Confronting Palm Springs' Problematic Past, RACIST TREES Premieres On Independent Lens Next Month

Local politics, news media, race, class, and gentrification intersect in “Racist Trees,” set to premiere on INDEPENDENT LENS on January 22, 2024.

The documentary captures an inside look at the frustrations of residents of the historically Black Lawrence Crossley Tract neighborhood, who are cut off from the glitz and glamour of Palm Springs, due to the planting of 60-foot tamarisk trees that overshadow the community and are viewed as a symbol of segregation.

“Racist Trees” will debut on PBS's INDEPENDENT LENS on January 22, 2024, at 10 p.m. (check local listings). The film will also be available to stream on the PBS App.

Allegedly planted by the city in the late 1950s to line the 14th fairway of a city-owned golf course, these trees have become the focal point of frustration and animosity for locals who see the trees as an enduring symbol of segregation. For decades, residents have been forced to put up with the tangled overgrowth from a species so invasive, they officially have been categorized as a pest by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“After spending time with the community, we learned of the troubling legacy of systemic racism that extended even beyond these trees,” said co-Directors and Producers Sara Newens and Mina T. Son in a joint statement. “It quickly became clear that this story about the erasure of a small community—consisting of only 76 homes in a far-off corner of Palm Springs—is a microcosm for the issues that people face across the United States today.”

Much of Palm Springs inhabits Indigenous land, and the Agua Caliente tribe rented land to Black and Latino families who were discriminated against elsewhere in the city. After the land gained value, residents were forcibly displaced throughout the 1950s and ‘60s as the local government set fire to homes without providing a place to relocate. Many families had no choice but to take up residence just outside city limits or leave town altogether, but others found refuge in Crossley Tract. 

In stark contrast, some Palms Springs residents oppose the tree removal, denying any racial animus while others have spent decades advocating for removal motivated by property values and agricultural issues in addition to the racial optics. When the conflict makes headlines, a firestorm of local politics and international media puts into question the progressive reputation of Palm Springs.

“‘Racist Trees' reveals how cities can be racist and how even good people, when operating in an unjust system, perpetuate institutional racism,” said Lois Vossen, INDEPENDENT LENS executive producer. “A row of 60-foot tall tamarisk trees opens a window into segregation's history for African Americans and Native American Cahuilla Indians on a local scale, that also played out in communities large and small across the U.S."

Visit the “Racist Trees” page on INDEPENDENT LENS to learn more about the film.  

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Sara Newens, Producer/Director

Sara Newens is an award-winning filmmaker and editor based in Los Angeles. She received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her work on “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” and “Allen v. Farrow” and served as editor/writer for “On the Record.” She has directed two features with Mina T. Son, “Top Spin” and “Racist Trees,” through their company WILD Pair Films.

Mina T. Son, Producer/Director

Mina T. Son is a Korean-American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She founded WILD Pair Films with Sara Newens. Their debut documentary feature, “Top Spin,” streamed on Netflix. “Racist Trees” is WILD Pair Films' second documentary feature. Mina is in post-production on a longitudinal documentary about Japan's 2011 tsunami.

Rachel Cohen, Producer 

Rachel Cohen is a film producer and head of production at Ideal Partners. Projects include Kim Snyder's “The Librarians” and Barry Jenkin's biopic about Alvin Ailey. Prior to Ideal, Rachel was SVP of development and production at Tribeca Productions, and spent seven years at Artisan Entertainment as SVP of development and acquisitions.

Joanna Sokolowski, Producer

Joanna Sokolowski is an Emmy Award-winning producer and creative nonfiction storyteller. Her documentary work has been broadcast on HBO, Netflix, and PBS. Her podcasts have won Webby Awards and are streamed on Stitcher and Spotify. Her critically-acclaimed feature documentary “Ovarian Psychos” premiered at SXSW and on PBS's INDEPENDENT LENS.

ABOUT INDEPENDENT LENS

INDEPENDENT LENS is an Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary series. With founding executive producer Lois Vossen, the series has been honored with 10 Academy Award nominations and features documentaries united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement, and unflinching visions of independent filmmakers.

Presented by ITVS, INDEPENDENT LENS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Acton Family Giving, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts. Stream anytime on the PBS app. For more visit pbs.org/independentlens

ABOUT ITVS

Independent Television Services (ITVS) is the largest co-producer of independent documentaries in the United States. For more than 30 years, the San Francisco nonprofit has funded and partnered with documentary filmmakers to produce and distribute untold stories. ITVS incubates and coproduces these award-winning titles and premieres them on our Emmy Award-winning PBS series, INDEPENDENT LENS.

ITVS titles appear on PBS, WORLD, NETA, and can be streamed on various digital platforms including the PBS App. ITVS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Acton Family Giving, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Wyncote Foundation. For more information, visit itvs.org.

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