Restitution and Repair by Bert Newton 

The City of Pasadena was given a huge gift, and we want the city to pay it forward…or maybe pay it back…I’ll explain.

The 710 freeway was originally supposed to connect with the 134 and 210 freeways, but it was never completed, leaving a “stub” comprising over 50 acres. This past summer, this whole area, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, was “relinquished” from the state to the city.

According to the city website, the construction and clearing of the 710 stub area occurred “over several years in the early 1970s and displaced at least 4,000 residents and destroyed 1,500 homes. A majority of the homes were owned or rented by low income and minority residents.”

MHCH is joining a coalition of local groups to advocate for this land to be used for affordable housing and/or restitution for the people whose families were displaced.

A lot of research must be done to find out who was there and what can be done, and we will keep you posted on the developments and on opportunities for advocacy.

Please contact jill@makinghousinghappen.org if you’d like to be involved in this campaign for racial justice.