16.4: Case Study - the Chavez Ravine
Chavez Ravine is a shallow canyon in Los Angeles, California. It sits in a large promontory of hills north of downtown Los Angeles, next to Major League Baseball's Dodger Stadium. The origin of the name dates to Julian Chavez, a Los Angeles councilman, who purchased the land in 1884. There are no records of what Chavez did on his land, but during the 1850s and 1880s there were smallpox epidemics and Chavez Canyon was the location of a "pest house" which cared for Chinese-Americans and Mexican-Americans suffering from the disease.
In addition to the notable Mexican-American presence, there was also a notable early Jewish-American presence in the neighborhood beginning in the 1850s. The First Jewish site in Los Angeles was a Jewish cemetery located in Chavez Ravine, which opened in 1855 and was owned by the Hebrew Benevolent Society of Los Angeles, a Jewish charity which was also the first charity in Los Angeles.
Chavez Ravine was once home to a Mexican-American community of about 1,800 people. In the early 1950s, the city of Los Angeles used eminent domain to evict the residents of Chavez Ravine and build Dodger Stadium. The forced removal of the Chavez Ravine residents is known as the "Battle of Chavez Ravine."
The Battle of Chavez Ravine is a controversial event in Los Angeles history. After nearly 10 years, by 1959 Manuel and Abrana Arechiga, with their daughter Aurora Vargas, were among the last of the tiny number of residents to hold out against the government land acquisition effort undertaken for the original public housing project. Forced removal by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) on May 9, 1959, resulted in Vargas' arrest. Vargas was fined and briefly sent to jail for her resistance. Manuel Arechiga was the final holdout, living in a tent on the site of his demolished home for months. Many believe that the city of Los Angeles took advantage of the Mexican-American residents of Chavez Ravine and forced them out of their homes so that the Dodgers could build a stadium. Others believe that the city of Los Angeles was justified in using eminent domain to build a stadium that would bring economic benefits to the city.
Today, Dodger Stadium stands on the site of Chavez Ravine. The stadium is a popular tourist destination and home to the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. However, the Battle of Chavez Ravine continues to be a source of pain and resentment for many Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles.
The story of Chavez Ravine is just one example that reflects the history of race and class in Los Angeles. It is a story of displacement, injustice, and the struggle for power. It is also a story of resilience, community, and the power of baseball.