Great-Granddaughter of Piedmont’s First Black Residents, Forced Out by ‘Terror Campaign,’ Sues City

February 11, 2026

Jordana Ackerman, the great-granddaughter of Sidney Dearing, has filed a lawsuit against Piedmont, California, for the city's role in forcing her family from their home a century ago through fraudulent means. In 1924, the Dearing family, who were Black, faced extreme racist violence including shootings, bombings, and KKK threats after purchasing a house in the predominantly white wealthy enclave. City officials, including a police chief who was a Klan member, falsely claimed they needed to condemn the property to build a road, ultimately pressuring the family to sell and leave, though the promised road was never constructed.

Who is affected

Jordana Ackerman (great-granddaughter of Sidney Dearing and plaintiff)
Sidney Dearing, his wife Iréne, and their two children (original victims in 1924)
Other members of the Dearing family
The city of Piedmont, California (defendant)
Black residents who were excluded from Piedmont for decades following the incident
Current Piedmont residents (less than 1% of the city's 10,800 residents are Black today)

What action is being taken

Ackerman has filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court alleging fraud and violation of the California Constitution's equal protection clause
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is representing Ackerman in the litigation
Piedmont is working with landscape architect Walter Hood on designing a memorial to the Dearing family
The city has approved a $400,000 contract for final design and fabrication of the memorial

Why it matters

This case highlights the lasting impacts of government-sanctioned racial discrimination and land theft from Black families, which contributed to generational wealth disparities that persist today. The lawsuit represents an effort to hold municipalities accountable for historical injustices that stripped Black families of property rights, home equity appreciation, access to quality schools, and other benefits of homeownership in affluent communities. It also illuminates how local governments collaborated with racist mobs and organizations like the KKK to enforce segregation through fraudulent legal mechanisms, and demonstrates the ongoing demographic impact—Piedmont remains less than 1% Black today, nearly a century after these events.

What's next

The city of Piedmont will issue a statement once officially served with the lawsuit
The memorial designed by Walter Hood will be erected in a triangular park across the street from the former Dearing home, featuring a "portal" concept that allows visitors to view a mailbox with the Dearing name
The lawsuit will proceed through Alameda County Superior Court

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint