BASEBALL

The land beneath this stadium once was theirs. They want it back.

Melissa Arechiga holding a photo of her relative, Aurora Vargas, being carried out of her home in 1959, in Los Angeles on April 15. Dodger Stadium is the home to the seven-time world champion Los Angeles Dodgers. But in the 1950s, the land around it belonged to families who are now seeking reparations for what they lost. | CARLOS GONZALEZ / THE NEW YORK TIMES

By Jesus Jiménez
The New York Times

May 11, 2023

LOS ANGELES –

Standing less than a mile from Dodger Stadium on a recent Saturday afternoon, Vincent Montalvo could hear the roar of the crowd inside the ballpark.

It was Jackie Robinson Day, and more than 50,000 fans were nestling into their seats for a matchup against the Chicago Cubs. But Montalvo had no plans to attend.

It has been more than 30 years since he has stepped inside Dodger Stadium. His father took him to the ballpark when he was a child in the 1980s during "Fernandomania,” the craze surrounding star Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.

The land beneath this stadium once was theirs. They want it back.

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