Racist Trees
directed by Sara Newens and Mina T. Son
Palm Springs may be the whitest city in America, but there are some Black folks who have lived there since the town sprung, fully formed, out of the post-WWII California real estate boom that included a small Black enclave. The name of this area in Palm Springs is Val Verde, and as we begin Racist Trees, that zone is surrounded by a dense layer of Tamarisk trees. The trees are dense, water hungry, and messy. Can the city please remove them? This is not a simple request, but a request dripping with racism, Black history, and modern insight on local politics.
While this film is classed as a documentary, it’s also a live, in-the-moment discussion of the value of green space, water use, and racism. It’s hard not to see all the bad stereotypes pile upon one another in this story. One homeowner professes he could double his home’s values if these damn trees would just go away. Here’s a spoiler: his house value MORE than doubled. Good for him.
Palm Springs is an anomaly of a town. It really has little reason to exist, other than it’s far enough from L.A. to not have race troubles, but it’s close enough for your helicopter to get you from the Hollywood Hills to there without stopping for fuel. There’s some true evil in the city’s past: an entire Black community was bulldozed and burned to the ground one day, and no one was at home to complain, because they all had to work.
You do hear all sides in this film, and the discussion is surprisingly polite. The needs of all the interested parties and what they had at stake gets a full airing. You will likely have your own view, and there is plenty of material to bolster all sides of the controversy.
I have been to Palm Springs Springs a few times, and I will say you ought to see it once, have lunch, and then go back to a normal city. Maybe Los Angeles. L.A. is WAY more normal than Palm Springs.
This film was presented at the 2023 Florida Film Festival.
