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The Order:
Last week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson launched a task force to look into the possibility of reparations for Black Chicagoans via an executive order. In a press release, Johnson called the order “a pledge to shape the future of our city by confronting the legacy of inequity that has plagued Chicago for far too long.”
The task force will “examine policies that have harmed Black Chicagoans from the days of slavery to the present and make recommendations to address these issues,” per the Triibe, a local Chicago outlet that covers the city’s Black residents and issues pertaining to the population. Such issues include disparities in homeownership, unemployment, life expectancy, and incarceration of Black Chicagoans.
The Backlash:
Johnson’s Black Reparations task force is getting criticism from all sides. Some say that Johnson is attempting to buy votes by establishing the task force, others think he should focus on Chicago’s steadily rising crime rate.
“Brandon Johnson’s (Chicago’s mayor) ‘reparations taskforce’ is nothing more than a Democrat led money laundering scheme,” an X user tweeted over the weekend.
“It’s about that time to dangle reparations in an attempt to secure votes. Democrats use this playbook every election season,” another person said in response to Johnson’s tweet announcing the executive order. “It’s rather sickening.”
“We have a clown who doesn’t know how to prioritize issues,” a different X user said of Johnson. “Clearly reparations are more important than taking action to combat violence.”
“What about an executive order to keep citizens safe from being shot, robbed, getting car jacked,” someone else replied to Johnson’s tweet.
The Background:
Johnson’s Task Force comes on the heels of Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, becoming the first city in the nation to establish reparations for Black residents. Those reparations, thus far, have taken the form of money that Black Evanston residents can use toward a down payment on a house—and Evanston has paid out $3 million in reparations thus far.
But Evanston’s reparations program hasn’t come without backlash, either. Judicial Watch, a conservative group, filed a lawsuit against Evanston’s policies claiming that they are racist and violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause earlier this month.
Only time will tell if Chicago’s reparations, should they materialize, will face the same resistance.
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