Due to decades of “systematic repression” the local Black population experienced, San Francisco’s reparations committee has recommended rewarding each Black long-term resident $5 million and offering 100% debt forgiveness.
Slave State
Since California was not technically a slave state, the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee, which provides advice to the city on creating a plan for reparations for Black residents, released its draft report last month to address reparations — not for slavery, but rather “to address the public policies explicitly created to subjugate Black people in San Francisco by upholding and expanding the intent and legacy of chattel slavery.”
Although San Francisco and California did not formally adopt the institution of chattel slavery, the draft notes that the principles of segregation, white supremacy, and systematic repression and exclusion of Black people were codified through legal and extralegal actions, social codes, and judicial enforcement.
A comprehensive list of financial suggestions for Black San Francisco residents is included in the draft plan, including a one-time, lump-sum payout of $5 million to each qualified person.
The candidate must be 18 years old and have identified as Black or African American on official records for at least 10 years in order to be eligible for the program. In addition, they must meet at least two of eight additional requirements, including being “Born in San Francisco between 1940 and 1996 and possesses documentation of residency in San Francisco for at least 13 years” and/or “Personally, or the direct descendant of someone, imprisoned by the failing War on Drugs.”
The plan also requests that the city increase the income of beneficiaries with lesser incomes such that it reflects the Area Median Income (AMI), which is around $97,000 per year for at least 250 years.
‘Comprehensive Debt Forgiveness Scheme’
The proposal also aims to create “a comprehensive debt forgiveness scheme” that will forgive all qualifying individuals’ credit card debt, school loan debt, and mortgage debt.
The draft states that “Black families are more likely to have expensive, risky debt and are more likely to have outstanding student loan debt.” Eliminating this debt provides Black households a chance to develop wealth since it can lead to an unbreakable cycle of debt when paired with lower household earnings.
On December 23, the committee sent the San Francisco Board of Supervisors the draft plan.
The San Francisco Chronicle quoted Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin as saying that he hopes the proposal is accepted.
According to Peskin, “there are so many initiatives that produce fantastic reports that just wind up collecting dust on a shelf. “This cannot be one of them,” was said.
The committee did not respond to a question from Fox News Digital.
Democrats in the House are working to create a government committee on reparations.
Last Monday, 52 House Democrats and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas introduced legislation calling for compensation and an official apology for slavery.
Other Reports, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee shared perspective on a gun control measure and pondered on safeguarding children following the school massacre in Texas on “Special Report.”
“Well, this work has been done again out of the committee that I’ve worked on, the Judiciary and the Subcommittee on Crime for more than two decades. I’ve introduced one gun bill after another, and for the benefit of your viewers, I was present for the Columbine shooting,” she said.
“I was also appointed to a task force to seriously address the issue of semiautomatic weapon use, teen gun ownership, careless gun access, and the absence of background checks for all gun purchases,” she added.
