Remembering Chávez Ravine
Current Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium in Chávez Ravine stands over what was once a thriving Mexican community. Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop were some of the barrios demolished by developers as part of the Dodgers’ relocation from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958.
The trauma experienced by those evicted was felt by many for their entire lives. Although almost all have passed away, several of the survivors and their families still gather for an annual reunion in Los Angeles.
Their bond to Chávez Ravine is strong, and for many, the Dodgers’ presence in the place where they were born and raised is physically painful.
“There’s an old Mexican custom that where you’re born, the umbilical cord is buried. Mine’s buried under third base,” Lou Santillán, an eviction survivor, told the LA Times in 2012. “And I hate home runs, ‘cause every time they step on third base, my stomach hurts.”
See documentary here: Chávez Ravine A Los Angeles Story
Photos credits: Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection, UCLA