The Battle Over Chavez Ravine

Vicente Montalvo grew up in Echo Park, minutes away from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Little did he know, his family had history that was buried underneath the stadium that opened its doors in 1962. His grandparents told him their story: how they grew up in the ’30s and ’40s in a community named Palo Verde, how they owned a home, and how happy they were among their neighbors in Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop—three neighborhoods that made up a community called Chavez Ravine. In the 1950s, the Chavez Ravine neighborhoods were cleared out—through the use of eminent domain—to make space for public housing. But those plans were soon canceled when Norris Poulson, a conservative Republican, entered the mayoral race in Los Angeles, ran on an anti-public housing campaign using Red Scare tactics, and won.