Why This 100-Year-Old Piedmont Land Grab Lawsuit Matters Now
By Darius Spearman (africanelements)
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A Century of Silence Ends in a Courtroom
In February 2026, a legal bombshell hit the affluent city of Piedmont, California. The descendants of Sidney and Iréne Dearing filed a massive lawsuit in the Alameda County Superior Court (hoodline.com). They claim the city used lies and terror to steal their family home in 1924 (courthousenews.com). This is not a simple property dispute. It is a deep look into how local governments used their power to remove Black families from wealthy neighborhoods. The lawsuit marks a major moment in the fight for racial justice under the current administration of President Donald Trump.
Jordana Ackerman, the great-granddaughter of Sidney Dearing, leads the legal action. She is working with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to seek restitution for a century of lost wealth (hoodline.com, courthousenews.com). The Dearing family argues that the city did not merely make a mistake. Instead, they say the city government took part in a planned campaign of “racial taking” (youtube.com). This case explores the history of the Black family and its struggle to hold onto land in the face of state-sponsored greed.
The Arrival of Sidney Dearing in Piedmont
The story began in January 1924. Sidney Dearing was a successful man who owned the Creole Café in Oakland (piedmontexedra.com). He decided to move his family to a beautiful home at 67 Wildwood Avenue in Piedmont. At that time, Piedmont was a place of extreme wealth and strict racial boundaries. The city prided itself on being an exclusive enclave for white residents (hoodline.com). Dearing knew the risks, but he wanted a better life for his family.
The property had a restrictive covenant that forbid non-white people from living there. However, that legal clause had just expired (youtube.com). Dearing believed he had the legal right to stay. His success as a businessman followed the history and impact of many early Black entrepreneurs who built wealth despite heavy odds. Unfortunately, the white neighbors in Piedmont did not see it that way. They saw a Black man in their neighborhood as a threat to their property values and their social order.
The Great Black Land Loss (Millions of Acres)
(16M)
(1.6M)
Source: Urban Institute Data (ebsco.com)
A Campaign of State-Sanctioned Terror
The hostility toward the Dearings was immediate and violent. On May 6, 1924, a mob of about 500 white people surrounded the Dearing home (piedmontexedra.com, youtube.com). They yelled threats and demanded the family leave. This was not a random group of people. The police chief at the time, Burton Becker, was an active member of the Ku Klux Klan (piedmontexedra.com). Instead of protecting the Dearings, the police joined or allowed the harassment to continue.
The terror escalated over several months. People threw bricks through windows and burned crosses on the lawn. Someone even planted dynamite on the property (hoodline.com, piedmontexedra.com). These acts of violence aimed to break the family’s spirit. The Dearings were living through a nightmare that many Black Californians faced in the early twentieth century. This period of Black California history is often ignored, but it shaped the map of where people live today.
The Deceit of Eminent Domain
When violence did not work, the city government turned to “the deceit” mentioned in the lawsuit. In June 1924, the City Council voted to condemn the Dearing property using eminent domain (courthousenews.com, piedmontexedra.com). They claimed the land was needed for a “public necessity.” The stated goal was to build a road that would connect Wildwood Avenue to Fairview Avenue (hoodline.com, youtube.com). This gave the city a legal excuse to force the Dearings out of their home.
The truth was far uglier than the official records suggested. Mayor Oliver Ellsworth admitted in a news report that the condemnation was meant to make the Dearings move (piedmontexedra.com). The city eventually paid Sidney Dearing $15,000 to leave, which was a fraction of what the loss would cost his future generations (piedmontexedra.com). After the family left in early 1925, the city did not build the road. Instead, they sold the house back to a white family just months later (hoodline.com, youtube.com). This “Road to Nowhere” remains the primary evidence of fraud in the current lawsuit.
Federal Home Loan Distribution (1935-1948)
Went to White Families
Only 2% went to Black families nationwide (ebsco.com).
The Hidden History and the Discovery Rule
For decades, the story of Sidney Dearing was buried in city archives. The city of Piedmont presented itself as a peaceful and fair place. Sidney Dearing himself died in poverty in 1953 (hoodline.com, piedmontexedra.com). He was buried in an unmarked grave, his wealth and legacy stripped away. The family did not know the full extent of the fraud until a local historian named Meghan Bennett uncovered new documents in 2020 (youtube.com).
The 2026 lawsuit relies on something called the “Discovery Rule.” Usually, a person cannot sue for something that happened 100 years ago because of the statute of limitations. However, the law allows a pause if the defendant intentionally hid the crime (findlaw.com, cornell.edu). The Dearing family argues that because Piedmont lied about the road and hid the records, the clock for the lawsuit should start now. This legal strategy is critical for families seeking justice for historical land thefts.
The Generational Wealth Gap in Real Time
The loss of the home at 67 Wildwood Avenue was not just about a house. It was about the destruction of generational wealth. Today, that property is worth millions of dollars (zillow.com). If the Dearings had stayed, that equity could have paid for college, started businesses, or been passed down to grandchildren. Instead, the family lost everything. This story mirrors the kinship and culture of resilience required to survive systemic exclusion.
Statistics show how deep this problem goes. Between 1935 and 1948, the federal government gave out billions in home loans, but 98 percent of them went to white families (ebsco.com, sdfoundation.org). This government policy helped white families build wealth while keeping Black families in poverty. The Dearing lawsuit seeks to bridge this gap by asking for damages that reflect the current market value of the property and the lost opportunities of the last century (courthousenews.com).
The 2026 Wealth Gap (Median Net Worth)
Median Homeowner ($231,400)
Median Renter ($5,200)
Source: Federal Reserve Data (ebsco.com)
Piedmont as a Sundown Town
Historians often describe Piedmont as a “sundown town.” These were communities that used laws and violence to remain all-white (piedmontexedra.com). In these towns, Black people were often only allowed to be there during the day to work as servants. If they stayed after dark, they faced arrest or violence. The census data supports this description. Even today, the Black population in Piedmont is less than one percent (piedmontexedra.com).
The treatment of the Dearing family was a message to all Black people that they were not welcome in Piedmont. By using eminent domain, the city sent a signal that no matter how much money a Black family had, the law would be used against them. This atmosphere of fear prevented others from trying to move into the area for decades. The lawsuit argues that this history of exclusion directly caused the lack of diversity in the city today (hoodline.com, courthousenews.com).
A New Movement for Land Restitution
The Dearing case is part of a larger movement across California to return stolen land. In 2022, the state successfully returned Bruce’s Beach to the descendants of a Black family in Manhattan Beach (hoodline.com). More recently, in 2025, Santa Monica settled with the family of Silas White for $350,000 (surfsantamonica.com). These cases provide a blueprint for how families can fight back against historical government land grabs.
Many people believe these settlements are a start, but they are not enough to fix the damage. The Dearing family is asking for more than just money. They want an official apology and a full admission of the fraud (hoodline.com). They argue that memorials and plaques do not solve the problem of stolen wealth. True justice requires a complete return of what was taken. This case will likely set a major precedent for other families across the United States who lost land during the era of Jim Crow.
The Road to Justice in 2026
As the legal battle moves forward, the city of Piedmont faces a difficult choice. They can continue to fight the lawsuit, or they can admit to the crimes of their predecessors. The current political climate under President Trump has made these discussions about race and property even more intense. While some people argue that the past should stay in the past, the Dearing family proves that the past is still affecting people today.
The “Road to Nowhere” is finally leading somewhere. It is leading to a reckoning with a history of deceit and theft. Sidney Dearing may have died without seeing justice, but his great-grandchildren are making sure his story is heard. This lawsuit reminds everyone that land is more than just dirt and wood. It is the foundation of freedom and the key to a family’s future. The world is watching to see if Piedmont will finally do the right thing.
About the Author
Darius Spearman is a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College, where he has been teaching for over 20 years. He is the founder of African Elements, a media platform dedicated to providing educational resources on the history and culture of the African diaspora. Through his work, Spearman aims to empower and educate by bringing historical context to contemporary issues affecting the Black community.
