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The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last week to approve a plan for distributing $1.4 million to former residents of Russell City, a predominantly Black town destroyed by racist policies in the 1960s.
The vote on Aug. 4 codified an agreement between the county and the city of Hayward on how to administer the “Russell City Redress Fund”, which was created to benefit residents whose property was taken and destroyed during a massive redevelopment project.
“I know that the hardships, the trauma is real,” said Supervisor Elisa Marquez, who along with Supervisor Nate Miley spearheaded the effort.
The vote follows formal apologies from the county and city leaders to victims of the community’s destruction, which was orchestrated in the 1960s by white politicians then sitting on the Board of Supervisors and the Hayward City Council.
“The apology from the city of Hayward and the county was step one, and now we’re moving into action,” Marquez said.
The criteria for the first phase of distributions, which will be up to $25,000 per household, include requirements that the applicant must still be living and have owned a home in the razed community.
Future payments will include descendants of people who were victimized by the project.
Founded in 1853, Russell City was destroyed by county officials who used eminent domain to acquire homes and businesses, according to a 2024 report by Hayward’s Russell City Arts Committee, a partnership formed between former Russell City residents and the city.
To justify such a move, the county declared the community blighted and eventually forcibly evicted all 1,700 residents of the multi-racial community and bulldozed the roughly 700 properties within the 200-acre town.
In addition to homes, the demolition targeted 13 businesses and seven churches that formed the backbone of the community, which was built along the waterfront west of Hayward.
The county then then allowed a developer to build an industrial park, after which Hayward annexed the area and finally began providing city services after years of official neglect, according to the report “Erased by Eminent Domain: ‘The City May Be Gone, But the Memories Live On’ Russell City 1853-1963”.
In addition to an agreement on how the payments will be administered, the supervisors voted last week to create the “Redress Fund Working Group”, a joint city-county committee that will now work to finalize the application process, including documentation requirements and payment amounts.
Former Russell City residents, family members and descendants can now call 510-272-6684 or email russellcityredress@acgov.org to get more information and sign up to receive updates.
The Working Group will hold in-person office hours to answer questions and provide Redress Fund application support on various Thursdays at the Downtown Library in Hayward on Aug. 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on various Thursdays and Saturdays at the Library’s Weekes Branch, starting on Aug. 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
– Story by Kiley Russell, Bay City News Service
