A bronze plaque commemorating the history of Bruce's Beach, a Southern California property wrongly seized from a Black couple over a century ago, has been stolen.
On Monday (January 29), an officer discovered that the Bruce's Beach plaque was missing from a monument overlooking the ocean in the city of Manhattan Beach. The plaque was installed in February to commemorate the history of the property, which was returned to the descendants of the original owners, Willa and Charles Bruce, in 2022.
No arrests had been made in connection to the incident as of Tuesday (January 30).
"It's a very tragic thing to have happen," Mayor Joe Franklin said. "This plaque and this beach and this park have become a national touchstone for the issues of taking land from Black families."
"It created, really, a great sense of community, and that is partially lost because of what happened here," Franklin added.
Bruce's Beach was initially purchased in 1912 by the Bruces. The Black couple used the land to build a small resort for African Americans. However, after the couple suffered racist abuse and harassment from white neighbors, the Manhattan Beach City Council seized the property through eminent domain. The property was eventually transferred to the state of California and then to Los Angeles County.
In July 2022, Los Angeles County officials presented the deed to Bruce's Beach back to the descendants of the Bruces. The heirs decided to sell Bruce's Beach back to LA County last year for nearly $20 million.
Anyone with information about the stolen plaque is asked to call 310-802-5123 or contact Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
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