Letter to the editor: Respecting Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop in coverage

Dear Caló News Team and Mr. Lalo Alcaraz, 

Thank you for the attention you’ve given in the past to the history of Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop — the communities violently displaced to build Dodger Stadium. However, I need to raise a serious concern.

It is troubling to see coverage continue to frame this history under the name “Chavez Ravine” instead of acknowledging the specific communities that were destroyed. Using “Chavez Ravine” as shorthand erases the true names of the neighborhoods, the families who lived there, and an essential part of Los Angeles history. It fails to respect or honor what our families built — especially when so many of those families endured the same exact kinds of injustices that brown people are facing today. History is not just repeating itself; it is reminding us what our ancestors experienced and why solidarity is urgently needed amongst brown communities and on platforms that exist to inform us.

Just as importantly, conversations about this history too often avoid or minimize the central demand for reparations. For too long, many in our community have looked the other way or made excuses for these injustices, even while claiming the banner of Chicano Power. This history is not only about memory — it is about accountability, repair for the families who lost their homes and communities, and generational wealth. While challenging the Dodgers’ ongoing disregard for brown people and investments into ICE with our brown dollars. When brown-led platforms fail to confront this truth, it adds to that harm and undermines the solidarity our communities need.

Buried Under the Blue has been interviewed by Calo News and has consistently uplifted this truth. For this reason, it is especially frustrating to see narratives that sidestep both the names of our communities and the call for reparations — including from Lalo, who, like myself, is a Cal alum. Where is the respect and solidarity?

I ask that you take this to heart and move forward with greater accuracy, care, and respect for our families and the history of brown people in Los Angeles — a history that has been overlooked for far too long. Our families deserve to be named, and our demands deserve to be heard, with support from platforms such as yours. Thank you. 

Sincerely,

Melissa Arechiga, Founder of Buried Under the Blue