the photo shows willa bruce.perty, her family's first plot of land for $425. she and her husband set up a resort that became popular with black beach-goers. her family was forced off the land when it was seized by eminent domain. joining us, a historian and designated spokesman for the bruce family. thank you for being with us on this. a major development came last friday. what are you hearing from los angeles county? >> well, supervisor janice hahn has announced that she would like to see the land given back to the bruce family. the present building there is the lifeguard training facility, and it is owned by the county of los angeles. which is the only part of the beach area that is owned by the county. and it just so happens it is sitting directly on our land that was owned buy our matriarch willa bruce and charles bruce. so she's proposing legislation along with senator steve bradford and supervisor holly mitchell to remove a clause that says that the county cannot transfer the land without first giving it ba

county. [ applause ] >> reporter: in 1912, willa and charles bruce bought the first of two ocean view inflicted not just upon willa and charles bruce but generations of their descendants who almost certainly would have been millionaires. >> reporter: county supervisor janice hahn and l.a. county native saying she hadn't heard of the bruises until black lives matter protesters protested there last summer. the bruces among the city's first black land owners. they created a beach resort for their community who were barred from local beaches due to segregation. >> bruce's beach became a lively and flourishing resort. >> reporter: anthony bruce is one of the last living descendants of willa and charles bruce. >> i did hear about this growing up. >> reporter: for years willa, charles and their guests were targets of relentless racist attacks and harassment from white neighbors and the kkk. >> that's why we moved away, but we didn't move away willingly, and that land was stolen from us because we would be millionaires today if there's generational wealth that can be transferred or inherited,

bruce's family used to own two oceanfront lots. >> i should be a millionaire talking to you today. o, his great, great an 100 years grandparents, willad for about $1,200. they built a resort called bruce's lodge, one of the only places black families were at allowed until they were forced to shut down. >> the ku klux klan was involved in harassing them. >> they burned a cross out here. >> when that didn't drive them away, the city government decided to take the property under the guise of eminent domain. it really was stolen from them. [ chants ] >> reporter: inspired by the black lives matter movement, l.a. supervisor janice hahn is working to return the land, clearing the first legal hurdle. >> it was bittersweet. when we were last in manhattan beach, the bruces, it was a terrible situation for us. >> reporter: you're afraid you may be treated poorly when you go back? >> i hope for the best, but i'll prepare for the worst. >> reporter: less than 1% of manhattan beach residents are black today, and many believe it's a direct result of shutting down bruce's lodge. >> this is like the catalyst to look and see is this how african-ameri

bruce's family used to own two ocean-front lots. >> i should be a millionaire standing here talking to you today. >> reporter: more than 100 years ago, his great-greats great-gret grandparents, willae, bought the land for about $1,200. they built a resort called bruce's lodge, one of the only places black families were allowed on the beach until they were forced to shut down. >> the ku-klux klan was involved in harassing them. >> reporter: they burned a cross right out here. >> and when that didn't drive them away, the city government decided to take the property, under the guise of eminent domain. it really was stolen from them. >> use your voice! >> reporter: inspired by the black lives matters movement, l.a. county supervisor janice hahn is working with state legislators to return the land. today, they cleared the first legal hurdle, with a unanimous vote. >> it's bittersweet. when we were last in manhattan beach, the bruces, it was a terrible situation for us. >> reporter: you're afraid you may be treated poorly when you go back. >> i hope for the best, but i'll prepare for the worst. >> reporter: today, less than 1% of manhattan beach residents are black, and many here believ

county lifeguard headquarters now stands where willa built bruce's lodge.oss this to go to the beach? >> they had to walk a half mile in either direction before they could get into the water. >> reporter: barricades were build, tires were slashed. and one real estate agent even admitted he was trying to end the, quote, negro invasion. >> it was a chapter of the ku klux klan. they started harassing my family around 1920. they burned a cross. they threw burning mattresses under the porch of one of the buildings. >> here were some black lives, and they didn't matter 100 years ago. but i think they matter now. >> reporter: the resort was right here. >> right here. >> reporter: l.a. county supervisor janis hahn first learned what the bruces endured when the black lives matter movement sparked conversations about racism and income inequities. >> i never knew that we had a story right here in manhattan beach of an african-american family that literally had their property stolen from them. >> reporter: city leaders ultimately used eminent domain to shut down the br

bruce's large lodge. >> in 1912 charles and willa were a young black couple who created the first beach resort owned by and meant for black americans. >> in a time when the segregation laws prevented african-americans from enjoying other parts of the sand the family welcomed all. and florist as business owners. that angered the white neighborhood and eventually the . the land was taken by the city of manhattan beach in 1924 and a decade later transferred to the county. >> the family was robbed of their land. they were robbed of their business. they were robbed of their legacy and most importantly they were robbed of their dignity. >> the county announced they plan to give it back. >> county isn't gifting anyone anything. the county is returning property that was inappropriately taken. >> county and state leaders stood side-by-side with a spokes person for the family hoping to start a new president. >> restitution for the loss of enterprise. >> the only thing we can do would be to return it. >> in order to transfer the land back to the family the law has to change. a bill to do that will be introduced o