SLIFF: Racist Trees

Racist Trees
Directed by Sara Newens, Mina T. Son
U.S. | 2022 | Documentary
85 minutes

Was the planting of tamarisk trees along the historically Black Lawrence Crossley neighborhood in Palm Springs a symbol of segregation? The battle to uproot them gained national attention and divided the community until their removal in 2018. This revealing, nuanced documentary explores the heated controversy in all its gnarled complexity.