Sidney Dearing

Sidney Dearing
Born
Sidney Algenon Dearing

(1870-03-08)March 8, 1870
Fredericksburg, Texas, U.S.
DiedOctober 6, 1953(1953-10-06) (aged 83)
Alameda County, California, U.S.
Resting placeAlhambra Cemetery,
Martinez, California, U.S.
Other namesSidney Allen Dearing
Sid Dearing
OccupationBusinessperson
Spouse
Lizzie Williams
​
(m. 1899)​
Irene Davis
​
(m. 1920⁠–⁠1925)​
Children2

Sidney Allen "Sid" Dearing (March 8, 1870 – October 6, 1953) was an American businessperson. He owned the Creole Cafe in Oakland, California. Dearing was Black Seminole, and in the 1920s he and his family were the subject of racial discrimination and hate crimes in Piedmont, California.

Early life

Sidney Dearing was born on March 8, 1870, in Fredericksburg, Texas. He was Black and Seminole.[1]

He moved to California in 1907.[2] His first marriage to Lizzie Williams ended with her death. His second marriage was to Irene Davis in 1920.[3]

Career

He owned the Creole Cafe founded in 1921 on 7th Street in the West Oakland neighborhood of Oakland, California, it was a popular jazz club and Southern restaurant.[4][5] The Creole Cafe was shut down during the Prohibition-era.[6]

In January 1924, Dearing purchased a two-story house at 67 Wildwood Avenue in Piedmont, California for USD $10,000 (approximately $187864 with inflation).[7][2][4] The house was purchased by his white mother-in-law Julia Davis.[1][6][3] She then signed over the property to her daughter and son-in-law.[1] They were the first Black homeowners in the city.[8][7] By May 1924, a crowd of some 500 people gathered outside the Dearing house, threatening violence if the family didn't move.[9][7] Over the next few months an unexploded bomb was found in their garden, as well as gunshots that struck the home and cars parked outside, and bricks were thrown through windows.[7][8] Dearing's lawyer was John D. Drake, also the president of the local NAACP.[2]

The city of Piedmont and Mayor Oliver Ellsworth (1867–1939) offered the Dearings USD $8,000 for the house with a threat of condemnation proceedings, and Dearings refused the money.[10][11][12] Eventually after many legal hearings the family was forced to sell the home in May 1924, for USD $10,500.[8][3] Their former 67 Wildwood Avenue property is estimated worth over $2 million, as of 2026.[7]

In March 1925, Dearing sued his wife Irene for the property money.[13] Daring and Irene Davis divorced in May 1925.[3][14] After the divorce, Irene and the two children moved to New York.[3]

Dearing was arrested in 1946 for running an illegal dominos gambling ring in Oakland, California.[15][16]

Death and legacy

Dearing died on October 6, 1953, in Alameda County, California, and he was buried in Alhambra Cemetery in Martinez, California.[3]

The Sidney and Irene Dearing Memorial Project was started in 2022, and is led by artist and landscape designer Walter J. Hood with a planned installation in Dearing Park in Piedmont.[8][1][17][18] As of 2026, the Sidney and Irene Dearing Memorial Project is not completed.

In 2026, the descendant of the Dearings filed a lawsuit claiming racial discrimination and fraudulent condemnation of property against the city of Piedmont.[9][19][7] They also claim the police did not intervene to stop the violence.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Dusseault, Ruth (November 10, 2023). "Piedmonter's work to unearth buried history paved way for Dearing Memorial project". Piedmont Exedra.
  2. ^ a b c "Race War Now Threatens Fashionable California City". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. May 25, 1924. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Sidney Dearing in Piedmont, 1924–1925". Piedmont Historical Society, Piedmont, California. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  4. ^ a b Dusseault, Ruth (February 4, 2026). "Black family sues over 1924 seizure of Piedmont home". Bay City News. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  5. ^ "Article clipped from Alameda Times Star". Alameda Times Star. May 11, 1921. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Barmann, Jay (June 19, 2025). "Racist History of Piedmont to Be Commemorated With Memorial For First Black Family Driven Out". SFist.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Hebert, Olivia (February 18, 2026). "A Bay Area mob drove them out in 1924. Now their descendant is suing the city". SF Gate.
  8. ^ a b c d Yamamoto, Ryan (June 24, 2025). "100 years after 1st Black family in Piedmont, California was driven out, memorial moves forward". CBS San Francisco. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  9. ^ a b Bond Graham, Darwin (February 4, 2026). "Great-granddaughter of Piedmont's first Black residents, who were forced out by a 'terror campaign,' sues city". The Oaklandside. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  10. ^ "Dearing Spurns $8000 Offer For Piedmont Home". Oakland Tribune. May 19, 1924. p. 3. Retrieved February 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Piedmont's Offer Scored by Rich Negro". San Francisco Chronicle. May 19, 1924. p. 4. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  12. ^ "Piedmont Negro Now Faces Move To Condemn Home". The San Francisco Call Bulletin. May 19, 1924. p. 13. Retrieved February 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Sidney Dearing Sues Wife for Property". Oakland Tribune. March 24, 1925. p. 35. Retrieved February 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Sidney Dearing's Wife Gets Divorce". San Francisco Chronicle. May 15, 1925. p. 32. Retrieved February 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Score Arrested in Gambling Raid". Oakland Tribune. January 5, 1946. p. 2. Retrieved February 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "20 Men Arrested In Gambling Raid". The Oakland Post Enquirer. January 5, 1946. p. 13. Retrieved February 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Artist and landscape designer Walter Hood kicks off Dearing Memorial project with talk on history, landscape, memory". Piedmont Exedra. November 7, 2023.
  18. ^ Arno, Marius (February 12, 2026). "New Memorial to Honor the Dearings". The Piedmont Highlander.
  19. ^ Hunter, Chase (February 17, 2026). "Piedmont's first Black family sues city over century-old racial discrimination". The Mercury News. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  • Media related to Sidney Dearing at Wikimedia Commons
  • Sidney Dearing website
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