Posted on 06/02/2023 2:58:09 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Despite obstacles, Evanston officials say the city’s reparations program is moving forward though some residents say it’s not fast enough.
Anthony Swope was one of many who gave a testimonial at the Evanston Reparations Committee meeting on Thursday. The Evanston resident shared how he convinced his wife, Eleanor, to apply. Unfortunately, she’s one of several approved applicants who died before receiving benefits.
The issue is another that the city’s groundbreaking reparations program is facing. Yet, Swope says he is helpful.
“I’m exceedingly full of joy to see that there are people who are recognizing people of color,” he said.
Sixteen people were selected for the first round of benefits, but hundreds of others continue to wait, leaving some residents frustrated.
“You spend a lot of time on dinners, stale tactics, showboating, canceling meetings and time with the media, instead of what’s really important, which is getting this $25,000 to people in their 70s, 80s and 90s and plus,” said Evanston resident Tina Paden.
Local Bennett Johnson added, “If we do it right, it will be an example for the entire country.”
The effort, led by former councilmember Robin Rue Simmons, switched gears earlier this year.
“We have overcome so many barriers that are keeping us from delivering,” she said.
Instead of only housing-related benefits for mortgage reduction or home construction, which saw long delays, those selected can choose $25,000 cash payments as an option.
But that comes with a risk.
New documentary follows Evanston’s groundbreaking fight for reparations Evanston officials say the money shouldn’t be taxed, but they’re still waiting for clarity from the state on whether it would affect entitlement benefits. If it does, officials say they’ll need legislative help from Springfield.
“What we don’t want is people losing benefits as a result of us trying to actually help them. So you give them a cash payment and now they can’t get health insurance,” said Nicholas Cummings, with the Evanston Corporation Counsel.
On funding, committee members were encouraged that more than a million dollars were added to the reparations fund from the real estate transfer tax after tax revenue from recreational marijuana fell short. A new cannabis dispensary is opening in late 2023. Still, committee members are calling on institutions like Northwestern University to step up to donate.
“They have all kinds of programs that they assist all over the world. It seems to me that charity should begin at home,” Carlis B. Sutton said.
Sutton’s family was forced to move because land clearance pushed Black residents into certain parts of the city. He expects to receive benefits in the next round of applicants, though his brother was among those who died waiting.
Evanston first in US to offer Black residents reparations using marijuana tax money While Sutton says no money can repair the damage of racism and housing discrimination, he applauds Evanston’s effort as a step forward.
Is there a black-washed version of
“Waiting For Godot”?
This would be an interesting sub plot to intertwine with the original as an update.
There’s an interesting Wrinkle in all of this.
So reparations being paid out may make someone ineligible for Public Assistance programs?
Another obvious question would be, would reparations be considered taxable income?
It sounds like there are some details that these people have not thought through.
....at first I thought this was some sort of Babylon Bee article, but then I kept reading....geeeezzz; has the world gone crazy...a “Reparations Committee” or whatever it is called....I used to know some folks who lived in Ciudad Evanston...they were associated with the university there, if I recall....faaaarrrrrr left in their beliefs......
Everyone knows Evanston IL was a hot bed of slavery.
Effing idiots.
L
Why not reparations for Native Americans?
Get off land, give property titles to Native Americans.
And don’t leave town with $25,000 - pay land rent first.
the article said..”the money shouldn’t be taxed, but they’re still waiting for clarity from the state on whether it would affect entitlement benefits”
I’m a bit confused ....
they want to make sure that the FREE money they get, won’t affect the OTHER free money they get ?
Something seems out of wack here ...
Its interesting that a northern town that never allowed slaves is paying people who were never slaves. Because some people somewhere, some time were slaves. But those people are dying before they can get paid out even though their offspring can collect. And many who are paying were descendants of slaves and many who are being paid are descendants of slave owners.
There are few examples of dumber public policy.
Anthony “Putney” Swope.
“what’s really important”
votes for Democrats
From Wikipedia:
Founded by Methodist business leaders in 1857, the city was incorporated in 1863. Evanston is home to Northwestern University, founded in 1851 before the city’s incorporation, one of the world’s leading research universities. Today known for its socially liberal politics and ethnically diverse population, Evanston was historically a dry city, until 1972. The city uses a council–manager system of government and is a Democratic stronghold.
Prior to the 1830s, the area now occupied by Evanston was mainly uninhabited, consisting largely of wetlands and swampy forest. However, Potawatomi Native Americans used trails along higher lying ridges that ran in a general north–south direction through the area, and had at least some semi-permanent settlements along the trails.
French explorers referred to the general area as “Grosse Pointe” after a point of land jutting into Lake Michigan about 13 miles (21 km) north of the mouth of the Chicago River. After the first non-Native Americans settled in the area in 1836, the names “Grosse Point Territory” and “Gross Point voting district” were used through the 1830s and 1840s, although the territory had no defined boundaries. The area remained only sparsely settled, supporting some farming and lumber activity on some of the higher ground, as well as a number of taverns or “hotels” along the ridge roads. Grosse Pointe itself steadily eroded into the lake during this period.
In 1851, a group of Methodist business leaders founded Northwestern University and Garrett Biblical Institute. Unable to find available land on the north shore up to Lake Forest, the committee was ready to purchase farmland to the west of the city when Orrington Lunt insisted on one final visit to the present location. They chose a bluffed and wooded site along the lake as Northwestern’s home, purchasing several hundred acres of land from Dr. John Foster, a Chicago farm owner. In 1854, the founders of Northwestern submitted to the county judge their plans for a city to be named Evanston after John Evans, one of their leaders.
Evanston is the birthplace of Tinkertoys.
As of the 2020 census there were 78,110 people, 27,918 households, and 15,184 families residing in the city
....
The racial makeup of the city was 59.06% White, 16.06% African American, 9.92% Asian, 0.67% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.46% from other races, and 9.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.24% of the population.
In the 2016 Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton received 54% of the votes of Evanston Democrats to Bernie Sanders’ 45%. During that year’s general election, Clinton won 87% of the vote in Evanston, while Republican Donald Trump received just 7%.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evanston,_Illinois
I hope it does make them ineligible for assistance. Taxes? Don’t care one way of the other. This actually could end up saving money in the end. Wouldn’t that be amazing.
I guess some are worried about their Social Security payments being skimmed down, due to any sudden windfalls of cold cash.
Old habits about ‘what I should be worried about’ die hard.
So Evanston city council stealing from city taxpayers for slavery imposed in Evanston Illinois over 150 years ago, is that it?
“I’m exceedingly full of joy to see that there are people who are recognizing people of color,” he said
And the really really. Really sad part of all. This is in the morning you will wake up and still be black, instead of thinking of yourself as a whole person
I take this SERIOUSLY.
As far as I can tell if reparations comes up in the United States House of Representatives, it will have 149 Republican/Uniparty votes.
Sounds like Evanston officials have been token up to come up this brilliant idea. The whole town has got to be stoned.
First don’t they need to see who fought and beat which tribe first?
Its a screwball place, full of leftwingers and bubble-headed academics. Northwestern U hired Bernadine Dohrn, terrorist wife of terrorist William Ayers as a professor after her attorney license was denied by the Illinois Bar.
Weather Underground ring leaders. That explains a lot about that place.
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