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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JUNE 2024 23 By Steve Benoff Many of you have seen the beautiful sculpture when you drive down Palm Canyon Drive just as you enter the central business district in Palm Springs. It's more than a static piece of art; it's a moving fountain as it bobs up and down dispensing water. That sculpture anchors Frances Stevens Park. That park, which is now a theater and community center, used to be a school. How do I know that? I went to school there. For much of my third and fourth grades, I was a student at Frances Stevens Elementary School. In the 1940s, my father was a writer on some big-time radio shows – Duffy's Tavern, Baby Snooks, Life with Luigi. He was caught up in the shameful congressional efforts to identify communists in our country. Before Senator Joe McCarthy, there was the House Un- American Activities Committee. And like McCarthy, it held public hearings. My father and mother were called before the committee. In an effort (successfully as it turned out) to shield their three children from their appearances, they moved the family to Palm Springs. It was at those times I went to school at Frances Stevens. As it happened, my father was blacklisted. I'm not sure how long he was out of work, but it took Danny Thomas to hire him for the television show Make Room for Daddy to rejuvenate his comedy- writing career. So, here's the thing. When I was going to school in Palm Springs, I had a truly multi-cultural experience. I had Latino, Native American, and Black friends. (I have chosen the word Latino in preference to many others I could use because that is the word used by Gustavo Arellano, the excellent columnist in the Los Angeles Times.) As terrible as my memory is, I clearly remember going to my best friend Jack's home in central Palm Springs. Since our marriage in 1971, Martha and I have been frequent visitors to Palm Springs, but I've never been able to identify Jack's neighborhood. And that wasn't for lack of trying. What I've learned in recent years is the shameful history of the non-white population of the city. It's a long convoluted story. In the 1860s, the areas adjacent to the Southern Pacific railroad tracks were divided into sections. Those sections overlaid the city of Palm Springs. From the time of the city's formation, Black and Latino residents were pretty much restricted to Section 14, a mile-square area in downtown Palm Springs. That is the area I visited in the 1950s, where Jack called home. The reason I haven't been able to identify it is because it no longer exists. In the 1960s, Palm Springs made a concerted effort to (forcefully in some cases) remove the minority populations of Section 14. Oh, the irony. Restricting minorities to one area of the city made it much easier to move them out. City officials and developers worked hand- in-hand to clear the area for new homes and businesses. The city no longer hides its history as it did for decades after redevelopment. In fact, there are efforts of reparations to affected families. And some of that history is recounted at the Historical Society displays in the center of Palm Springs. However, you won't find references to this history on the City of Palms Springs app called myPalmSprings. Even among the almost dozen events listed in the News section for Black History month, no mention is made of the removal of Black people from the heart of Palm Springs. That doesn't mean the app is without its merits, especially if you live there. Like Beaumont's excellent app, myPalmSprings is great for reporting issues like traffic problems, graffiti, and homeless encampments. But you won't find any references to history. There are other Palm Springs apps. When you enter Beaumont in the app store search window, only one app pertains to our city. It doesn't help that many states have a city by that name. You can find a half dozen when searching for Palm Springs. These include apps for house hunting, a touring map, Modernism, and the Walk of Stars. Speaking of stars, did you know that one of the reasons for Palm Springs association with Hollywood stars, is its proximity to Los Angeles? There is even mention about a so-called Two Hour Rule; stars had to be within two hours of a movie studio in case they were needed. If you use an app you'd like to share with others, let me know at steve.benoff@verizon.net. THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT! Palm Springs App Covers Almost Everything

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