The city of Los Angeles dedicated a downtown intersection on Monday to honor attorney Willis O. Tyler. Tyler’s notable career included representing a Black police officer in a case that challenged racially restrictive housing covenants.
During the 8 a.m. ceremony at Second and Spring streets, City Councilman Kevin de León was joined by George C. Fatheree III and fellow attorney George Mallory. This intersection is the first in downtown to be dedicated to an “African-American civic pioneer, lawyer, and civil rights leader,” according to de León’s office.
In a statement, de León said, “The dedication of this intersection is not just a symbolic gesture but a commitment to the values of justice, equality, and unity. Even when we fall off track from our values and principles as a society or individuals, heroes like Willis O. Tyler help redirect us and put us back on track to adhere to the values that make us a stronger society and better human beings.”
Fatheree led the team of attorneys who successfully secured the return of Bruce’s Beach to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce. This happened nearly a century after Manhattan Beach had taken the property due to racial animus.
Tyler represented the Bruces in their legal action against Manhattan Beach. Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful after the city seized the property in 1924 using eminent domain under the false pretense of developing a park.
Mallory is the head of the Los Angeles chapter of Sigma Pi Phi, a post-graduate fraternity primarily for eminent Black professional men.
De León introduced a motion to designate the intersection near Tyler’s law office at 224 S. Spring St. in his honor. This is part of his ongoing efforts to honor individuals from historically underrepresented groups who have played significant roles in shaping Los Angeles.
Tyler represented H.L. Garrott, a Black police officer who purchased a home for his family in South Los Angeles. However, the deed for the property prohibited its sale to individuals of “African, Chinese, or Japanese descent.”
When the Title Guarantee & Trust Co. discovered that Garrott owned the property, they sued to force him to relinquish title to his property without compensation.
Tyler represented Garrott and argued in the 1919 case that the racially restrictive covenant violated the due process clause of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. Eventually, a state appellate court ruled in Garrott’s favor in the case of Title Guarantee & Trust Company v. Garrott.
In 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed racially restrictive covenants in the case of Shelley v. Kraemer, which took place in Missouri.
Tyler was born on July 19, 1880, in Bloomington, Illinois. His father passed away in 1880, and his mother died when he was 9 years old. As a result, Tyler was raised by his aunt, who had been a leader in the Bloomington station of the Underground Railroad.
At the age of 16, Tyler enrolled in Indiana University, where he studied for two years before enlisting in the Indiana Colored Volunteer Infantry to fight in the Spanish American War in 1898. He later received a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in 1902 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1908.
Tyler passed away on June 18, 1949, at the age of 68 at his home in Harvard Heights. He had practiced law in Los Angeles for over 35 years.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
