West Hollywood Considers Financial Compensation For Redlining Against Black Residents Photo: In this April 17, 2012, photo a woman walks past an empty lot on Vermont Ave. between 85th St. and Manchester Ave. in South Central Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
A city in Los Angeles may give reparations to Black residents who were victims of redlining. West Hollywood announced it is considering giving financial compensation to Black residents for housing discrimination that took place over the last century.
The West Hollywood City Council aims to spend $100,000 on a historical context study to determine the extent to which the historic Black community in West Hollywood was affected by “redlining,” WeHoVille.com reported.
West Hollywood is considered a trendy area is known for its high-profile nightlife. In 2019, the average individual income was $50,401, according to the U.S. Census. Today, the racial makeup of West Hollywood is 80.94 percent white and 3.62 percent Black or African American. It is also considered one of the most prominent gay districts in the U.S.
Redlining, a covertly racist method of grading the desirability of residential neighborhoods, was practiced across the country starting in the late 1930s and technically ending the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The Fair Housing Act expanded on previous acts and prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex, handicap and family status. Some Black Americans are still complaining of being victims of redlining even today.
Communities that were redlined had a hard time receiving federally backed home loans, which made property ownership more difficult for residents and perpetuated the decline of the neighborhoods, WeHoVille.com reported.
The proposed West Hollywood study would help the community have a “better understanding of the complex history” of West Hollywood prior to its incorporation in 1984, according to Councilmembers John Erickson and Mayor Pro Tem Sepi Shyne.
City Council plans to discuss the proposal on Dec. 6.
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