Walktober: Stories of Displacement: the 710 Stub

Hear stories of the mostly African-, Mexican-, and Japanese American families who were forced from their homes. On November 18, 1964, the California Highway Commission determined the routing for the final five (5) miles of the State Route (SR) 7 freeway through the communities of El Sereno, South Pasadena, and Pasadena to complete the adoption of the Long Beach Freeway. The SR 7 is now known as the SR 710. While the freeway never materialized in El Sereno and South Pasadena, the 210 freeway and the SR 710 northern interchange were constructed in the City of Pasadena in the early 1970s, resulting in the 210 freeway and the Northern Stub. The freeway and this stub displaced thousands of residents and divided a residential community from an active central business district. Hear stories of the mostly African American, Mexican American, and Japanese American families who lived in the neighborhood before eminent domain forced them from their homes. The stub has now been relinquished, by Caltrans, back to the City of Pasadena and work is underway to re-envision the 50 acre space while respecting its past.