California‘s governor has come out against reparations checks being handed out to black residents of his state, days after a task force recommended that up to $1.2 million be given to those who met the criteria.
Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday that he felt there were better ways of addressing systemic inequality than cash handouts.
Newsom said that dealing with the legacy of slavery and discrimination is ‘about much more than cash payments.’
He told Fox News in a statement on Tuesday: ‘Many of the recommendations put forward by the Task Force are critical action items we’ve already been hard at work addressing: breaking down barriers to vote, bolstering resources to address hate, enacting sweeping law enforcement and justice reforms to build trust and safety, strengthening economic mobility — all while investing billions to root out disparities and improve equity in housing, education, healthcare, and well beyond. This work must continue.’
California became the first state to form a reparations task force in September 2020 following national protests over the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, said on Tuesday he did not support the issuing of checks for reparations
California’s reparations task force has approved recommendations which could give black residents $1.2million each as compensation for slavery and discrimination
Its final report is to be sent to lawmakers before July 1.
The amount these reparations would cost the state were not outlined in the report but previous calculations from economists predicted it could cost around $800billion – more than twice California’s approximate $300 billion annual budget.
The report suggests that the amounts, based on what has been lost to specific types of racial discrimination, should be paid back to black residents.
This includes $2,352 lost per person per year for the over-policing and mass incarceration of black communities and $3,366 per person per year of residence between 1933 and 1977 for ‘discriminatory lending and zoning’.
It also includes $13,619 per person per year of residence in California for ‘injustices and discrimination in health’ and $77,000 per person for black-owned business losses and devaluations is included in the figure.
This means a lifelong black California resident aged at least 71 could receive more than $1.2million in compensation.
Newsom on Tuesday said: ‘Following the Task Force’s submission of its final report this summer, I look forward to a continued partnership with the Legislature to advance systemic changes that ensure an inclusive and equitable future for all Californians.’
But the 100 residents and activists who gathered at the meeting were not impressed with the calculations in the draft report.
Reverend Tony Pierce, CEO of the Oakland-based Black Wall Street organization, aired his frustration and pointed to the country’s ‘broken promise’ to offer 40 acres and a mule to newly freed slaves.
He said: ‘You know that the numbers should be equivocal to what an acre was back then. We were given 40, OK? We were given 40 acres.
‘You know what that number is. You keep trying to talk about now, yet you research back to slavery and you say nothing about slavery, nothing.
‘So, the equivocal number from the 1860s for 40 acres to today is $200 million for each and every African-American.’
He then hit out at the panel for not being ambitious enough with the reparations plan.
‘You’re not supposed to be afraid,’ he added.
‘You’re just supposed to tell the truth. You’re not supposed to be the gatekeepers. You’re supposed to say what the people want and hear from the people.’
Residents, including Reverend Tony Pierce, CEO of the Oakland-based Black Wall Street movement, believe it is ‘nowhere near enough’ and demanded $200 million per person
Reverend Tony Pierce aired his frustration and pointed to the country’s ‘broken promise’ to offer 40 acres and a mule to newly freed slaves
He hit out at the panel for not being ambitious enough with the reparations plan
Assembly member Reggie Jones-Sawyer (left), who sits on the panel, said the recommendation of an apology letter from the state of California is one of the most important. State Sen. Steven Bradford is pictured on the right
One woman said: ‘$1.2million is nowhere near enough. It should be starting at least $5million like San Francisco.
‘We want direct cash payments just like how the stimulus [checks] were sent out. It’s our inheritance, and we can handle it.’
And another resident added: ‘This million dollars we’re hearing on the news is just inadequate and a further injustice if that’s what this task force is going to recommend for black Americans for 400-plus years and continuing of slavery and injustice that we have been forced to endure.
‘To even throw a million dollars at us is just an injustice.’
And Elaine Brown, former Black Panther Party chairwoman, urged people to express their frustrations through demonstrations.
The report insisted the figures are just estimates and that lawmakers would have to conduct additional research to work out the specifics.
Panel members recommended direct payments for those eligible in the report.
‘The initial down payment is the beginning of a process of addressing historical injustices not the end of it,’ it read.
The reparations task force has also asked for those eligible to receive cash ‘down payments’ as soon as any recommendations are forged into law while they wait for the compensation to be calculated.
The task force, made up of elected officials, academics and lawyers, decided on the eligibility criteria last year.
It determined that any descendant of enslaved African Americans or of a ‘free black person living in the United States prior to the end of the 19th century’ should be entitled to reparations.
If legislation is passed for the payments, the committee suggested that a state agency be created to process claims and make payments with elderly black residents being the priority.
Around 1.8 million people in California identify as black or African American.
