Palm Springs City Council to consider proposal to remove statue of former mayor Frank Bogert
The Palm Springs City Council plans to have a joint meeting with the city's Human Rights Commission today to consider the commission's proposal to remove a statue of Frank Bogert, the former mayor, in front of City Hall and issue an official apology for the forced evictions of low-income people of color decades ago.
The monument to Bogert was installed in front of city hall on March 31, 1990, to honor and recognize his decades of service to the community. Bogert is known as one of Palm Springs' most famous cowboys. He served as the city's mayor from 1958 to 1966. He served as mayor a second time from 1982 to 1988.
He died in 2009 at the age of 99.
The proposal to remove Bogert's statue revolves around the history of evictions from 19-54 to 19-66 in a one-square-mile block of property in downtown Palm Springs referred to as Section 14. The demolition of Section 14 was described in a later California Department of Justice report as "a city engineered holocaust."
Full Story: Palm Springs Human Rights Commission recommends removal of Frank Bogert statue
The widow of the late mayor and a member of the Friends of Frank Bogert group opposes the decision to remove the statue.
On Tuesday, Jake Ingrassia spoke exclusively with Frank Bogert's widow about the proposal.
The commission says the statue and monument of the mayor are a hurtful symbol of systemic racism.
News Channel 3's Jake Ingrassia will have full coverage of the vote starting at 5 p.m. Stay with News Channel 3 for updates on the vote.
