*Let’s stop pretending that what is happening to Cuban Leaf Cigar Lounge is simply a private real estate transaction. It is bigger than one cigar lounge. It is bigger than owner Pahvae Psalms. And it is bigger than the Martin family.
This is about who gets to remain in Inglewood as the city rapidly transforms.
Cuban Leaf is a Black-owned business that has operated in Inglewood for years. Psalms told The LA Local that he invested nearly $200,000 building out his current location after signing his lease roughly three years ago. He says the previous property owners assured him his lease would be renewed, and he expected to remain through the 2028 Olympic Games. Then the property was sold.
Psalms says he was notified during the last week of May that ownership had changed. Christian Martin told The LA Local his family purchased the property in June, that Cuban Leaf was operating month-to-month and that he gave Psalms 90 days to vacate.
Scroll to continue reading
Those differing dates and accounts deserve clarification.
Psalms also says he was never offered an opportunity to buy the property.
“When it’s time for them to sell, they didn’t even offer us the chance to buy,” he said.
That deserves answers.
This Is Not Black Versus Latino
Let’s be very clear about the Martin family.
The Martins are a Mexican-American family with deep roots in Inglewood. ABC7 previously reported that Esaul and Gloria Martin immigrated from Mexico and opened their first Inglewood business in 2009. Their family’s restaurant businesses have included Fiesta Martin, Antojitos Martin and Martin’s Cocina y Cantina.
I respect anyone who comes to America, works hard, builds businesses and creates economic opportunity.
This is not Black versus Latino, and it is not about blaming a Mexican-American family for investing in Inglewood.
The question is whether Inglewood’s economic transformation is creating conditions in which longtime Black entrepreneurs increasingly cannot afford to remain in the community they helped build.
That is a legitimate civil-rights question.
Mayor Butts, Where Is the Plan for Black Businesses?
Mayor James T. Butts and the Inglewood City Council have repeatedly promoted economic development and revitalization. Fine.
But where is the preservation plan for Black-owned businesses already here?
Inglewood’s Destination Market Street initiative is an $8.5 million state-funded program designed to revitalize the downtown corridor. The Los Angeles Times reported that 16 restaurants and nearly 20 other businesses were slated for grants, while the program administrator says individual projects can receive up to $250,000.
Meanwhile, Downtown Inglewood Association President Cherella Nicholson told The LA Local that about 10 businesses had left Market Street during a nine-month period. Mayor Butts told the outlet he had no information confirming that figure.
That disagreement itself shows why better data is needed.
What good is revitalization if businesses that helped build the corridor cannot afford to remain?
A beautiful new building does not automatically mean economic justice. New sidewalks do not equal economic justice. New restaurants do not equal economic justice. New investors do not equal economic justice.
Prosperity must also be measured by who gets to stay.
The Cuban Leaf Documents Should Provide Answers
I’m a civil-rights activist, not a lawyer. I’m not declaring that anyone broke the law.
The facts should determine what happened.
Psalms should have an attorney examine Cuban Leaf’s original lease and any amendments, extensions, renewal provisions, right of first refusal, purchase option or written promises concerning renewal. The deed, purchasing entity and LLC records involved in the property transaction should also be reviewed.
If Cuban Leaf had no contractual right to purchase the building, establish that.
If there was a right of first refusal, establish that.
If a renewal provision existed, establish that.
And if everything was done legally, establish that too.
The truth is in the documents.
But even if the Martin family did everything legally, that doesn’t answer the larger policy question confronting Inglewood.
Development Should Not Mean Displacement
The city should know how many Black-owned businesses have closed, relocated or been priced out; how commercial rents and property sales are changing; and what impact public redevelopment dollars are having on longtime businesses.
Inglewood should conduct an independent commercial-displacement study and consider a Legacy Business Preservation Program offering meaningful assistance to historically significant businesses.
Once a Black-owned business closes, it’s easy to say, “That’s unfortunate.”
Once 10 close: “That’s the market.”
Once an entire commercial corridor changes: “That’s economic development.”
But you cannot preserve Black economic history after the businesses are gone.
Mayor Butts and the City Council should answer a straightforward question: What is Inglewood doing to prevent the displacement of Black-owned businesses?
I support economic development. I support new investment. I support Latino entrepreneurs. I support Black entrepreneurs. I support a prosperous Inglewood.
But prosperity cannot be measured solely by what a building is worth after redevelopment.
Cuban Leaf represents a bigger question: Will the people who helped build this city economically be able to participate in the prosperity they helped create?
That question deserves an answer now — before another 10 businesses disappear.
Najee Ali / National Action Network – Contact him via www.NajeeAli.com
(If You Like/Appreciate This EURweb Story, Please SHARE it!)
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Neighboring Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts LA Mayor Karen Bass from ‘Misguided’ Haters Amid Wildfire Backlash | WATCH
We Publish Breaking News 24/7. Don’t Miss Out! Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
