$5 million per black man – Daily News

Janie Her

SAN FRANCISCO — Pays $5 million to all eligible black adults, eliminates personal debt and tax burdens, guarantees annual income of at least $97,000 over 250 years, and allows families to own a $1 family home in San Francisco. can.

These are just a few of the recommendations made by the city-appointed reparations committee tasked with a thorny issue: centuries of slavery in the United States and the continued maintenance of black Americans at a minimum standard of health. What will it take to atone for generations of systemic racism in the world, overvalued in education and economic prosperity, and in prisons and the homeless population?

The first hearing in front of the city’s oversight board on Tuesday offers a glimpse of the board’s willingness to advance a reparations plan that is unmatched nationwide in its specificity and breadth. criticized as morally and politically impossible. One conservative analyst estimates that each non-black family in the city has to pay her at least $600,000.

Related: California considers $360,000 in compensation for eligible black residents

Some supervisors say the city of San Francisco cannot currently afford to pay large reparations given the city is running a serious deficit amid a tech industry recession, but still. We would like to discuss the proposals and consider future solutions. The Board may vote to change, adopt or reject any or all of the recommendations.

But the members of the Reparations Commission believe their results give an accurate estimate of what it takes to begin repairing the lasting damages of slavery and discrimination, and how to pay for them. I resent the idea that I need to invent it.

Eric McDonnell, chairman of the African-American Reparations Advisory Board in San Francisco, said, “We’ve suffered.” I didn’t turn to , and say, ‘Help me figure out how to make it work.'”

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The idea of ​​paying compensation for slavery is gaining attention across cities and universities. In 2020, California became the first state to form a reparations task force, but it still struggles to set reparations.

This idea has not been picked up at the federal level.

There are still fewer than 50,000 black people living in San Francisco, and it’s not clear how many will be covered. Possible criteria include having lived in the city for a certain period of time, and descendants of someone “imprisoned for the failed drug war.”

Related: Holland apologizes for involvement in slave trade

Critics say the payment makes no sense in states and cities that have never enslaved blacks. I’m arguing that people shouldn’t be paid.

Proponents of this view believe that since the formal end of slavery in the United States in 1865, government policies and practices have led to blacks being imprisoned at higher rates, denied access to mortgages and business loans, and Limit where they work and live.

“Frankly, there’s still a veiled view that black people don’t deserve this,” McDonnell said. .”

Related: Reparations Task Force: State Could Pay Black Californians Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars

Justin Hansford, a Howard University law school professor, says there can’t be enough money in local government reparations plans to right the wrongs of slavery, but he’s making every effort to make things right. “honestly, legally, and authentically,” and that includes cash, he said.

“If you say sorry, you have to speak in a language that people understand. Money is that language,” he said.

Related: California Commission Grants Compensation Limits For Descendants Of Slaves

Black residents once made up more than 13% of San Francisco’s population, but more than 50 years later, blacks make up less than 6% of urban residents and 38% of the homeless population. The Fillmore district flourished with black-owned nightclubs and shops until government redevelopment in the 1960s forced residents out.

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San Francisco Republican Party Chairman John Dennis says he supports serious talks on the topic, but not reparations. Is not …

“This conversation we have in San Francisco is not serious at all. They just spewed numbers, no analysis,” Dennis said. “It seems silly. It also seems to be the only city this could possibly pass through.”

A board led by supervisor Shaman Walton has approved a statewide task force for California Governor Gavin Newsom amid nationwide chaos after a white Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd, a black man. A few months later, in late 2020, we set up a 15-member reparations committee.

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At Tuesday’s hearing, the board may direct staff to conduct further investigations, draft legislation, and schedule more meetings. The Commission’s final report is expected in June.

A California task force continues to consider recommendations that include monetary compensation. The report he plans to submit to Congress on July 1st. At that point, it is up to lawmakers to draft and pass legislation, often a lengthy process.

A state commission made a controversial decision in March to limit reparations to descendants of blacks who were in the country in the 19th century. Some compensation advocates say this approach misses the ongoing harm black immigrants are suffering.

Related: How should reparations be made? LA Commission wants to hear from you

The San Francisco draft recommendation requires that you be at least 18 years old and have been identified in official documentation as “Black/African American” for at least 10 years. The list is subject to change, but an eligible person must meet no less than two of the eight criteria he has.

These criteria include being born in San Francisco between 1940 and 1996, or immigrating to San Francisco and living in San Francisco for 13 years or more. Displaced or descendants of persons displaced from San Francisco by urban renewal from 1954 to 1973. Attend the city’s public schools before racial segregation is fully abolished. or descendants of Americans who were enslaved before 1865.

Related: California Should Take These Steps To Repay Black Residents, Reparations Report Says

The Chicago suburb of Evanston became the first U.S. city to contribute reparations. The city funded those eligible for home repairs, down payments, interest and late penalties on real estate in the city. In December, the Boston City Council approved a Compensation Investigation Task Force.