Slave Reparations Council Committee Debates Support

New York Daily News ^ | 6/20/02 | FRANK LOMBARDI

[kattracks]

n a historic first for the City Council, a public hearing was held yesterday on several measures supporting reparations for the descendants of African slaves.

The hearing by the Governmental Operations Committee would have been unlikely just a year ago, before term limits contributed to a massive shakeup of the Council's leadership and infused the 51-member legislative body with 38 new members, including many African-Americans, Hispanics and the first Asian member.

Many of the Council newcomers attended the hearing called by Councilman Bill Perkins (D-Harlem), the committee's chairman and deputy majority leader.

The issue of reparations for the slavery era is a roiling one, and it stirred some emotional, though polite, exchanges.

A defense of the reparations effort by Councilman Charles Barron (D-East New York) drew cheers and standing applause from several dozen spectators, including Mary Lacey Madison of Harlem, the 91-year-old granddaughter of slaves and a plaintiff in a federal reparations suit.

The hearing was on four resolutions that would for the first time put the Council on record as supporting aspects of the issue. No vote was taken, and the future of the measures is uncertain.

Voice of Dissent

The main resolution calls for establishing a city-funded commission to hold hearings and recommend compensation to New York City descendants of African slaves.

The sole objector who spoke up was Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), who said, "I must respectfully disagree with you that reparations are a fair way of redressing past wrongs. I don't believe that reparations are either fair or practical. I also believe that it will drive Americans apart."

Vallone also argued that many New Yorkers died in the Civil War to end slavery, and whatever debt was owed "was repaid with the blood of the people of New York City." And he objected to city funding for a reparations commission when funds are being cut from vital services.

But Barron, the lead sponsor of the resolutions, noted that Vallone's father, the former longtime Council speaker, supported reparations for Italian-Americans interned during World War II.

"Now, if it's good for Italians, it's good for Africans," Barron asserted, drawing cheers from spectators and other speakers, who included Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich), who has been pushing for national reparations legislation in Congress.

[Joe Boucher]

Reparate this A holes

You stupids want to really see some serious racial trouble in America, keep pushing this reparations B.S.

What, is this some democratic ploy to keep the races in America devided?

Get some education and take responsibility for your actions and your babies. Quit this rediculous welfare.

[lavaroise]

The US bled to death to resolve this slavery issue. Reparation has been done. There is inherent immunity, as opposed to the Nazi accounts that were a result of a genocide self-worshiping Germany losing a war. Countless communist and islamic nations are using slaves and are self-worshiping themselves doing it. The islamic nations have been doing it ever since Islam started.

As for businesses benefiting from slavery, they were disbanded. AS for businesses up North, it was part of the compromise that was to be destroyed willfuly by the same consituents. So this crap does not fly.

[Tourist Guy]

Notice the closest they could come to a 'slave' was a 91 year old granddaughter. I suppose 5 TRILLION in welfare hasn't been enough.

[cajun-jack]

plenty of unused "federal" lands...give 'em all 40 acres, a mule and a plow.

[HHFi]

You like the concept of reparations? Okay. Let's figure up the value of all that slave labor, subtract it from the trillions of dollars in Great Society programs already spent on black Americans, and you can cut me a tax refund check for the difference.

[lavaroise]

They go about bearing false witness against an America accused of self-wroshiping itself in slavery, while in fact the prosecutors in this very case are self-worshiping so much themselves and the plaintiffs.

It is one thing to be taxed money for Affirmative Action programs and what not, it is another thing when people of European descent have to shout Mea Culpa and worship the plaintiffs and lawyers too. THIS IS WAY OVER THE TOP!!!! WAY OVER THE TOP!!!

[lavaroise]

Not including the 600,000 or so people dying in the civil war, or the farms redistributed down South. If anything, these people owe us. If they don't think so and demand worship, then they are worshiping an error that will damn them more than slavery ever hurt their ancestors.

[lavaroise]

"Now, if it's good for Italians, it's good for Africans," Barron asserted, drawing cheers from spectators and other speakers, who included Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich), who has been pushing for national reparations legislation in Congress.

AND IT'S GOOD FOR AMERICANS WHO BLED DURING THE CIVIL WAR TOO!!!!! A$$ HOLES!!!!

[Greeklawyer]

This is a Jimmy Carter mentality.

Give everyone a million dollars we
will just print more money.

Now that the Lindon Johnson great society has
destroyed their family structure they look
to everyone else to fix their mess.

I do not see these people trying to eliminate
the modern day slaves which are alive in Africa.
Are they going to seek reparations against the
tribes which originaly sold the ancestors into slavery?

Does this mean I get reparations against the
decendants of the Ottoman empire?

[lavaroise]

There is indeed a statute of limitation involved. This decades, century, generation old reparation issue business is beyond comprehension.

[lavaroise]

There is indeed a statute of limitation involved. This decades, century, generation old reparation issue business is beyond comprehension.

[lavaroise]

That is, we cannot even tell how much European ancestors have paid back and how much is fair and not fair. It simply cannot be computed fairly.

[Greeklawyer]

Even before statute of limitations there
is the doctrine of laches.

It is the common law concept requiring the
agreeved party to act speedily.
The statute of limitations modified the laches
concept.

[IronJack]

Keep your hands on your wallets, New York.

[The Scorpion King]

You've got to hand it to these @$$holes! They had a very well laid plan. First, they pushed for so-called "hate crimes" Laws at the State level. Once they succeeded in getting them passed in a number of states- they started pushing for a Federal "hate crimes" Law. Then the push for "reparations" became a prominent issue!

[ItsOurTimeNow]

There is indeed a storm brewing. Civil War II - Battle of the Races is on it's way thanks to this era of New Racism and the divisive mentality that reparations produces.

Get ready to duck and cover.

[yoe]

Who were the authors of this Slave Reparations? Let them, if they can, defend this shallow attempt at extortion and more welfare. The "Civil War" was not fought over slavery, it was fought over repressive tariffs from the Northern industrial policies.

The South was "paying over 87% of federal tariff revenue while having their livelihoods threatened by protectionist legislation...it became impossible for the two regions to be governed under the same regime. The South as a region was being reduced to a slave status, with the federal government as its master." Lincoln promised by the way...not to interfere with slavery.

An entire history has been so skewed that few other than the scholars of American History know that the Civil War was really a War on Tariffs and the North's desire for sovereignty over trade and taxes. The South was being looted to pay for the North's industrial policy. Slaves were part of the North's trade!

Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), who said, "I must respectfully disagree with you that reparations are a fair way of redressing past wrongs. I don't believe that reparations are either fair or practical. I also believe that it will drive Americans apart." Amen to that!

[B4Ranch]

Did the government ever own slaves? NO ! Then how can the government pay for someone else owning slaves?

Look at this picture.

If my father owned your father and kept him working for twenty five years, then killed him. Would the court sentence me to a prison term?

[robertpaulsen]

"The hearing was on four resolutions that would for the first time put the Council on record as supporting aspects of the issue. No vote was taken, and the future of the measures is uncertain."

Yeah, you bet no vote was taken. What politician wants to go on record supporting this joke?

I hope this issue stays on the front burner all the way to November. Let's see the democRATS come out in support of their constituency and try to win the election with just 13% of the public vote.