Survivors of Palm Spring’s Section 14 displacement speak out
Palmdale, Calif. — The pictures she’s preserved are proof that her neighborhood existed.
Pearl Devers has binders, files and folders full of images that paint a happy portrait — smiling at school, Christmas celebrations and homes full of life and laughter.
“It was such a pivotal, beautiful moment in my life. My father was a carpenter who helped build the hospital where I was born, and he also built our home, on Section 14,” Devers said.
Devers grew up in an area of Palm Springs known as Section 14 — one of the few parts of the city where residents of color could have property in the city.
“We were called all sorts of derogative names, but because we stayed within our neighborhood and we felt protected and loved, that was our safe haven,” Devers said.
