In a historic move, the city of Evanston, Illinois, is going above and beyond its original pledge, shelling out $10 million in reparations to its Black residents over the course of a decade. This marks the first instance in U.S. history where a city has willingly surrendered to the reparations agenda.
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS PAYS REPARATIONS FOR BLACK RESIDENTS – 😨😨😨😨😨
SAYS IT'S A 'TEST RUN FOR WHOLE COUNTRY'! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 pic.twitter.com/b3f37cWpdk
— ᴛʜᴇ 𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 ʀᴇᴘᴏʀᴛ ™ (@ClownsOfCSPAN) July 12, 2023
In response to citywide discriminatory housing regulations, Evanston has launched a program offering $25,000 housing subsidies to eligible Black residents. These funds can be funneled towards down payments, home renovations, or current mortgages.
To keep this dubious program afloat, Evanston is leeching off a 3% tax on recreational marijuana sales and a real estate transfer tax on homes valued over $1 million. According to the Evanston Round Table, this scheme has raked in an estimated $1.18 million so far.
In the wake of the nationwide upheaval following the George Floyd incident in 2020, the demand for federal reparations resurfaced, despite its lack of traction in prior years.
As outlined by Evanston’s assistant manager, Tasheik Kerr, the city administration has already met with 48 prospective recipients. Local media report that 16 individuals have already pocketed their payouts.
By the end of the year, Evanston intends to provide $25,000 to 140 residents, a majority of whom are seniors. Among the recipients is Louis Weathers, an 88-year-old retired postal worker and Korean War veteran.
Eligibility for the reparations program is limited to those who identify as Black and lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969 or are descendants of individuals who did and were victims of housing discrimination.
The reparations initiative, spearheaded by former Alderwoman Robin Rue Simmons, is not without its skeptics. With California’s Black Reparations Task Force recently presenting its two-year report outlining over 100 recommendations, there are doubts that such an extensive reparations program will be enacted due to the astronomical costs involved.
If adopted, reparations could land California in over $800 billion in debt, despite the state already being projected to run a $31.5 billion deficit this fiscal year. This raises questions about the sustainability and economic consequences of such far-reaching programs.
