

There are many cities in the United States with a hidden past, a history hushed up or unacknowledged, and Culver City is one of them. I settled here with four generations of my family almost ten years ago and we love it.
It’s a beautiful town with nice neighborhoods, tree-lined streets, a vibrant downtown, excellent public schools

But not long ago my sister called to tell me about James Loewen’s book Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism. “Did you know Culver City was a sundown town?” she asked. The book reveals a nation filled with segregated all-white towns, some of which posted signs at their city limits reading “N*****, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On You.”1Lowen, James W., Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism, Touchstone, 2005 p. 3.
I was
If the city intends to fully embrace all of its current and future inhabitants and visitors, if it has dreams of being a model to other cities around the state and nation, that vision must include telling a truthful, not partly truthful, story about its origins and history. In short, it has much work to do. It’s not that nobody knows this hidden history, many do, especially nonwhites.
Kelly Lytle Hernandez, one of the nation’s leading experts on race, immigration, and mass incarceration and a Culver City resident, observed in her
In 1998, LA Weekly interviewed Blacks and Latinos who described driving through Culver City as like “running a gauntlet,” with numerous stops and harassment by the police for no reason other than race
And the Ku Klux Klan had a large presence in Culver City and throughout Southern California during the 1920s and 1930s and sporadically thereafter
The Early Days and Harry Culver

It started right at the beginning. One of Harry Culver’s first slogans when promoting his new town was, “All Roads Lead to Culver City,” with the implication that everyone could get there. The truth, however, was quite different. Figure 1 shows an early
In addition to the obvious implication, it also invoked the White City at the Chicago’s World Columbian Exposition in 1893. Both the fair and the White City within it were criticized by the black press at the time for being “the white American’s World’s Fair
Culver’s close associate, Guy M. Rush, while selling houses in a neighborhood located near the current City Hall, was even less subtle with his pre-Christmas ads promising a present and a box of fine candy from Santa to every child who brought an adult with them.
In November 1914, the entire Harry H. Culver Company’s sales force of “seventy men” performed in a large minstrel show to raise money for a church in Culver City
When Harry Culver announced his plans for the city in 1913 he stated that the “
Large lot size was a common exclusionary zoning ordinance that was “successful in keeping low-income African-Americans, indeed all low-income families, out of middle-class neighborhoods.”12Rothstein, Richard. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government
Culver became quite good at these methods and by 1927, as president of the Los Angeles Realty Board (LARB), he delivered a paper at a statewide real estate conference stating “that most responsible subdividers already exercised great control over their subdivisions through private deed restriction and land planning.”15Weiss, Marc. The Rise of Community Builders: The American Real Estate Industry and Urban Planning. In that same
The Los Angeles Realty Board recommends that Realtors should not sell
All the realty boards in the state, then, were maintaining “proper restrictions” to segregate the state and to keep white neighborhoods all white.
Sides, Josh, L.A. City Limits: African-American Los Angeles from the Great Depression to the Present, University of California Press, 2003, p.121 These restrictions were so important to the LARB that within months of the 1948 Shelley v. Kraemer U.S. Supreme Court decision prohibiting racially restrictive housing covenants it “announced it had drafted a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right of property owners to employ racial restrictive covenants.”17Kurashige, Scott. The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles, Princeton University Press, 2008, p. 237 The Culver City realty board was one of “the numerous local branches that endorsed its proposal.”18Ibid Unsurprisingly, the LARB barred blacks from becoming members until the late 1960s
Culver was also president of the California Real Estate Association (CREA) in 1926 and president of the National Association of Real Estate Boards (NAREB) in 1929, both of which were limited to white membership and upheld race restrictive covenants. The CREA encouraged “racially restrictive housing covenants well into the 1960s” endorsing their use “for keeping out African-Americans as well as Japanese and Mexican residents.”20Ibid., pp. 17-18.
The provisions against “alien races” and “non-Caucasians” also “sometimes applied to Los Angeles’s Jewish population.”21Ibid., pp. 18. As for the NAREB, their 1924 code of ethics, which remained unchanged until 1950, states:
“A Realtor should never be instrumental in introducing into a neighborhood a character of property or occupancy, members of any race or nationality, or any individuals whose presence will clearly be detrimental to property values in that neighborhood.”22Gibbons, p.2.
Covenant Restrictions and Enforcement
Even though they are now illegal and unenforceable, deed and covenant restrictions exist even today on residential property deeds in Culver City. Here is the wording on the deed for a house on Sherbourne Drive:
“That said premises shall not, nor shall any part thereof, ever be conveyed, transferred, leased or demised to any person other than of the White or Caucasian race.” (See Figure 3)
The restrictions on the deed for the house located on Lincoln Avenue near the current City Hall allowed only residential

These racial restrictions have been considered vitally important to various official and unofficial players in Culver City over the years. In November 1943, during World War II, Culver City convened a meeting of its air raid wardens in the Council Chambers at City Hall.24California Eagle, Nov 18, 1943 p. 1. The wardens were about to canvas the city’s neighborhoods to ensure families kept their lights off at night or installed blackout curtains to avoid aerial attacks.
Present at this meeting were Mike Tellefson, the City Attorney, Larry Hetzler, the city’s building inspector and head of Civilian Defense, H. Teague (or
The meeting was held under a banner proclaiming “God Bless America” and “Life, Liberty
The wardens were told to focus especially on owners who were not already parties to long-term covenants.”25The Color of Law, p.82. “The point was stressed…that it was necessary to keep publicity down in order to
The air raid wardens were to get…the petitions signed 100 percent; for if even one person balked at the idea the work would be useless. Mr. Teague declared, “You might find some trouble. There may be one person who says ‘I don’t mind if a Negro lives next door to me, or if I rent to a Negro.’ Try to win them over but don’t argue too much.
I know how you feel if someone did talk to you like that. Deep down in my heart, I would like to tell them a thing or two, but there is no use arguing too much, just turn their names over to me and I will send someone else to talk to them. We’ll find a way!”26California Eagle, Nov 18, 1943 p. 1-2.
Tellefson was also quoted as giving his legal opinion that, “You cannot prevent an owner from selling
The Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan first appeared in the Southern U.S. immediately after the Civil War attempting to overthrow new state governments in the South and violently attacking African-American leaders. Disbanded in the early 1870s, it reemerged in 1915 encouraged by and celebrated in The Birth of a Nation, which was filmed largely in and around Los Angeles. It became quite active in Southern California28“Klan’s Tentacles.” and Culver City29“Jurists Belong to Ku Klux, Claim”, Los Angeles Evening Herald, July 20,
At Ince Studios, “Most of the guys I knew were members of the Ku Klux Klan…and Culver City was just loaded with this particular thing.”
–George Stephens
During a 1923 trial of 37 suspected Klansmen for a notorious raid and murder of a suspected Latino bootlegger and his family, three of the suspects were listed as working in motion pictures and one as living in Culver City.32Wikipedia, “Ku Klux Klan raid (Inglewood).” “In 1925 Variety claimed that two directors were involved in recruiting members from the ‘film colony’ and that over 200 actors and more than 400 technical staff had already been enrolled by the Klan.”33White Robes, p. 81.
While the Klan’s secrecy makes it difficult to know with certainty how many members or how much influence it had in Culver City, there are several prominent people in the film industry who have testified to their extensive presence, including George Stevens34Moss, Marilyn Ann. Giant: George Stevens, a Life on Film, University of Wisconsin Press, p. 14., a two time Oscar winning Director for A Place in the Sun and Giant and Lewis Milestone35White Robes, p. 81., two-time Oscar-winning Director for All Quiet on the Western Front and Two Arabian Knights (See callout quotes).
The Klan’s Culver City presence continued through the 1940s, including within the city’s police force, and a cross burning occurred on a black family’s lawn as recently as 1976
“[T]he
–Lewis MilestoneKlu Klux Klan got so strong in Culver City that you know you would drive to the studio and in the middle of the road you see a white paintinitials — Klansman, I greet you — KIGY.”
The Culver City Police
Over the years the Culver City police have played a significant role in maintaining the color lines in the city. In the 1940s the Chief of Police was accused of misconduct, including openly recruiting for the Klan. The California Eagle, one of the most respected black-owned and operated papers in the U.S., reported:
Citizens of Culver City are on edge this week as testimony in their City Council chamber further substantiates reports of accelerated Ku Klux Klan organization in the movie town. Hearings are being conducted by the civil service commission against veteran officer Cecil T. Truschel, former Chief of Police, who is charged with 12 counts of alleged misconduct “generally tending to lower the department’s morale.” More than 250 persons attended meetings one night this week and according to reports, the sessions were
There are also numerous historical reports from black entertainers and musicians who performed in Culver City. When they finished “late in the evening, they would be either arrested or escorted by police officers back to the [Central Avenue] district.”38City of Inmates, p. 164. Culver City is proud of being the location from 1926 to 1938 of Sebastian’s Cotton Club which was one of the first jazz clubs to play all-black bands and orchestras, including the Louis Armstrong Band. What isn’t usually mentioned however, is the policy a succeeding owner described: “No colored patrons were admitted, the entertainers had their own entrance and were excluded from mingling with customers.”39California Eagle, Jan 1, 1948, p. 18.
When Sonny Reed, a “
In 1967 the Culver City Police Department hired its first black police officer, James Forte. According to a profile of Forte in the Los Angeles Sentinel, “Forte discovered that there was major racism within the department”. He reported that “his first years as a police officer were wrought with name calling and challenges.” Forte experienced similar sentiments from the town’s residents, speculating “that the primary reason for the blatant racist actions of the citizens is due to the fact that in 1967 there was not one Black family in residence in Culver City.”44Mitchell, Marsha, Los Angeles Sentinel, “James Forte–Pioneer with Culver City Police, Fire Dept”, Feb 21, 1991, p. A3.
The Culver City Police – More Recently
One of the more recent racial controversies involving the Culver City police occurred in 1994 when they hired Tim Wind. He was considered “one of the most unemployable cops in the country”45LA Weekly, “Culver City Confidential”, Sep 9, 1998, p. 1. as he had been seen by millions on videotape kicking and beating Rodney King and was subsequently fired by the Los Angeles Police Department. He was “vilified as a symbol of racist policing
In the wake of the Wind controversy the LA Weekly conducted a major investigation into the Culver City Police Department, which they published in September 1998. They described Chief Cooke as “a lawman who dominates Culver City like the sheriff of a small county in the Deep South,” and examined non-white experiences in the city. Among other things they reported–
Many blacks and Latinos, especially youth, say they live under constant police surveillance and believe they are being targeted. Victor Barraza, an 18-year-old Hispanic graduate of Culver High School, who ran track and played on the basketball team, says he has been pulled over four times by the Culver City police in the last year alone. On one occasion, he says, he was told by officers that a stolen car matched his car’s description. Another explanation was a cross hanging from his rear-view mirror. Other times he was given no reason but said his car was pulled over, he was searched and his identification examined. Not once, he says, did he receive a citation.47Culver City Confidential” Sep 9, 1998, p. 6.
LA Weekly also spoke with Carlos Valverde, then 25 and a new Spanish teacher at Culver City High School who today has his doctorate, teaches English and is the school’s Director of Student Activities. He had filed a complaint with the Culver City Police Department after being pulled over and told the newspaper, “What’s interesting is they never cite you for it. They search you, search the car, and then they end up letting you go…. And then, the classic phrase, ‘Hey, today is your lucky day.’”48Ibid.
In addition, they revealed that the Culver City police were continuing to hog-tie suspects’ feet to their hands behind their back as a method of control, even after it was banned in other police departments. Further, they reported the L.A. County Coroner’s Office had concluded that hog-ties by Culver City police “led to the deaths” of two suspects and had declared them homicides. Both suspects were nonwhite. No charges were filed against the police in either case.49Ibid., pp. 7-8.
Gary Silbiger, a member of the Culver City Community Network, commented at the time to LA Weekly: “We have an Arts Committee, a Human Services Commission, a Planning Commission but no Police Oversight Committee – we have a City Council that’s completely uninterested…. The City Council feels Cooke is just too powerful, and they don’t want to risk their political careers. The police get a huge amount of the budget, and our schools and libraries need money.”50Ibid., Part 2, p. 1.
Cooke remained Culver City’s Chief until he quietly retired in November 2003 after 27 years on the job. The Los Angeles Times noted at the time: “He remained the only police chief in Los Angeles County to deny the district attorney access to departmental investigations of officer-involved shootings. Every police department in the county has agreed to notify the D.A.’s office whenever a police shooting occurs — except for Culver City’s.”51Renaud, Jean-Paul. Los Angeles Times, “Police Chief Leaves Job as Quietly as He Served,” Dec 22, 2003.
Confronting Our Past
Culver City’s history is filled with racist incidents too numerous for this one article. Here are two more briefly:
- During the 1950s, William Bailey, a black World War II vet and science teacher, and his wife, barely escaped when their house was bombed shortly after he moved into a white Culver City neighborhood
. 52Lewis , Andy. Hollywood Reporter, “L.A.’s Ugly Jim Crow History: Nat King Cole’s Dog Poisoned in Hancock Park”, Feb 19, 2015. - In 1991, during the first Gulf War, then Culver City Mayor Steven Gourley created controversy in his State of the City address by calling for the closing of the U.S. borders to undocumented immigrants. “If George Bush wants to draw a line in the sand, he should draw a line between Tijuana and San Diego, not just between Iraq and Kuwait.”53Koh, Barbara, Los Angeles Times, “Close the U.S. Border, Mayor Says”, March 28, 1991.
And there is even more to learn about the town’s history – how did its white supremacist past impact the schools, neighborhoods, and workforce? How is this past reflected in the City’s institutions today?
All of this, of course, creates a terrible legacy. As Andrea Gibbons observes in her excellent book on the history of housing segregation in Los Angeles, “Land is
Loewen’s book has been reissued with a new preface where he observes, “Most former sundown towns have never admitted their racism.”55Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism, James W. Loewen, The New Press, Reprint, Jul 17, 2018 This certainly applies to Culver City, although there have been individuals and coalitions fighting to expose this history and change structural practices for decades. This work is in no small part responsible for the recent installation of a new, more progressive city council and the city’s first black council member. As a result, at this particular moment, there appears to be an opportunity to make the next 100 years qualitatively better than the first – for all, not just some, of those who wish to enjoy the city’s quality of life. If the city were to admit its own harsh truth, it would be an important step forward as we continue to look for ways to undo the harm.
As stated at the outset, there is much work to do.
This article was originally published from StreetblogLA.