DODGERS!? Long Before ICE, Our Families Were Demanding Justice

By Melissa Arechiga
Founder, Buried Under the Blue

Long before the Dodgers were asked to answer for their relationship to ICE, descendant families were asking a different question:

When will the Dodgers answer for the communities that were destroyed to build Dodger Stadium?

That question has never gone away.

For years, Buried Under the Blue and descendant families have been organizing for acknowledgment, justice, and reparations for the historic communities of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop—three thriving neighborhoods that existed long before Dodger Stadium. These were not simply "houses" that disappeared. They were communities built through generations of sacrifice, labor, culture, and homeownership.

The names matter.

Our communities were Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop. They deserve to be remembered by their names—not erased beneath a single geographic label that obscures the lives, histories, and accomplishments of the families who called them home.

Our families built these neighborhoods during a time when Mexican and Indigenous people faced widespread discrimination in housing and employment throughout Los Angeles. Despite those barriers, they became homeowners, established businesses, raised children, cared for one another, and built generational wealth.

That future was taken from them.

The displacement of our communities was not simply the loss of homes. It was the destruction of opportunity, stability, and generational wealth that should have continued through our families for generations.

Today, much of the public conversation surrounding the Dodgers has focused on the organization's response to federal immigration enforcement.

The recent announcement that the Dodgers contributed funding to immigrant families affected by ICE raids—and reports that Guggenheim Partners no longer holds investments in GEO Group—represent developments that many people have welcomed.

If these actions reflect a sincere effort toward accountability, they are steps worth acknowledging.

But they cannot be mistaken for justice.

Justice cannot begin and end with charitable giving while the families whose communities were displaced to build Dodger Stadium remain without acknowledgment, restoration, or reparative action.

Nor can accountability be viewed through a single investment portfolio.

Public reporting has also highlighted ongoing business relationships involving Palantir Technologies, whose software has been widely reported as supporting immigration enforcement operations. Whether discussing GEO Group, Palantir, or any future investment, the larger issue remains unchanged: corporations must be accountable not only for present-day decisions but also for the historical harms from which they continue to benefit.

The descendants of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop are still here.

We have never stopped telling this story.

We have never stopped organizing.

We have never stopped seeking justice.

Our work did not begin when immigration raids intensified, and it will not end because one donation was made.

Through Buried Under the Blue, we continue educating schools, universities, journalists, elected officials, museums, and communities about the true history of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop. We preserve family stories, historical records, photographs, oral histories, and archival materials so future generations inherit truth rather than erasure.

We are also advancing a descendant-led framework for reparations.

Reparations are not about rewriting history.

They are about addressing it honestly.

Our calls include, among other measures:

• A formal public acknowledgment and apology.

• Recognition of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop by name.

• Financial reparations for descendant families whose generational wealth was taken.

• The creation of three permanent community centers honoring each of the three displaced communities.

• Continued preservation and public education led by descendants.

These proposals are not symbolic.

They are practical investments in repairing historical harm while creating educational, cultural, and economic opportunities for future generations.

History has shown us that acknowledgment without action is not enough.

Remembrance without repair leaves injustice intact.

The recent public attention surrounding the Dodgers presents an opportunity—not to declare the work finished, but to finally begin the conversation that descendant families have been asking the public to have for decades.

We invite everyone who believes in justice to stand with the families of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop.

Learn our history.

Share our story.

Support descendant-led organizations.

Read our petition.

Help amplify our calls for acknowledgment, justice, and reparations.

Whether you are a historian, educator, journalist, artist, attorney, archivist, researcher, organizer, filmmaker, student, donor, or someone simply willing to volunteer your skills, there is a place for you in this work. Preserving history and pursuing justice requires a community, and every contribution helps move us closer to meaningful repair.

This is not only about what happened in the past.

It is about what kind of future Los Angeles chooses to build.

The descendants are still here.

We are still organizing.

We are still fighting.

And we will continue until our families are finally made whole.

To learn more about Buried Under the Blue, our ongoing work, and our descendant-led reparations campaign—including our full petition and demands—we invite you to join us and help ensure that the histories of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop are never buried again.

How You Can Help

The descendants of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop are still here, and so is the work.

If this story moved you, please don't let it end with reading this article.

If you represent a newsroom, university, museum, nonprofit, labor organization, faith community, or cultural institution interested in collaborating with Buried Under the Blue, we welcome the opportunity to work together to ensure this history is told accurately and descendant voices remain at the center of the conversation.

Support Our Reparations Campaign

Read and sign our descendant-led petition outlining the full framework for acknowledgment, justice, and reparations. Share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and elected officials.

Help Preserve History

Do you have photographs, family stories, maps, letters, newspaper clippings, recordings, or other historical materials connected to Palo Verde, La Loma, or Bishop? We would love to hear from you.

History survives because people choose to preserve it.

Volunteer Your Skills

We welcome support from people willing to donate their time and expertise, including:

• Historians

• Archivists

• Attorneys

• Journalists

• Researchers

• Filmmakers

• Photographers

• Graphic designers

• Web developers

• Grant writers

• Educators

• Translators

• Students

• Community organizers

• Public relations and media professionals

Every skill helps strengthen this work.

Invite Buried Under the Blue

We are available for:

• School presentations

• University lectures

• Museum programming

• Community discussions

• Media interviews

• Conferences

• Public history projects

• Documentary collaborations

Education is one of the most powerful forms of repair.

Make a Donation

Buried Under the Blue is a descendant-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Your support helps us continue:

• Historical research

• Archival preservation

• Public education

• Community organizing

• Student outreach

• Educational materials and exhibits

• Media engagement

• Reparations advocacy

Every contribution helps preserve history and move us closer to justice.

Stand With the Families

Reparations are not simply about the past.

They are about restoring what was taken, telling the truth, and ensuring future generations inherit a history rooted in honesty rather than erasure.

The descendants of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop are still here.

Our communities may have been buried beneath Dodger Stadium, but our voices were not.

Until acknowledgment leads to accountability, and accountability leads to reparations, our work continues.

We invite you to stand with us. [email protected] www.buriedundertheblue.com