Piedmont's first Black family sues city over century-old racial discrimination

"PIEDMONT - Descendants of Piedmont's first Black residents are suing the city for the forced expulsion of Sidney Dearing and his family in 1925 - an era of white mobs, a KKK-aligned police chief, attempted bombings and a corrupt legal system in the city, according to allegations in the new lawsuit. The family's lawyer says the suit is an effort to hold Piedmont accountable for its history of racism and the loss of the Dearings' family home and generational wealth, serving as another chapter in the Bay Area's history of segregation."

""They were met with violence, lynchings, multiple bombings, and the city, in terms of their role, stood by while this violence was being perpetuated," said Leah Aden, who is representing the descendants of Sidney Dearing, one of whom lives in Oakland. "There was just a complete dereliction of obligation then that can be rectified today.""

"Dearing moved from Texas to Oakland in 1907, where, by 1918, he became the wealthy proprietor of the Oakland music establishment Creole Cafe, a New Orleans Big Band-style jazz venue serving Southern cuisine. Dearing sought to buy a home in Piedmont for his wife, Irene, and two young children, but because of racial restrictions known as "redlining" in the 1920s, Dearing had his mother-in-law use his money to purchase a two-story Prairie-style single-family home for $10,000 - just shy of $200,000 in 2026 dollars - in 1924, according to Aden."

Descendants of Piedmont's first Black residents filed suit over the 1925 forced expulsion of Sidney Dearing and his family, alleging white mobs, a KKK-aligned police chief, attempted bombings, and a corrupt legal system. The legal action seeks accountability for racism and the loss of the Dearings' family home and generational wealth. Sidney Dearing moved from Texas to Oakland in 1907 and became proprietor of the Creole Cafe by 1918. Racial restrictions led Dearing to have his white mother-in-law purchase a Piedmont house in 1924 and transfer the deed to him, making him the first Black homeowner there. White residents protested the sale, and the City Council urged citizens to pressure Dearing to sell or rent the house at 67 Wildwood Ave. Dearing refused to acquiesce.

Read at The Mercury News