the former Elks Lodge building that was there in 1957 with hopes of turning the space into the Ebony Beach Club, a place where the local Black community could come together during a time when such establishments were sparse, to say the least.
However, just one year later, the City of Santa Monica claimed the property through a process called eminent domain and within a few years, demolished the building. In essence, eminent domain is the name given to the power that the state, provincial or national government has to take or condemn property for "public use," without the land owner’s consent, typically with minimal compensation. The Santa Monica Civic Center was also taken this way from the historically Black neighborhood.
Silas died in 1962, four years after the City took his land and his dream and the story of what happened has almost been forgotten. The story was largely untold for decades until the family recently discovered what had transpired thanks to the organization Where Is My Land?
"We were all silent about it, and Milana even lived with my mom for a while and she mentioned that my mother never said anything about it," said Connie White, the daughter of Silas.
"I’m here to support Connie white in asking the City of Santa Monica to provide restitution for the unjust seizure of Silas White’s property and therefore business, the Ebony Beach Club … I believe that providing restitution to his surviving family is a moral imperative," Chance Davis, nephew to Silas White, said to Council.
He wasn’t the only member of the family present at City Hall on Tuesday. "I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak to you today since all of you, aside from Councilwoman Torosis, were unable to meet with us … after your Black History Month proclamation of black media and the arts, which is exactly what the Ebony Beach Club would have provided the city over six and a half decades ago," Milana Davis, the niece of Silas White, said, adding, "In recent years, Santa Monica has put forth an acknowledgment of harm resulting in loss of generational wealth, a black apology, and has stated an agenda for equity and inclusion, but has provided little in the way of action."
Kavon Ward, founder of Justice for Bruce’s Beach — yet another nearby instance of land theft from Black landowners across the county — also spoke. However, her thundering speech went largely unheard as minimal microphone training still isn’t mandatory for City Council meetings.
Councilmember Caroline Torosis, along with City Manager David White, were indeed the only representatives from City Council to meet with members of the White family despite requests being sent to every member of Council. Speaking to the Daily Press, Torosis said, "We adopted a black apology as a city. Part of that apology commits us to taking meaningful action to repair past harm. The city of Santa Monica seized Silas White’s land through a racially motivated eminent domain. If we are to repair the harm we must return the land to the descendants of its rightful owner."
In a statement, the City of Santa Monica said, "Santa Monica hears and acknowledges the voices on this topic in the community and is actively seeking appropriate and realistic remedies. We know that for those who have been wronged by the city’s past discriminatory practices, justice can’t come soon enough, and we take what we’ve learned from the families and individuals who have been harmed by these acts very seriously. We are a better city because of their continued attention to these issues and we are committed to getting this right."
According to Torosis, the city is working on developing a citywide equity plan that will include exploring models for restitution and reparations, but so far it’s unclear what action will be taken with regards to returning the land to the White family.
