Less than six months after Bruce’s Beach was transferred to descendants of its original owners, it was announced that it would be sold back to L.A. County for $20 million.

According to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, the family of Charles and Willa Bruce informed them of the intended sale, with $20 million being the estimated value of the Manhattan Beach property.

“The seizure of Bruce’s Beach by Manhattan Beach nearly a century ago was an injustice inflicted upon not just Willa and Charles Bruce but generations of their descendants who almost certainly would have been millionaires,” Supervisor Janice Hahn posted in a tweet Tuesday. “I fought to return Bruce’s Beach because I wanted to right this wrong. This fight has always been about what is best for the family, and they feel what is best for them is selling this property and finally rebuilding the generational wealth they were denied for nearly a century.”

Bruce’s Beach was a popular resort destination for Black Angelenos where live music and parties were frequently held.

In July 2021, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to return the land that was seized from the Bruce family by eminent domain in the 1920s, then tracked down remaining family members for a transfer.

The Bruces’ great grandsons Anthony and Derrick Bruce, as well as other extended family members were found, accepting the beachfront property on July 20 of last year.

The transfer came after years of protesting and petitions, asking for the county to let go of the property and return it to the Bruce heirs. From 1912 to 1924,

“This is what reparations look like and it is a model that I hope governments across the country will follow,” Hahn added.

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