A
San Francisco
committee is proposing giving $5 million, opportunities for tax credits, and debt forgiveness to all longtime black residents as part of reparation efforts for decades of
racism
and “systemic oppression.”
The San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee released a 60-page
draft
detailing reparations plans and requirements that people have to meet in order to receive monetary compensation.
The goal of the committee is “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.”
“While neither San Francisco, nor California, formally adopted the institution of chattel slavery, the tenets of segregation, white supremacy and systematic repression and exclusion of Black people were codified through legal and extralegal actions, social codes, and judicial enforcement,” the draft states.
Chattel slavery, the
most common
form of slavery, allowed people to be bought, sold, and owned forever.
SIX PEOPLE, INCLUDING BABY, SHOT AND KILLED IN CALIFORNIA HOME
To receive a one-time $5 million payment, a person must have identified as “Black/African American” on public documents for at least 10 years and be 18 years or older. Then, residents must meet at least two criteria, which include but are not limited to being “born in San Francisco between 1940 and 1996,” and “personally, or the direct descendant of someone, incarcerated by the failed War on Drugs.”
Residents can also be eligible if they are a descendant of someone enslaved through chattel slavery before 1865.
“A lump sum payment would compensate the affected population for the decades of harms that they have experienced, and will redress the economic and opportunity losses that Black San Franciscans have endured, collectively, as the result of both intentional decisions and unintended harms perpetuated by City policy,” according to the draft.
The draft also proposes that the city supplement lower-income recipients’ income to reflect the area’s median income, about $97,000 annually, for at least 250 years. It also looks to finance a comprehensive debt forgiveness program and introduce tax credits for payroll tax, business tax, and property tax, among others.
“Racial disparities across all metrics have led to a significant racial wealth gap in the City of San Francisco,” the draft states. “By elevating income to match AMI, Black people can better afford housing and achieve a better quality of life.”
The committee’s plan targets areas such as education, homeownership, business ownership, and entrepreneurship in the name of being equitable. Many of the proposals ask the city to “acknowledge the harm done” to black people and “take steps to prevent future harms.”
In education, the draft seeks to retain and support more black educators, as well as create pathways for black students to pursue both traditional and nontraditional educational opportunities.
While the city’s Slavery Era Disclosure Ordinance already includes a fund for remedying economic and educational conditions, the draft claims it is not making as much of an impact as it appears and that this plan would take things a step further.
“Contributions are voluntary; to date, there have been zero contributions to this fund,” the draft states. “The ordinance would have much more of an impact if contributions were mandatory.
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In June, the committee will submit its final plan to Mayor London Breed, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the committee, Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, and Mayor London Breed for comment.
