TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — For nearly a century, the San Clemente neighborhood has offered a tight-knit community, but not for everyone. Now, residents are celebrating the removal of a race restriction that had been in place for decades.
Pima County court documents show that on Friday, race restrictions in the San Clemente neighborhood were officially removed. The 1968 Fair Housing Act had already banned racial discrimination in home sales, but the neighborhood's original language remained.
"But one restriction was adopted in perpetuity — only people of the white or Caucasian race could own or live in these homes," Margot Veranes said.
The covenants were put in place in the 1930s by developer Stanley Williamson, who hoped keeping minorities out would maintain property values.
Veranes and her neighbors took action after learning about the restriction.
"It was a very upsetting experience to see that language," Veranes said.
Resident Emerson Edgecombe said he was shocked, particularly as someone who identifies as part of a minority group.
"It was disappointing — we’re in the 21st century, far removed from 70 or 80 years ago when we had Jim Crow laws," Edgecombe said.
Another resident, Kalyan Raman Bharathan, reacted with humor.
"One time I thought… if Michael Jordan decided to move into this neighborhood, would you say no? It’s really a funny thing," Bharathan said.
Despite strong winds, tents stood firm at the San Clemente neighborhood’s bi-annual picnic as residents celebrated the change.
"It feels as though a load has been lifted," Veranes said.
Veranes hopes this serves as a message to other neighborhoods with similar covenants, urging them to take action and remove race-based restrictions.
"I would encourage other neighborhood associations and other individual property owners," Veranes said.
Mapping Racist Covenants shows more than 65 neighborhoods throughout Tucson still have rules saying only white or Caucasian residents can live there.
San Clemente was among those neighborhoods until residents fought to erase that language and the history it carried.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Marc Monroy joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist after moving from KGUN 9’s sister station, KXXV, in Waco, Texas. He graduated from California State University, Northridge, in 2024 with a degree in journalism. A native of Southern California and a bilingual reporter, Marc is excited to serve Southern Arizona and looks forward to connecting with neighbors in the community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Marc by emailing marc.monroy@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
