Are African Americans better off than in 1923?
Posted by Sandy on March 16, 2025 · Leave a Comment
Update 3/17/2025 Including Henrietta Farms. A special thank you from readers remining me of the injustice by the City of WPB toward residents who were both black and hungry.
The PB Post has published a story, and the link is included below. Hopefully you will be able to open and read the story and if not possible I have included a quote from Mayor Keith James.
“West Palm Beach city planning proposals from 1923 reveal the city’s intention to segregate and underserve the city’s historic Black neighborhoods”
“West Palm Beach city documents from 1923 were unveiled on March 10, 2025, that show the city had planned to segregate the Black population by confining them to certain sections of town — Pleasant City and the area around Tamarind Avenue, both north of downtown and west of Dixie Highway. “Let this sink in, everyone,” Keith James, the first Black mayor since the city moved to a strong-mayor system in 1991, told meeting attendees after the documents had been displayed. “This was part of the city’s master plan back in 1920. … This is intentional, institutional. So when people talk about the lack of progress in some of these communities, that was designed.”
Lets look at how Mayor James has helped the black community since being sworn in on April 5, 2019.
What former Mayor Jeri Muoio accomplished, and Mayor Keith James moved swiftly to undo.
https://wpbwatch.com/2023/01/james-record-as-mayor-2019/
The Sunset Lounge which opened in 1926, is extremely important to the black community and has been for nearly 100 years. It’s part of their heritage. The Lounge needed a company to manage the iconic lounge. The choices were: Vita LLC. A black owned business located in WPB Fl. The residents were pulling for Vita. Mayor Keith James did not want/allow Vita to manage the Sunset lounge.
Mad Room Hospitality out of Miami, was James choice. here comes the lawsuit.
7/20/2022
https://wpbwatch.com/2022/07/sunset-lounge/
8/ 12/ 2022
https://wpbwatch.com/2022/08/sunset-lounge-starting-over/
3/24/ 2023
https://wpbwatch.com/2023/03/vita-wins-lawsuit-against-the-city-of-wpb/
4/2/2024 Story in the PB Post. Entire story in the Link below
“As renovated Sunset Lounge sits idle, leaders assure they have a plan, reopening timetable”
“The Sunset Lounge, a 1920s-era supper club extensively restored with $16 million in taxpayer money, has sat idle for two years since its renovation, validating the complaints of some that West Palm Beach should never have purchased and rebuilt the iconic venue.”
If the Sunset Lounge isn’t bad enough, let’s see how James treated the black youth of WPB.
Goodbye PAL. (Police Athletic league) Highlights from the story. Entire story can be read in the link below.
“The City of WPB allocated $100,000.00 a year to the Pal program to pay for equipment, uniforms, transportation and other expenses.”
“4/4, 2019 Keith James sworn in as mayor of WPB and a few months later the PAL program lost its city funding, and the program was in trouble and near an end.”
“I met with Rams president Donovan Murdock and Vice President Corey Tate and learned the city sold the helmets, shoulder guards and training pants to them for $2,000.00 and I also learned the helmets must be inspected every 2 years. When the inspection took place most of the helmets had seen better days and would not protect the small heads that wore them. The cost of a new helmet at the time was $125.00/ea.
How badly did the city need the $2,000 Mr. Mayor? Why were the kids left stranded after practice and left parents scrambling to pick them up, Mr. Mayor?”
https://wpbwatch.com/2024/03/goodbye-pal/
Henrietta Farms
Mr Stewart Bosley, worked tirelessly to start the farm, was sent a letter from the City informing him the lease would not be renewed. The present lease will expire on 10/16/2021.
9/24/2021 (Fri.) Mr. Bosley had a crew of volunteers to work on the farm that weekend, and when they arrived they found their locks were cut off and replaced with new ones. A week end of work gone when the lease didn’t expire for 2 more weeks.
https://wpbwatch.com/2021/09/henrietta-farms-early-lock-out/
11/18/2021 This will be the last story on Henrietta Farms as Mr. Bosley has removed all equipment from the acre and a half piece of land the City leased to him seven years ago which allowed him to grow fresh fruits and vegetables in an effort to feed the poorest of the poor
Below is the link for previous WPB Watch stories. If you open the link, please go to “Archives” for stories published.
The end