The Hidden History Beneath Dodger Stadium
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Today, the Los Angeles Dodgers enjoy a massive Latino fan base, but the relationship between the team and the city’s Mexican American community wasn’t always so warm. In fact, there was a time when wearing a Dodgers jersey could be seen as a betrayal in some Latino households.
The tension traces back to the 1950s, when three Mexican American neighborhoods — Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop — thrived in an area now known as Chavez Ravine. These tight-knit communities were promised modern public housing by the city amid a post-war housing crisis. Residents were offered $6,500 (around $77,000 today) for their homes or the chance to return once the new housing was built.
But as time passed, the promises unraveled. The payments offered began to shrink, and fear of getting nothing drove many families to reluctantly sell. By 1958, only about 20 families remained — clinging to hope that the city would honor its word.
That hope was crushed when the housing project was scrapped, and the land was instead sold to the Brooklyn Dodgers to build a new stadium. The final blow came in 1959, when those remaining families were forcibly evicted. The most haunting image from that time is the eviction of the Arachiga family, dragged from their home as bulldozers moved in.
When Dodger Stadium opened in 1962, it stood not just as a monument to baseball but also as a painful reminder of displacement and broken promises. For many Angelenos, the cheers that echo through Chavez Ravine still carry the ghosts of a community that was erased.
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The Hidden History Beneath Dodger Stadium
• The Hidden History Beneath Dodger Stadium
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