Illinois City Creates Reparations Programme

[Shrillland]

While many are discussing the idea of reparations for racial injustices such as slavery, one Illinois city is actually going ahead with the idea: https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Evanston-recreational-marijuana-sales-tax-revenue-reparations-program-565703322.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-city-pay-reparations-african-144159498.html

With recreational marijuana sales in Illinois set to become legal on Jan. 1., the city of Evanston plans to use sales tax revenue from purchases to help fund a reparations program.

The program will focus on helping the city's black community thrive by fighting the effects of slavery and discrimination while also providing job training and other benefits, said 5th Ward Ald. Robin Rue Simmons.

Although recreational marijuana becomes legal statewide on Jan. 1, it remains unclear when exactly the tax will start being collected. In contrast to Evanston, several other Chicago suburbs have chosen to opt out of recreational marijuana sales.

Ald. Simmons said the city's fund will help address its wealth gap between black and white residents which she estimated at $46,000 per year. An average of $500,000 to $700,000 could be generated yearly, and the fund will be capped at $10 million.

Rev. Michael Nabors, the Evanston NAACP president, said he was pleased with the reparations fund's approval, and hoped the money will go toward improving housing, education and employment for the city's black community.

"Our children and our young people who are African American can really learn high tech, high wage, high skill jobs that's going to result in them being able to take care of themselves," he said.

Ald. Simmons said several other cities have inquired about Evanston's reparations program.

"It'll help improve the black life experience, the black community, the historically black neighborhood, and ultimately that will help strengthen our entire community," she said.

A town hall will take place on Dec. 11 for those hoping to learn more information about the details of the program.

A 3% sales tax on marijuana, which will be legal here in Illinois at the start of the year, is going to fund a reparations programme to the tune $500-700,000 a year to be capped at $10 million. It will be available to all black residents of Evanston whether they can prove they had enslaved ancestors or not, and it will go to things like funding job training or down payments on houses. There's going to be a press conference next week to discuss the plan in detail.

So, NSG, knowing that I walk open-eyed into a fiery discussion indeed, what's your take on Evanston's reparations plan?

I personally am in favour of reparations, though I do understand why some have reservations(not all blacks or whites in this country had ancestors here at the time, for instance). This will do a lot to give black people in the city more opportunities than what might otherwise have been available due to systemic racism.

[Vetalia]

I could see a convincing argument being made for a type of "reparations" tax on legalized marijuana on the basis of correcting the impact of decades of an unjust legal system that disproportionately punished black Americans for drug-related offenses, especially marijuana-related offenses which played a major role in aggravating or creating many of the problems that arose since the start of the War on Drugs in the 1960s. Similarly, any and all convictions for marijuana related offenses should be expunged as well and offenders released from jail/prison regardless of race.

[Washington Resistance Army]

It being available to people who didn't have enslaved ancestors makes a bad idea even worse.

[The South Falls]

Improving the lives of black people shouldn't be called reparations, it's just a thing that needs to be done. Calling it reparations is only bound to inflame people and turn them against the plan

[Flarbinia]

Improving the lives of black people shouldn't be called reparations, it's just a thing that needs to be done. Calling it reparations is only bound to inflame people and turn them against the plan

Exactly.

[The East Marches II]

I don't think it will bring the money they expect. Best of luck to them in their efforts though.

[Puertollano]

Improving the lives of black people shouldn't be called reparations, it's just a thing that needs to be done. Calling it reparations is only bound to inflame people and turn them against the plan

I agree 100%. It's closing the gap, per se, between the living standards of white and black Americans.

[Northwest Slobovia]

It will be available to all black residents of Evanston whether they can prove they had enslaved ancestors or not, and it will go to things like funding job training or down payments on houses.[...]

So, NSG, knowing that I walk open-eyed into a fiery discussion indeed, what's your take on Evanston's reparations plan?

Probably unconstitutional, just as a program that gave money to only whites would be.

[Aquelessia]

Improving the lives of black people shouldn't be called reparations, it's just a thing that needs to be done. Calling it reparations is only bound to inflame people and turn them against the plan

Right? It really sounds like patting themselves on the back and taking the initiative to do this only because of one sole reason (granted it being the root cause of most of discrimination against black Americans)instead of bettering the lives of and closing the gap for an historically oppressed and disadvantaged group of people for the sake of helping out your fellow brothers and sisters.

(Edit) "Closing the gap" Credit to Puertollano

[The Two Jerseys]

Would somebody like to tell Evanston that slavery was never legal in Illinois?

[Gormwood]

Improving the lives of black people shouldn't be called reparations, it's just a thing that needs to be done. Calling it reparations is only bound to inflame people and turn them against the plan

Exactly.

Any plan that improves the lives of black people will inflame people and turn them against it regardless of what it's called.

[Aquelessia]

Exactly.

Any plan that improves the lives of black people will inflame people and turn them against it regardless of what it's called.

Because any attempt to improve the minority is obviously an attempt to undermine and discriminate against the majority. raggle fraggle thos dern minorities
/S

Edit: Wheeze called it

[Otira]

Would somebody like to tell Evanston that slavery was never legal in Illinois?

Victims of slavery fled there and have been haunted by the socio-economic spectre of it ever since.

[The Emerald Legion]

Improving the lives of black people shouldn't be called reparations, it's just a thing that needs to be done.

Why? It's no more important to improve the lives of black people than it is to improve the lives of white people.

[LiberNovusAmericae]

I'm not for reparations, but at the very least, they should have a requirement that a recipient proves they had enslaved ancestors.

[The East Marches II]

Exactly.

Any plan that improves the lives of black people will inflame people and turn them against it regardless of what it's called.

Brilliant insight Gauth, simply brilliant

[Otira]

Improving the lives of black people shouldn't be called reparations, it's just a thing that needs to be done.

Why? It's no more important to improve the lives of black people than it is to improve the lives of white people.

Blacks are a lot worse off. They need the help.

[Shrillland]

Would somebody like to tell Evanston that slavery was never legal in Illinois?

It's more complicated than that. We had a lot of "copperheads" during the Civil War and some homes had "Seasonal workers" who were effectively slaves as late as 1845...plus we forbade free black settlement from 1853 until we got behind the 14th Amendment.

[Satuga]

I think this should be used to help the poor or homeless percentage rather than just a specific race of people, it seems stupid to just focus on one race especially because everyone's situation is different, you can have a dirt poor white family and a rich black family, it all depends on the situation the person is living in. Not to mention if there is a major amount of disparity between the Black and White household incomes if you focus on poor or homeless it will still be effecting the Black communities more while still helping other unfortunate souls. Also calling it a reparation is stupid, it makes it seem like they are paying the Black community for having ancestors that could have been slaves(even though there is no one alive who was a US slave the last US slave who died was Sylvester Magee who died in 1971)

[Aquelessia]

Would somebody like to tell Evanston that slavery was never legal in Illinois?

It's more complicated than that. We had a lot of "copperheads" during the Civil War and some homes had "Seasonal workers" who were effectively slaves as late as 1845...plus we forbade free black settlement from 1853 until we got behind the 14th Amendment.

Do you mean 13th or 14th? Unfortunately even with the 13th Amendment slavery is still allowed and alive and well within the US. The 13th amendment allows slavery expressly for penal purposes which goes to show why our Prison system is the way it is. Hell, Angola (a high security prison in Louisiana) is nicknamed The Farm and regularly has work groups of prisoners perform agricultural work.

[Otira]

Would somebody like to tell Evanston that slavery was never legal in Illinois?

It's more complicated than that. We had a lot of "copperheads" during the Civil War and some homes had "Seasonal workers" who were effectively slaves as late as 1845...plus we forbade free black settlement from 1853 until we got behind the 14th Amendment.

That wasn't very nice of you.

[The Two Jerseys]

Would somebody like to tell Evanston that slavery was never legal in Illinois?

Victims of slavery fled there and have been haunted by the socio-economic spectre of it ever since.

Which is not the problem of Evanston, Illinois.

It's no different than Mexico paying Holocaust reparations to Jews.

[Satuga]

Do you mean 13th or 14th? Unfortunately even with the 13th Amendment slavery is still allowed and alive and well within the US. The 13th amendment allows slavery expressly for penal purposes which goes to show why our Prison system is the way it is. Hell, Angola (a high security prison in Louisiana) is nicknamed The Farm and regularly has work groups of prisoners perform agricultural work.

That's most definitely a private prison problem, however we should probably get back on track with the thread

[Bear Stearns]

>black residents of Evanston

I had a chuckle at that. There's like one sort of black neighborhood there and the Northwestern students are all scared of it

[Otira]

Victims of slavery fled there and have been haunted by the socio-economic spectre of it ever since.

Which is not the problem of Evanston, Illinois.

It's no different than Mexico paying Holocaust reparations to Jews.

If the voters don't like it they can change it.

If Mexico voted to help Holocaust survivors financially that would be fine with me.