An activist has told California’s reparations task team that there will be “severe retaliation” if they do not agree with his requests that more than $800,000 be distributed to black Californians.
At the first meeting of the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, Deon Jenkins stated that the amount of money provided to black people in California should be comparable to the average home price in the state, which is approximately $800,000.
Jenkins, who calls himself a ‘hip hop organizer,’ stated in an interview following his Wednesday appearance at the public hearing in Oakland’s City Hall: ‘Either they’re going to comply or there’s going to be a significant blowback.’
Since 2021, a task team, the first of its kind in the nation, has been examining history and studies to establish its case for reparations to descendants of enslaved Black people in California. The committee has until July 1 to make a choice regarding restitution.
This image depicts Deon Jenkins, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2016 and 2020 and for the US Senate in California in 2022 with fewer than 7,000 votes.
Jenkins ran unsuccessfully for president in 2016 and 2020 and for the United States Senate in California in 2022, receiving fewer than 7,000 votes. Jenkins describes himself on his official website as a “grassroots hip hop organizer.”
Jenkins added in his address to the task force, “Defense, money, land, grants”
Every community and nation is comprised of four elements: a defensive framework, an economy, land, and access to that economy.
He continued, ‘If this is not resolved, there will be no restitution. Reparations – repair is the root word; we cannot have repair without addressing these factors.
Jenkins added in his address to the task force, “Defense, money, land, grants” Every community and nation is comprised of four elements: a defensive framework, an economy, land, and access to that economy.
Rev. Tony Pierce of the Black Wall Street Project also spoke on Thursday, and as his time ran up, he said, “$230,000 is not enough!”
Carol Williams, who indicated that she experienced homelessness after migrating to the state from Memphis in 1985, believes that all reparations should be tax-free.
She declared, “I believe myself to be a founding black American.”
The restitution should be tax-free, so that when we receive the funds, the IRS will not pursue us. And I’m imploring and requesting that when we decide the lineage, we spare those who have been in California since 2000.’
A second speaker stated, “I can’t even go down the street without being judged.” I cannot accomplish anything in this world without being evaluated. Why should I be evaluated based on the color of my skin alone?’
Max Fennell and fellow activist Jenkins are shown following the meeting; Jenkins requested that $800,000 in reparations be distributed.
During the meeting, former Democratic congressional candidate Morris Griffin displays a sign.
Max Fennell, a 35-year-old entrepreneur and the first black professional triathlete, stated at a hearing on Wednesday that in order to overcome the racial wealth gap, every person should receive $350,000 in compensation, and Black-owned businesses should receive $250,000 to assist them develop.
Fennell added, “It’s an obligation that must be paid; we worked for free.” ‘We’re not asking; we’re telling you.’
He closed his remarks by stating, “The tangibles of my request are $350,000 per black American in California, which is tangible, a $250,000 small business award, and 15-20 acres of land.”
Fennell shared a video on Instagram of himself and perhaps 60 others attending the proceedings with the remark, “Witnessing history with the tribe.”
During the meeting, Task Force Chair Kamilah Moore listens to public comments.
A member of the Richmond City Council, Demnlus Johnson III, remarked that it is astonishing that the topic is even being discussed publicly.
“You must identify a problem in order to solve it,” he remarked. ‘Of course we want to see it resolved immediately, the urgency is now, but just bringing it all to light and putting it on the table is a significant accomplishment.’
The day before the hearings began, the committee chair criticized rumors that the organization intends to suggest that each applicant for the program receive $225,000.
In a series of interviews conducted on December 13, Kamilah V. Moore stated that the figure supplied by an economic study team to the committee represented California’s’maximum liability’ for housing discrimination.
It applies solely to those affected by housing discrimination between 1933 and 1977, and not simply to black individuals.
At the debate, entrepreneur and professional triathlete Max Fennell stated, “It’s a debt we owe, we worked for free.” ‘We’re not asking; we’re telling you.’
Moore stated, “In actuality, that number would be significantly reduced when you consider that the task force concluded in March that the community of eligibility would be determined by genealogy rather than by race.”
She continued, “When you examine who was truly affected by housing discrimination at that time period, it was probably not all black people.”
In a second interview with Spectrum News, Moore emphasized the need for a Bureau of African American affairs in order to manage the payments, citing the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ record of success in addressing similar matters with Native Americans.
Moore began Wednesday’s session by stating, ‘September’s meeting in Los Angeles and today’s meeting in Oakland represent a stage of development. Now, we are not actually seeking personal and expert testimony from individuals.’
She stated, ‘It is crucial that we do this right because we are creating a precedence for other states and municipalities, as well as the federal government.’
Wednesday’s meeting at Oakland City Hall drew a meager number of activists.
Oakland Councilmember Carroll Fife highlighted the issue of homelessness in California.
Fife stated, “Homelessness in California is off the charts. And this is partially due to the fact that certain populations, specifically African-Americans, have been denied access to homes.
In an effort to reduce discrepancies in how Black people are treated, committee members will submit preliminary policy recommendations, such as audits of government organizations that deal with child welfare and jail.
The panel addressed how the state should mitigate the impact of eminent domain on Black families whose land was taken. Last year, lawmakers voted to return the oceanfront land known as Bruce’s Beach to the descendants of the Black citizens who owned it prior to its confiscation in the 20th century.
Officials from Oakland, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and other cities in California discussed local reparations initiatives.
This includes Khansa T. Jones-Muhammad, the vice-chair of the Los Angeles Reparations Advisory Commission, which was established under former Mayor Eric Garcetti last year. The commission’s aim is to advise the city on a pilot program for distributing reparations to a subset of Black people, but it has no firm deadline for completing its task.
In September, economists began providing early estimates of what the state may be liable for due to discriminatory practices. However, they stated that they need more information to generate more accurate numbers.
Shirley Weber, the secretary of state of California and a former assemblywoman, wrote the measure that established the state’s task committee, which began its work last year.
After a summer of countrywide protests against racism and police brutality following the shooting of a Black man by a white police officer in Minnesota, the bill was signed into law in September 2020.
In June, the task force issued a 500-page report detailing the discriminatory practices that led to housing segregation, disparities in the criminal justice system, and other realities that have plagued Black Californians in the decades after the abolition of slavery
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