When Justice Park was created, Black families were displaced
By Marie Reinsdorf
As previously reported in the Annandale Blog, Fairfax County Public Schools and the Park Authority have plans to pave over a portion of Justice Park to build a satellite parking lot for Justice High School.
FCPS would construct the parking lot, demolish the basketball/multi-use court to make room for the parking lot and would build a new court over the existing open play area. The Park Authority would provide the parkland via sale, lease, or other instrument. No details on the transaction have been released to the public.
Concerned neighbors have been researching the issues – environmental, recreational, community revitalization, due public process, and historical – raised by the planned parking lot.
As part of that research, several neighbors have looked into the ownership history of what is now the 18-acre Justice Park on Peace Valley Lane in Seven Corners. When the park was created it was called Stuart Park, in keeping with what had been JEB Stuart High School across the street.
Related story: Community members air concerns about plans to use Justice Park as a parking lot for Justice HS
Here’s what one nearby resident found:
- The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) began to buy or condemn the land around the summer of 1961 and may have acquired all 18 acres by summer 1963.
- There are at least 10 deeds or court condemnation orders transferring each parcel of approximately one to three acres to FCPA over that period.
- In 1961-63, FCPA sent letters to landowners about the plan to create a park. Some property owners may have agreed to whatever price was offered.
- Most parcels had been in families for several generations, as larger lots were subdivided and handed down to family members over the years leading up to 1961.
This acquisition was entirely separate from FCPS’s acquisition of land for JEB Stuart High School, which was completed about five years earlier. That process also involved condemnations.
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| A 1960 map shows 12 properties were consolidated to create Justice Park. |
Another nearby resident, Mike Doehnert, discovered 10 or 12 of the parcels were owned by African Americans. The list of family names includes Denny, Stalling, Joyce, Powell, and Robinson. Anthony Denny bequeathed six parcels to his wife and daughters.
Doehnert discovered 1940 Census data from Falls Church showing the residents of 352 Peace Valley Lane included:
- Anthony (Antony) Denny, 61, and wife Cora, 60.
- Daughters Gertrude, 18; Cora, 20; and Ruth, 26 and married.
- Granddaughters Gloria Ann and Mation [Marion?], both age 2 [twins?].
All members of that family are listed as “Negro.”
The 1930 Census shows Anthony and Cora Denny have a son, Roland Richard Denny, born Aug. 22, 1905.
Doehnert also explored documents from the Fairfax County History Commission, the Fairfax Circuit Court’s Historic Records Center, and other sources.
He found a land property map from 1960 that shows 12 properties were consolidated to create the park.
Mrs. Golden Joyce, who had bought an adjacent lot from Mr. Denny, fought the county’s effort to take her land by condemnation. One report discovered by Doehnert says Joyce “took timely objection and exception to the valuation of her land, but after hearing oral arguments, the court denied her motion.”
Related story: Justice High School rededicated at ceremony honoring Marshall, Johns, and Mendez
The Fairfax County School Board voted to change the name of JEB Stuart High School to Justice High School in October 2017, following a campaign by students and former students and extensive community deliberation.
The Park Authority Board voted to change the name of JEB Stuart Park to Justice Park in January 2019. According to the minutes from the Jan. 9 board meeting, Ron Kendall, the Mason District representative on the board, stated: “The park sits next to that high school; there was no rationale to retain the name that was declined to be used by the community in renaming the high school, at the park.”
The county should have conducted a comprehensive history of this property before deciding to significantly alter the park by adding a parking lot – but should definitely undertake this project now in collaboration with community members.
If we look together at all the facets of Justice Park, we may arrive at a fitting interpretation of the past, while ensuring that Justice Park becomes whole, in every way, for the future.
Marie Reinsdorf may be reached at [email protected].
Wow,
we never get tired of guilt feelings, are we?
And when this whole country was established native American people were misplaced too, let's give tham back their land!
These are the growing pains of development.
BTW – most of Wash DC is displacing black ppl right now,
it is called gentrification.
You're welcome.
I can’t wait for you to be on a fixed income and no longer able to afford your real estate taxes. I hope some super successful person of color buys your home and displaces you to the middle of nowhere.
You and me both my woke friend, you and me both.
BTW feel free to share this great idea with your friends of color, i.e. your green friends or purple friends or whatever.
i currently have 2 of my 4 properties in the area for sale, i'd be happy to see how they take part in our beautiful woke game.
Wow, way to acknowledge institutional racism and pass it off as “growing pains of development!” Enjoy that white privilege while you have it. Every year that passes in this country is a year where people like you will lose more and more control of legislation. It’s called becoming more equitable and people like you hate it. When, not if the shoe is on the other foot, you better hope you’re not treated the same way.
LOL
"Equitable"
tell us when you're giving back your home to a random black family,
i'm sure the blog would give you a story.
as in immigrant to this country, i dont care about this nor do i care about "equitable"
i care about my hard earned money.
i also dont care about your "white privilege" or whatever form your guilt takes these days.
But dont let that stop your hypocrisy – you all talk about "equitable" and other BS like this, go ahead, put your money where your mouth is – start paying compensation to these people, move out from your home, give them back their land and their houses.
oh, you wont do that, would you?
all talk. white privileged guilt talk.
You really are a garbage person.
Garbage for calling out your bluff?
At least i am not a hypocrite, Stay classy Adam
What bluff?
I would argue with you, but it is crystal clear that you can barely write a grammatically correct sentence. As an immigrant, I’m sure it’s hard for you to understand some of the institutional bias and nuances that have taken place in this country against minority groups in this country for decades/centuries. I would suggest reading books or educating yourself on race relations in America. The simpleton approach of me giving up my house would not solve any of this, which obviously goes completely over your head and is as ridiculous as any of your comments. Key word “institutional.” Can’t wait for your simple Simon, grade school retort…eye roll.
LOL, Give this cry baby a lollipop
The pathetic notion in which your reply picks on my grammar instead of making a significant claim speaks volumes.
worry not my friend, hard working immigrants like me will end up thriving while you're consumed by your guilt
we dont care about your fake tears and your made-up sensitivities,
get with the program or move over.
The irony here is palpable
Worry about you?!?! Ha, not in this lifetime! My success allows me to pay it forward to the less fortunate. Your success nor any others success will never hinder my success. When you finally figure out whose helping immigrants succeed in this country, let us all know. You seem to think I feel guilty for some reason. I’m not guilty about anything at all. We can do what’s right and all succeed. This article is about us expecting more from our government and elected officials. Get over your silly anger issues and be better dude!
The county also took the land that Justice High School sits on from black families in 1959. Why stop there, in 1961, the county needed a park and it was convenient to condemn and take the land belonging to black families across Peace Valley Lane. Now Fairfax County Public Schools has decided for us that it's cheaper and easier to take 2 acres of parkland for school parking. We heard by word of mouth (that’s the only way to get information) that the plan was to take enough parkland for 130 parking spaces. That parking lot would have extended as far as the softball field. I guess they thought it would be too inconvenient to have to deal with outraged citizens at this time but because of the precedence set by taking parkland for a 60-70 parking space parking lot it will be far easier to take more parkland next time.
Residents have been asking for information and inclusion from all the county authorities involved in this process – FCPS, Park Authority, Mason Supervisor, Mason District Park Authority Representative, School Board Chair – to no avail. We want to know if the FCPS Facilities Department had a plan for parking on school property in its initial expansion design. What were the alternatives for parking? Nobody in any of the county positions will sit down with residents to discuss any of this matter. They are hiding their intentions. We have FOIAed the information and hopefully will get some answers soon. But this is not how open government should function. Apparently, county officials think we/constituents shouldn’t worry our pretty little heads over losing 2 acres of parkland. Is it justice for Justice Park and Justice High School that all these county officials refuse to explain to or include residents in their decisions?
Justice Park is a local park that serves all the surrounding neighborhoods and we cannot afford to lose any of it, especially an acre of the open play field. The population of Bailey's Crossroads and Seven Corners is growing and Justice High School has an increase of 2-3% more students each year. The current high school expansion plan only accommodates the student population to 2022. Our county government is not functioning or planning well for its residents. In the end, FCPS and Park Authority will be coming back to residents to ask for more bond money to accommodate a new expansion for Justice High School and the loss of parkland due to poor county planning.
I can see this issue from both sides.
Unfortunately, the presentation of the facts insinuates that racism may have been a factor in the condemnations but doesn't prove it. Ten to 12 of the parcels were owned by African Americans. Was a higher number of parcels owned by white families? Were these parcels selected because they were black owned? Were there other adjoining parcels that were not condemned because they were owned by whites? Unfortunately we may never know the answers to these questions and may never know the insinuation of racism reflects reality.
At this point, either give the land back to the families it was taken from without their consent, or at the very least change the name of the park to honor these families.
I agree with those commenters who are critical of the author of this column because on its face this “historical research” appears intended to stop current development plans for the park; NOT to make a positive difference in the lives of the families who had their land taken away from them through condemnation against their will.
In short, this column appears to be an attempt to use what Fairfax County did in the past to take advantage of powerless African-American families (an example of systemic racism) in a self-interested way (stop the plans to further develop the park) rather than to rectify past wrongs.
In a side note, I find it detestable that the moderator of this site allows insults from those commenters they have a positive relationship with.
Calling someone a “garbage person” because you don’t like their comment is ignorant, pathetic, and whiny; and the comment should not be tolerated.
In fact, I am certain this comment was tolerated in this case ONLY because the commenter and the moderator of this site maintain a positive relationship with each other.
This is one of several reasons why over the years I have found this blog to be primarily a clique blog, limited to a narrow audience of likeminded people usually on their high-horses with their noses stuck high up in the air.
The unmistakable scent of unearned and unjustified moral superiority cranks out of whatever device I’m using whenever I check this blog out; as if the device can sense the massive hypocrisy.
You realize by allowing your post you invalidate your opinion here, right?
Carol is exactly right, and then some.
I wish that the way this "proposal" — and I call it "proposal" because it has all the earmarks of a fait accompli — is being handled was surprising. But the way in which this matter is being handled is all too familiar in this part of the county.
Time and again, the community is half informed, informed when things are already too far in process for input to be meaningful, or finds things out on its own. It is as unsurprising as it is disappointing; it is yet another example of the arrogance of power without, or fearful of, public accountability.
To wit: I live near the school, and the letter we received about the renovations and additions conveniently had NOTHING in it about the "proposed" parking lot at the park. Nor did the county official to whom I spoke about the parking lot proposal have any information. It's no accident that the FCPS officials left a public meeting about the renovations before questions were asked. And that so little information has been made available. And note the conditional language used concerning public input: "may," "need," etc.
It's not the first time there has been expensive nonsense. The chain link fence that was recently installed on the perimeter of the property is something that many in the community find ugly. And it's also ineffective. It's for security, we are told; unfortunately, the school NEVER EVER locks the gates that are there that could also close off the parking lot entrances — which renders the fence totally useless as a security device. It does effectively trap garbage, however.
The renovation of the school 20 or so years ago took over an open space at the edge of the park as a staging area. The field was not restored to its former state and is overgrown.
Although overgrowth in the park is something that the Park Authority has long tolerated. Significant areas are choked with vines; whole mature trees are engulfed and overwhelmed. Fifteen years ago when I was an officer on the board of a nearby neighborhood association, during a site visit with a Park Authority official, what seemed to me to be a common sense request to have a huge stand of poison ivy near playground equipment removed was dismissed out of hand because poison ivy is native and therefore desirable, we were told. Invasive vines are indeed being removed now, and that is thanks to the ongoing efforts by dogged neighborhood volunteers for the last 15 years.
So neglect and selective improvements to the park are unfortunately part of its story. And now, oddly, more impermeable surface will be created there near a stream. The county has put controls in place regarding the amount of homeowners' front yards that can be paved, but new pavement like this at this location is just fine.
Apparently the Park Authority representative from our area considers the proposal a "win-win." Not disappointing, because it is not surprising. Tone deaf, yes. Convenient, yes. Responsive to the public? Well, who would know? Or maybe no one in a decisionmaking capacity really cares.
What a remarkable conversation. I appreciate the history lesson – the pattern of taking Black-owned properties by eminent domain or low land valuations was a national activity – the school I used to lead was also built on top of a former Black community, but look at the well-documented efforts of redevelopment agencies, highway agencies, and park advocates to see that it has gone on a long time. Why is this useful now? We can always be better informed about how our world has come to be and why power resides with some, but not others. Fairfax has a long tradition of seeing itself above its lessers – there are books on that – but the truth is that we are just like everyone else, just blessed to be near an endless engine of economic growth (DC). I have no doubt that over the next decades we will continue to see a strong, accelerating push to right old wrongs, to compensate more fairly those who had their property and livelihoods taken away and, yes, reparations. Those are coming – you can count on it. It is happening all over the place, not at some national level, and I for one welcome it. Will it change our world and my life? Absolutely. Fairfax will also be a part of that effort: bring it on.