WEBVTT - IDKMYDE: Epsy and Vero Beach 

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<v Speaker 1>On today's episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's talk about land, because apparently if you're black and

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<v Speaker 1>your own some everybody suddenly gets real interested in your property.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know, you didn't. I didn't know. I didn't know.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you didn't. I didn't know. I didn't know. I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't know. Take the Epsy family for example, back in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen forty two, they was living a dream in Vero Beach, Florida.

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<v Speaker 1>They had one hundred and forty seven acres of land.

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<v Speaker 1>Now I have to do some homework on that. How

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<v Speaker 1>much is one acre? Well, for easy math, it's about

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<v Speaker 1>three fourths of a football field. So let's just say

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<v Speaker 1>one acre equals a football field or sixteen tennis courts,

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<v Speaker 1>or one acre is larger than nine basketball courts. They

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<v Speaker 1>say you can fit five baseball fields in one acre. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>the Epsy family had one hundred and forty seven acres.

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<v Speaker 1>Now that's just not land. That's by your kids a

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<v Speaker 1>pony and still got space for a ferris wheel land.

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<v Speaker 1>But then the US government came knocking and this say,

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<v Speaker 1>excuse me, we're gonna need your land to build an airfield.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't worry, it's for the war effort, and the Epstey's

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<v Speaker 1>was like, all right, but can we get it back

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<v Speaker 1>after spoiler alert? They didn't. Instead, their land went to

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<v Speaker 1>the Navy, the city of Vero Beach and dig this

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<v Speaker 1>the La Dodgers. Yes, they even named it Dodger Town.

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<v Speaker 1>And they ain't even blessed the Epsey family with season

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<v Speaker 1>tickets or an expensive hot dog at the concession stand

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<v Speaker 1>or nothing. And I'm gonna keep it a buck one

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and forty seven eight because the land wasn't just dirt.

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<v Speaker 1>That's wealth, generational wealth. But instead of that wealth staying

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<v Speaker 1>in the Epsy family got passed around like a Netflix password.

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<v Speaker 1>Now here's where it gets wow, because people love to

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<v Speaker 1>ask why can't them colored families just build wealth like

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<v Speaker 1>everybody else? Oh? I don't know. Maybe because every time

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<v Speaker 1>we do, someone shows up with a clipboard, a bulldozer

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<v Speaker 1>and some bad intentions. This is not just history, it's

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<v Speaker 1>a pattern from Tull to the Vero Beach. Anytime we

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<v Speaker 1>start thriving and surviving, somebody decides, yeah, that's nice, but

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<v Speaker 1>we want that for us. So here's my challenge to

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<v Speaker 1>you learn these stories that didn't make it into the textbooks,

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<v Speaker 1>talk about them. Share them because the only way to

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<v Speaker 1>stop history from repeating itself is to start calling it out.

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<v Speaker 1>That's the reason for I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either.

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<v Speaker 1>The historic Dodger Town in Vero Beach is no more.

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<v Speaker 1>They closed the doors and shut down because they were broke.

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<v Speaker 1>Haven't had it since March of two thousand and eight.

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<v Speaker 1>But Minor League Baseball did reopen the facilities and now

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<v Speaker 1>it's named Vero Beach Sports Village. But it ain't owned

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<v Speaker 1>by the Epsey family. It's owned by Major League Baseball.

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<v Speaker 1>And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. No