Detroit Reparations Task Force, 4.12.2025
DDetroit DocumentersApr 14 at 9:20 pm1h 43min
S
00:01Speaker 1
Okay. Thank you. And you see that we have a great committee and number of other people. Some people are not here, but great round rounding committee to speak in various areas that they have expertise in or just knowledge in. The next item is approval of the agenda.
S
00:21Speaker 2
Mr. Chair, I move approval of the agenda, unless there is anyone else that has some corrections they'd like to make.
S
00:30Speaker 1
Second, probably moving a second. Is there anyone that want to make any changes to the agenda? Hearing, none. We approve that by consensus, approval of the minutes from our last public session,
S
00:48Speaker 2
Mister Chair, I move, approval of the minutes with any necessary corrections
Unknown Speaker
is the support. Yes,
Unknown Speaker
property
S
00:58Speaker 1
moving supported. And again, if anyone has any corrections from the minutes, it's always something that we could do at the next meeting. All those in favor of motion is approved of minutes. And by saying, aye, anyone opposed any extensions, okay, unfinished business, we don't have any under new business before we get this. It's a small things that we have accomplished, and then we have a presentation that was given to city council, but number six is the main reason why we want to be here for your participation, and I'll explain that in a few minutes, but potential policy recommendations just to comment that we are very close to having a finished product. We have gone through a number of different areas, had harm studies completed by a number of different institutions, and have taken other information from individuals that have been working the various areas. And we have hired a writer that we reported last time, so she is busy reading through the material, and we have until June 30 to have it completed. We hope to have it completed before that so we have a chance to review it and then to move it on to city council. We still are meeting every Tuesday for two at least two hours to go over various items that we need to finalize. And we're making great progress in doing that. We did make a presentation in city council that I think Evan is going to do the presentation now. Okay?
Unknown Speaker
Thank you to the chair,
Unknown Speaker
and Janet Hazel has arrived to the meeting.
S
02:53Speaker 3
Just thank you, everybody for joining as member. Parker said we did present this as city council and also at our last public session that we have virtually in February. So we just have a few more updates since then that we want to share. One of them being this one, the reparations eligibility survey. So as a member, Parker said, we've been working a lot on the report, and finalizing it eligibility is another big part of it. So if you all would scan this QR code, you could take the survey. We have about close to 200 so far. We have almost 1000 on our original survey with the 30 policy recommendations. So we definitely want to get as much feedback on this and feel free to share it with as many people as well. You go to next slide.
S
03:41Speaker 4
You So
S
03:50Speaker 3
quick recap on the reparations task force was put on a ballot in 2021 seated in 2023 and fully staffed and seated in 2024 so we have 13 members in 2021 it was passed with overwhelming support, over 80% of the voting population currently. Now our office is at 4605, cast Avenue, um, we're there from 12 to five every Tuesday and Thursday. So feel free to come to our office during our office hours. We have our weekly meetings every Tuesday at 5:30pm been working on finalizing the report and also working with the report writer and project manager, obviously to oversee operational and administrative support some of our partnerships and university research that we did included Columbia University, whose report we shared, the harms report from the University of Michigan. We also worked with Wayne State, Howard University, and groups like the reparation education project, the black. Bottom archives. We've had at a meeting, the National Symposium for state and local reparations and lawyers, bankers, Community Land Trust, and we've been getting a lot of great research going into our report. Once again, our new survey is the eligibility survey, which we're trying to build up, and our community survey, which we featured on the news we also had at our public sessions. We've had monthly public sessions for about the past year now, and the feedback that we got from the Public Sessions is what we use to put the 30 policy proposals together, also the four questions that are in the eligibility survey, building a report team. So I believe, in February, we talked about onboarding the writer. So at this point, the writer has been onboarded, the writer has been given the outline, and we're working with the reporter now to finish the report, and we're going to talk a little bit about that during the breakout sessions today, as well data gathering, ensuring completeness. So again, the roundtable discussions that we had that's the purpose of this meeting, remember, our social said as well, to get feedback from the community, and also working with city departments is something that we've been working on since October, like the legislative policy division, to help us with the implementation and the administration of our policy objectives once the report is given to city council in June. Breakman, no report the outline and the topic. So the outline is going to cover history, eligibility, recommendations and areas for redress, and some of the sources that we have with recruitment areas well, black reparation project, Dawn of Detroit, white bonus, and again, the National Symposium for state and local reparations, which is the largest reparations organization in the nation, that we attended last December, extending the reach. So at our last public session, we mentioned that we would be asking for an extension. We did present the City Council our annual report on February 25 and we asked for that three month extension. We also gave the report and answer questions from City Council at the next formal session, they did grant us the extension, so we are now set to present our final report and our presentation to City Council at the end of June, just real quick on our budget as of April 7. So by a couple of days ago, our remaining balance is about $213,000 we've used about 203,000 so roughly over half of our budget is still here that we were Allocated. Allocated 350,000 initially, and then another 66,000 for fiscal year, 25 so just to recap, actively working with the report writer to finalize the report, incorporating community input expert analysis, as we intend to do today. And upon completion, the report will be publicly released, and we'll have a public session like this to share the findings before it's officially given to city council, and that concludes it. Just want to give our contact info. Once again, we're at 4605, cast Avenue. You could call us at 313-439-5645, email us at reparations at Detroit mi gov, reparations at Detroit mi.gov and our website is Detroit mi.gov/reparation so there are many ways to get in contact with us, and we look forward to hearing info from everybody. So with that, I'll send it back to the Chair. Thank you.
S
08:33Speaker 1
Thank you, Evan. Thank you. See that quite a bit that we have done and and still a lot that we have to move forward. But let me, let me explain the main purpose of this meeting. And you, if anyone has come before, we have done this a couple of times where we really want input from you on what you think that we should be recommending to city council. We have gone through quite a bit the last time there's quite a bit of suggestions. We have gone through each of those, and some of them are incorporated, and what we're going to do. So how we're going to do it is, we're going to break into tables again, we'll have document that we want you to follow to some degree. It's very general, so you'll be able to do it, but just within those categories to be able to make recommendations of what you think we should be putting in our report to city council. So what we would do is take about 40 minutes or so to discuss at the table. I would only ask you not to get hung up on one thing, and you talk about that for 20 minutes or or more,
Unknown Speaker
then you can't get to
S
09:42Speaker 1
the other areas that we want recommendations. That doesn't mean that we're going to cut you off, but hopefully you could not do the speeches and just the facts, whatever you want to see in it. In doing that, each of us will be at a table to help give you any guidance. So you might want but we we only want to answer questions, not judge anything that you're recommending on that anything that you recommend will go down on the report. We also ask you to identify one person at the table that will make the report back to the general body. At the end, we have 1015, minutes where we'll come and you'll be able to report what areas you want us to concentrate on, or at least to put into our report. So please identify somebody at the table that can take notes and come and make a brief presentation about what the table beside it. Any questions on that structure, how we're going to proceed? Okay, Evan, if you could pass out. I if you're not at a table, you think there's too many people at that table, feel free to move around. I see a couple tables over there that do, do not have as many people. Only has one I'm sure. Alright, you're going to have a hell report, but you can move around anywhere you want.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah, well, that was awesome.
Unknown Speaker
Evan, did you pass him out
Unknown Speaker
water as
Unknown Speaker
well as you go into the ocean.
Unknown Speaker
How's Good? Thanks, man. So I'm just like observing.
Unknown Speaker
That's okay.
S
12:16Speaker 5
Speaking on public comment. Yeah, we'll just spend three minutes. Yeah,
S
12:47Speaker 3
40 minutes.
Unknown Speaker
So you guys, you
Unknown Speaker
Yeah, just got a bunch of extra papers, right?
S
13:21Speaker 6
Yeah, maybe. Thank you. Excuse me. Can everybody hear me? Okay? Can we try to keep our voices down a little bit, because there's a lot of people talking all at once. Thank you. I can we
S
13:46Speaker 1
turn the volume down? Testing? Okay, as you get settled at your table, we need to be conscious, as was just mentioned, that if you talk too loud, then other people would not be able to hear was at their table to appreciate you can use your indoor voice and try to make whatever points you want. If you have any questions about the categories and you're not clear what they mean, the member that's at your table should be able to share with you what that concepts are. I think there is pretty clear. Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I would say hotel. I don't know anybody. Let me see what's okay. Alright, let's proceed on. You can start to talk. We got 40 minutes. I'll let you know when it's about 30 minutes. We got 10 remaining.
Unknown Speaker
So if. To
S
15:02Speaker 7
participate. They can't participate in this, if y'all don't mind,
S
15:07Speaker 5
we just for the people online so they can join in the conversation. So, you know, it's obviously a microphone.
Unknown Speaker
Everybody is out
Unknown Speaker
here. The idea is to have a, yeah, line along
S
15:23Speaker 5
with the conversation. Okay, if I can just sit again. I know.
S
15:33Speaker 2
Alright. Well, the the idea is, after the after the 40 minutes, yeah, after the 40 minutes is out. Yeah, we're just going to one of us, and we're hoping that it's not a person from the task force who makes that kind of summary to the general body. And the reason, obviously, what we're doing that is that everybody, there's no reason for people to start at number one or start at number six, so people are probably going to select whatever it is that they're most interested in, and when you put them all together, ideally, we get, we get the a fair representation of the entire rule. Okay, alright. So anybody want to be the person who will make our monthly okay, you selected bro, I mean,
S
16:33Speaker 2
Yeah, can we bother you for another I think we need one. He needs one more, yeah, um, so, oh, sure, sure. And, and mind you at any point, just like you have done in the past, if anybody wants to send something in, even if it didn't come from this table, but your thoughts after discussion, or whatever the case may be, feel free to do that. What we what we're doing, we're taking all those in, we're tracking them, and we're trying to incorporate them into our broader discussions. And so even when we get to our Tuesday meeting, for example, if there was some that came in that period of time, we normally have a report on our agenda, primarily headed by Evan, who says, what, what correspondence or information came in, and we kind of like discuss it. So things, you know, some things fall through the crack, but we try not to. Okay.
S
17:52Speaker 2
Okay, so did everybody get a chance to look at the we're using this here right now, there's six elements on it, okay? And of those six elements, anybody want to kind of work through any of them, or see anyone that that they are,
S
18:17Speaker 2
or any other questions that anybody had, because we get new people throughout, we try to do the kind of quick summary, but we get people well, okay, so any question, but this is the focus for this?
S
18:37Speaker 2
Well, then, then Bill, how about did you have one that you wanted to look at
S
18:42Speaker 7
it was interesting to Me. Last time I came to
Unknown Speaker
they were discussing the
Unknown Speaker
mean for that?
S
19:06Speaker 2
No. In fact, one of the one of the surveys that Evan pointed out today, and that was the QR code that he had up, is a survey specifically on the question of eligibility. And eligibility is how that would be defined. Okay, right? You know
S
19:31Speaker 8
this cash payment is that with this answers,
Unknown Speaker
that project.
S
20:06Speaker 9
Yeah, while we talk, you had a you had a thought, or here, let me give you the mic, bro. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker
oh, okay. So what we're doing
S
20:25Speaker 10
in the moment right now is we are currently discussing these six different items, and based on these items, we're going to just, we're going to write down the first things that come to mind after we've read these sentences, and then we have members of the board at each of these tables, and they, Oh, okay, so we're talking to zoom. Okay. So that's exactly what we're doing in the moment as we are going over these six questions. And at each table, we're just asking each other, you know, what's the first thing that comes to mind? And then we're going to make some more concrete recommendations as a result of that. And then after some time discussing it will have people present to the entire group. My name is Whitney Clark,
S
21:09Speaker 9
so we were looking at the sheet and trying to figure out what leaps out at us. What we got so far was looking at number six. Aaron talked about, no, it was William to talk about a mechanism that continues to manage the work after the reparations recommendations come in. And then Aaron throughout the idea of group economics and put, you know, think about putting $1 into one big pot and growing it over time. What else leaps out at? Y'all when you look at this sheet? Haven't heard yet from you. Brother,
S
21:46Speaker 11
yes, yeah, I'm trama, I said, stated that number six one was one of the first ones that stood out to me and and I agreed with the brother Aaron, about the social economic disparities, I believe those are the term you Use. There
Unknown Speaker
can at home right now.
Unknown Speaker
Program,
S
23:00Speaker 10
so one of the things that sticks out to me here at number five, it says compensation to African Americans as a collective through city grants for initiative innovative rather programs designed by citizens to advance community sustainability. So whenever I see this one, that's number five. Whenever I see that one that that sounds like to me, setting aside money to help people expand the work that already exist. And that's and that's what I was, that's what you know me, and that's what we talk about. Miss Edith, it's like, how can we make sure that the work that you guys are already doing, you have the money to to the money set aside. And I think this is a great avenue to do it, because this gives us the excuse we need to keep the money clean. Because often times what happens if you get a grant or something like that, and it has to go through so many different hands, so $50 million turns into 12 million, and by time it gets the neighborhood. So I think this might be a better way to, you know, make it more public and keep it, keep that money clean, so to speak, so,
S
24:16Speaker 12
because it goes, Oh, this is Aaron speaking. I like what you just said, because the corrective social policies and legislative initiatives, how are they going to be implemented to correct those issues when the monies are there, we need to have some we have to have some boundaries. We have to have individuals who are willing, know legislatively, to do something, and I don't feel I'm represented as well as I can by the state government.
S
24:57Speaker 11
Yeah, this is tremendous. Mail and and I was looking at number one, where it says cash restitution. Because what stood out for me what that is through policies, huh? Yeah, number one two, through policies like redlining or COVID leasing or COINTELPRO, usually when those policies that are that are ended up attacking our community, there's economic cost of that and and that plays into the lack of wealth, if you get COVID, if you if your uncle got CO and Tail pro, he can't work a job if he usually coin Tail pro means you got locked up, you know, or it red line. And usually some sort of the harm to that usually is, is it affects your your wealth and your cash. So I could understand number one also,
S
26:03Speaker 10
and see, and to add on to that, this is Whitney, Whitney Clark, again, that you know. And like you were saying, Mr. Davis, that seems like an unlikely one. And the only way that I would, you know, think that that would be a viable pathway forward is if we have strong number two, because we gotta be able, we need compensation to African Americans as a collective through restore, a restoration of previously terminated Community Services and institutions. And I'm capitalizing, I'm underlining institutions, because they broken down schools in a way that keeps us dumb. And so the fear that that I have when I hear cash reparations is, well, all we're going to do is go and spend it on something dumb, right? And so if we have education to go along with it, because, for example, if you give the average person my age, you know, let's just say 5000 extra bucks. I mean, I think it's naive to think that all $5,000 are going to go to something that betters the community. You know, I'm, I'm going to pass my liquor store. You know, I'm saying I'm going to go in, yeah, I understand, but I'm saying just in theory, and I'm, and I'm not necessarily, I'm not, I'm not saying that this is necessarily my perspective, but I know that this is an argument that people will make, you know, like, when we, yeah, when we give them money, then, then, then, what are they going to do with it? You know? How can we ensure that they're going to do something that impacts them in a positive way? Right? Where it opens another debate, which is going
S
27:34Speaker 13
Edith, Ford, one thing my grandmother always told me, when it's your money, you can stick it up a rest behind and let them run up the alley. That's on you. The consequences after that, if you don't do what you should, that's on you too. So we, we, I don't want us to continue with that narrative that black people don't know what to do for their money, for example, and Evanston, Illinois, they gave 25 like older people there, $25,000 a piece cash. Most of them got their homes fixed. Three of them help their grandkids or adult children open businesses. So we don't necessarily like mess up our money and and with the cash? No, this is the thing about reparations. We're not going to win it just with litigation and writing this report. It has to be a massive in the street movement that's bigger than the civil rights movement. You know, we gotta get out of this. Me, me, me, and work in the collective, because as black people, there's no we. That's our culture. This is where we come from. When we start adopting white supremacy and being individuals, our neighborhoods and our communities start failing, and we have to stop that.
S
29:08Speaker 14
My name is Ken Scott. I've attended a number of these meetings, and I'm looking at one through six, and I don't see anything specifically that has been identified as to what we're going to address
Unknown Speaker
to me,
S
29:30Speaker 14
and keep in mind that I've been ahead of a number of organizations. I want specifics. I don't know if you all know about the acronym SMART. Make it specific, make it measurable, attainable, actionable, achievable, however you want to say it rewarding and timely, and I don't see anything these things that address that. From the last time that I appeared here, which was months ago, I. I want to see specifics. I want to see I want to okay, but at the same time, we're still talking about generalities. We're not talking about what the harms were, what the losses were, what the discrimination was, abuses in injuries, and we're not talking about how to remedy any of those. And I'm more for specifics. I don't talk about generalities. I want to know what we're going to do once the money comes in, once it's been allocated, once it's been dispersed, okay, okay, but at the same time, each time that you address this, it should be in there as a platform to do so. No.
Unknown Speaker
I our carnity report. Well,
S
31:46Speaker 1
this. This is live. Can I talk? Can I speak to it? So
S
31:59Speaker 1
if you want to get some priority, have your attention half of the time is already gone by 20 minutes. If you are going through each one, you should be at number three by now. So
S
32:10Speaker 15
okay, we gotta speed up a little bit. But we was talking about cash compensation. Who should qualify? My brother said that he believes for sure, should be the sentence of persons and slave qualifying for the program, and that from a priority standpoint, I 100% agree. And then we also talked about, what about people who live outside of Detroit, who live here, who was harmed and then displaced, whether they fit into the equation?
S
32:32Speaker 16
Well, I guess my my thought is, first of all, how would you prove
Unknown Speaker
I don't know,
Unknown Speaker
go ahead.
S
32:46Speaker 16
How do you prove it? How, if you're going back to descendants of slaves, you know, how? How do you ever prove it? You know, it's a whole process. And like the brother said, you know, a costly process. You know, at that, and even if the city is paying for this, is this coming from city conference, where's the money coming from? I guess that's my question. Okay, where's the money coming from? I did budget for the city of Detroit, one of the agency, where's the money coming from? And if it's coming from this, what must we give up in order to get that and see we never talk about both sides of the equation. We just talk about, oh, yeah, let's pay, pay, pay. But what are we going to cut? Cut, cut, in order to do it?
S
33:39Speaker 17
Alright, I don't know if this mic works, but, oh, okay, all right, but I had made a proposal it will be on one of your meeting agendas that would talk about a bond proposal where we would be able to do arena and eSports, arena and water park at the Renaissance Center. Let that generate the money to pay reparations now to who I'm saying, just in case, you always put I'm a lawyer, you put it back up in there, just in case. You don't want to just say descendants of slavery. You want to also say victims of genocide of African descent, because now you got plenty of victims of genocide, and especially Palestinian but that's where you have to specify which group of genocide. But yet it isn't. It isn't just priority. It's precedent. And the precedent that was set, there's two we can't just follow the American model. The international model was based on the anti genocide Treaty, which America is a signer of, and now forcing them to obey the treaty that they signed. And go around the world and forcing other people to obey. That's what you can use against them, but you have to show that they're doing that to blacks, because they could easily say they do that to everybody, and that would be true just
S
35:13Speaker 18
a question here, just as we can in the past, there have been
S
35:21Speaker 2
walking one of them has been to fashion, yeah, somebody else.
S
35:33Speaker 2
Okay, all right, okay, one of, one of the, one of the debates that is taking place is that, should we fashion a set of remedies that's reflective of the harm itself, no attention paid to cost? Or should we fashion a cost and then try and put remedies with inside of that, okay? And this question of which way do you go? Okay, okay, okay, okay.
S
36:13Speaker 19
Here we're talking about making new laws right, or recommending new laws to deal with whatever issues we have in the community that we want to correct.
S
36:28Speaker 20
These are grants. We are number four. Was it four or five up? My bad, sorry, composition compensation for two African Americans implement through implementation of corrective social policies and legislative initiatives I misread, but that would be creating new laws that a law and ordinance
Unknown Speaker
rule
S
36:59Speaker 20
that corrects the laws and rules that allow the harms to occur.
S
37:18Speaker 21
Targeting like this, my one PP, my one is the scanning of our license plates. Nobody gets scanned, but Detroiters, it's on their their police vehicles, so they scan your plate to see if you have car insurance. Lack of car insurance is now a crime, a misdemeanor, so you're basically being criminalized because you're poor and can't afford to pay. So no other city in the state of Michigan, probably in the whole entire United States gets their plate scanned. If you don't commit a traffic offense, they shouldn't be allowed to hunt you down and and write you a ticket and on top of that, tow your car. So that needs to be immediately removed because you're targeting black poor blacks. I'm riding down the street. I'm trying to explain to you how it works, okay,
S
38:33Speaker 20
scanning device or because they usually, when the police stop you, they have viewed your license plate before they even approach the car. So I'm asking, I do you mean in some type of electronic scanning device?
S
38:46Speaker 21
Yes, they're on the top of the police cars on their dashboards. It happened to me, luckily, the police officer that scanned my plate because I did not pay my insurance again, so my the Secretary of State will cancel your plate. She pulled me over. She said, Your Kate, your plate is canceled. And I'm like, I know. So she said, I'm not going to tow your car, but I have to confiscate this plate off of your car. And I said, Okay, I'm just going to go to work. She said, You know, you're riding with no plate. Now the next officer might not be so nice. And I'm like, Well, I gotta take my chances, because I have to go to work. So they took my she took my plates. Yeah, not the people don't know it, and they it's like a a tactic that they use against our seniors. And it is so I be so incensed because they have to go out the first of the month and, you know, do their little shop and pay their bills or whatever, and they just take the plate at one one gentleman had his grandkids. It was pouring down raining, and he had the tow truck come and take their car. He had those three little toddlers standing out in a thunderstorm on seven mile and Gratiot as he took that gentleman's car. Yes, which, again, he chose to do it. So what happens is they take you're just driving. You haven't done any you're talking about people pulling you up
S
40:11Speaker 22
protective force, because there, you know, everybody else has a militia, and we need our own protection, for our neighborhoods, our children and our families,
Unknown Speaker
anybody else,
S
40:29Speaker 23
I believe that that also got to be with Hey, what's up? I believe that that has to also be with us, you know, with officials living in the in the city, you know, they got to live in the city if they police in the city, you know, so that those those funds will remain in the city. Because if they're policing us and then living out in Jackson, all of our dollars are going out to Jackson, you know what I'm saying on top of them, yeah? But that's, that's, that's, that's still as well as military and stuff like that. Because you was talking about these militias, right?
Unknown Speaker
Yeah?
Unknown Speaker
Militia, not nobody. I think that there should
S
41:23Speaker 24
be, as when Coleman Young came in, you know, one of his major goals was one to eliminate stress and to bring some equity within the Fire and Police Department. That has never truly happened, and it's, as a matter of fact, sliding backwards. I think that there should be absolute goal to ensure that the police and fire department look like the residents of the city.
S
41:53Speaker 24
Okay, I think that there should be an absolute effort, a plan documented that and within a certain time period, no more than 10 years, that the police department as well as the fire department, will reach the same ethnic composition in terms of African Americans as the city of Detroit. Nobody
Unknown Speaker
else have anything to add. Circle back around I've been on for ideas
S
42:25Speaker 25
earlier contribute. I got some more to say.
S
42:33Speaker 23
As far as the funding for the policing and everything, this is why I'm saying that there needs to be a trust established so that the our departments and things won't be parasitic in their operation amongst the citizen. Of to the citizens, you know what I'm saying so they like she was saying, militias and everything can form and be a part of the neighborhood block clubs and stuff like that, and the way that we are police will functionally, philosophically change because they have the economic means to do so and not need to issue tickets to have job security.
S
43:26Speaker 24
I think that you know, one of the issues that the one of the migrates, the great migration from the South to the North, was that we came to the north because we were looking for opportunities for jobs. The City of Detroit had numerous departments, and particularly the water department that hired and many families were and families came out of poverty as a result of being able to work in these various departments. Almost all of these departments have been privatized. I think that these departments should be restored to the control of the city of Detroit, and therefore under the city of Detroit, then you'll have those opportunities for people then to apply for jobs. Right now, these jobs can go to anybody. No longer is the city of Detroit. It used to be number one or number two employer in the city of Detroit. It's not like that now. And if you look at who's working for the city, it's not us. Okay? You I
S
44:23Speaker 1
just want to let you know you had 10 minutes remaining, so hopefully you're bundling me on number five or since, and you will have identified somebody that will come and make a report from your committee that you may want to go over it at the end, who
S
44:39Speaker 13
was black, who lived in an urban renewal area in Detroit that was displaced without receiving compensation. Not only should they get reparations, but they should get what the law said they would get. This area was governed by this whole city was governed. Public act 344, and those people lost benefits, they lost jobs, they lost grants, and all the opportunities that were supposed to be there available to them when their neighborhoods were taken. There were 17 neighborhoods in Detroit, and most of them were prime land along the River downtown. And so many of those people were displaced, and their land was taken and and someone were just thrown out, the ones in apartment buildings, and they should get compensation for that
S
45:30Speaker 22
man. I got one more with the police thing, people who experience police brutality should be compensated, and people who who the police have beat them up, whatever the police did to them and stole their freedom, whatever those people should be identified and given reparations for the abuse and harm that they faced
S
46:01Speaker 26
for those that have been wrongly accused of crimes throughout the state of Michigan, I do reparations if they can prove that it's it was racially motivated. They were racially profiled
S
46:19Speaker 23
and all bad cops should definitely be removed. And by them having the funding, they would be able to do so and and replace them and get people trained, yep,
S
46:39Speaker 22
restore the African centered education academies, and restore the the like we had home or economics. We had wood shop, metal shop, restored those, those kind of programs for our children, so that they because we everybody ain't going to college, we need to restore the skills that were right in the Detroit public schools. I helped found the African center education throughout Detroit Public Schools, and I know what it took.
Unknown Speaker
Okay? And they
S
47:16Speaker 23
deputized the felons in other states. So they deputize felons in other states to be police. You know what I'm saying? And 18 year olds, yeah, they have in like, red states, so, so definitely we need to look at a serious militia and police force that she's talking about,
Unknown Speaker
I like to see a restoration of our neighborhoods.
S
47:51Speaker 6
Oh, you can be a fella here and then go to another state and still be a police officer.
S
47:55Speaker 24
I think that we should have, there should be a restoration of the neighborhoods and an honest effort to make sure that there's a public school consistent with the neighborhood.
S
48:06Speaker 15
Okay, so let's, let's talk about the money now, right? We when we talking about his, when we talking about this, hold on, but let listen when we talking about this idea, cash plus programs
S
48:19Speaker 2
we have not just been talking about. Off the money. No,
S
48:23Speaker 15
but go ahead. So, so if we talking about this idea here, we gotta recognize for any cash cash compensation program, we going to need a pilot, and as soon as some Detroiters touch 25,000 that's going to spark interest. Now the question is, how many people with the task force recommend for a pilot program where, let's say, 1000 Detroiters received the 25,000 because we talk about Evanston. They the only city where eight, at least 70 people have gotten 25,000 from that city. The only issue is that 230 now, yeah, okay, 230 25,000 no other city has done that, but the reality is, but the reality is, in that city, it's only 10,000 black folks. They had a program where it's only 600 people that see that want to get it. Yeah, but they they are giving it. And so with Detroit, it may have to start off slow, but once people touch it through marijuana taxes, property taxes, over a million dollars in the city of Evanston, and a few other programs, private donations, etcetera. But they took the steps to start paying those people. So I all know, I hear it a lot like people who I'm like you, I'm practical. Some people say $300,000 from East Detroit. Being realistic, where did the money coming if I could just
S
49:44Speaker 2
push us along just a little bit because we we were on the cash payments, and there are obviously other kinds of things in which we wanted to cover.
S
49:58Speaker 2
It is reasonable. For us to have different views. I mean, our community is not monolithic, you know. So they're going to be different views, and people going to come at it in different ways. So if we could go to what's the next one, they don't want to take up. So do we can at least say that we, we covered more well. You, you went up, you went to six, right? Yeah. Compensation.
Unknown Speaker
You have five minutes to wrap up,
S
50:27Speaker 8
is for social policy. It doesn't seem to do with counties per se. You know, two individuals, for me, for me, for me, the big I would like to see more money come into Detroit for programs where there's trade schools. I don't, you know. I know that I personally watched when I was younger what was going on. You know, when my parents were trying to sell their house, we lived in Detroit, trying to sell their house to to a black person, and our neighbors were, gotta be crazy types of, you know, but so that's just,
S
51:18Speaker 27
they're, they're, they're, they're going on their own issues, which I have constantly said, need to ask the people, what do they want? What are their eligibility requirements? We we need to know what. And I think that I'm not so sure that we're going to finish this process in June. I'm not so sure I think we need to have more of these. And I don't even like this, this framework today, which I've said over and over, we need to have separate rooms so that we can hear each other. This has been very challenging. It needs to be longer than this, like sessions just on eligibility, because, you know, if we have 50 people, we need to discuss that very clearly. And I don't think these 20 minutes is enough
S
52:02Speaker 28
that are participating, and we are getting definitive points that should be, should have been here months ago. You know, I'm saying we made sure we got rid of African Americans, because it's let other immigrants in. I mean, other races in. We made sure we got rid of, you know, we made it linear based, lineage based. So that goes back to the 1600s up until now, then the families that came to Michigan in the 1900s so we did what you supposed to do. I mean, we going in the circles, saying the same thing over and over again, right?
S
52:43Speaker 27
But I have to say there are members of the task force who are not hearing so.
Unknown Speaker
So what
S
52:52Speaker 6
his to what he was just a piggyback on what he was saying about participation. I'm out here in the city, and I'm telling everybody, come come to the reparations task force meetings, come on. And they're like, well, for what I don't have nothing to say. But then when everything goes into place, they're going to be the ones that say, who said that I didn't agree to that, you know? And so I'm just going to speak again. If you're not in these meetings, when everything goes down, just remember that you did not participate in it is what it is.
S
53:27Speaker 29
And just my last little word, I want to thank the task force for coming together and even holding such a great debate on this issue in terms of restorative justice and seeing us as people and acknowledging the harm, the pain that continues, and wanted to do that work. So I hope that we're able to get some restorative justice for our people that is long overdue, and also include the people who were displaced as well by the 375 highway, Expressway and black bottom and Paradise Valley as well. So I heard a lot about that. So thank you.
S
54:08Speaker 27
And I want to stay it's not just i 375, it's 375, 9496 there's this focus on 75 it's all of the freeways that were developed, quite
S
54:22Speaker 28
free. In Minneapolis for Rondo, because I lived in Minneapolis for like, 1520, years. I don't know Mike's wife, whatever. So and I went on the bike trail for the for the RONDO days. Kind of found out the same freeway that went through Detroit went through Saint Paul, Minnesota, if you look at the fruit it went, I went through every black dang on community, which is kind of crazy if you trace it, you know. But I
S
54:52Speaker 30
wanted to add, as far as the boundary lines is concerned, are we including all of the black? Communities in the area. Because even if the black bottom and Paradise Valley, I want reparations from COVID Park that sits on the black bottom, I want, you know, I want the reparation from fordville, they'll say, I want everything if you want to go about the city, as far as the black bottom or Paradise Valley is concerned beside for going up to Davidson and in
S
55:24Speaker 1
Okay, the time is up 40 minutes. I know it went by quick, and I know that you're still talking as I'm talking, but we need to wrap it up, because we have a couple other things we need to do, and we want to get reports from each of your tables. So
S
55:52Speaker 1
All right, so do I have a volunteer that will come up first to get a report from their table? And if you could stop talking, I know that you still have other things you're discussing, but in order to keep the time and let's get out here by four o'clock, we need to proceed. You're going to do it. Okay, we got our first table. I appreciate you could be quiet and let the individual get the report from their table.
S
56:27Speaker 1
All right, I wish I had numbers on the table. I would call it out to tell you to be quiet. But let's give respect to the people. Alright, go on. Afford. Okay. Here's the first report from the table. I hope everybody's listening. So if you have something that's the same, you may not have to do a long explanation of it. Here you go and give your name and show what table you're at.
S
56:57Speaker 10
Good afternoon again, everyone. My name is Whitney Clark. I'm sitting back here at this table with these wonderful gentlemen and young lady. Um, so we discussed a number of great things. One of the things that we discussed more recently was just the importance of home ownership and the importance of getting people back on the pathway of home ownership. We also discussed, you know, revamping our schools. And it sounded as though we were, we agreed, in one way or the other, about like a comprehensive education where people can get trades, where people can get financial literacy, where people can get just all the type of like skills that they need in the real society today to be able to work out of high school. And so that's what it sounds like we were talking about on the education front, um, we also very briefly mentioned banks and the fact that, you know, traditional lending does not work for a lot of the homes here in the city. And so we talked about the fact that we do need to, we do need to have our own, you know, financial institutions. One gentleman mentioned group group economics. Excuse me, everybody just pitching in periodically into a table we, uh, lastly, discuss deregulating. And again, just really talk about home ownership and how we can address education and things of that nature. Thank you very much.
Unknown Speaker
Alright, thank you, booby.
S
58:17Speaker 1
Second, my brother, yes, recognize it. My brother here, he's ready to go. Alright, there you go. And just give your name the table you're at.
S
58:29Speaker 15
No, no, no, that one point, just that one. So, yeah, we said. And we had some good discussions. Uh, overall, we talked about, you know, who should get cash compensation? What should that priority be? And I think most of us at the table agreed that descendants of persons and slaves should have priority in this compensation. And when we drill down a bit further, we all agree that elders should also be prioritized in any cash compensation program that comes up from Detroit, just because when we talk about time, everybody doesn't have additional years, like some of us in this room. And then, in addition to that, we also talked about investment in trade schools, investment in different apparatuses that go beyond cash. Because there was some thoughts about the practicality of, where does all of this cash come from? How do we actually get that created without creating a burden for Detroit residents, and I think there was some interesting solutions brought up, as far as recapturing funds that are currently within the city budget, that are not being utilized the way that they should be using those funds to fund these reparations initiatives. On top of that, we kind of circled a little bit about the establishment of a freeman department. So when we talk about things like, how do we qualify? Who's qualified? That genealogical conversation is something that keeps coming back to the table, and ultimately, we need a department or an agency that can track the status and work of the task force and at the same time say that in five to 10 years, these things are working, and thus reparations and. Being achieved in Detroit. And then I think beyond that, there were comments about group economics. Miss Anita, she also mentioned that if we talking about eligibility, kind of leveraging some of the concepts from the international model, which is nothing wrong with that. And then last but not least, there was comments and mentions about the harm to Detroit retirees who actually lost entire pensions. And in the context of this conversation, if we're talking about generational wealth, people who are robbed of their retirement funds can't pass anything down. And so in the concept of cash compensation, there are things that need to be quantified. And that was one that one of my group members brought up. So that's all we have. Thank you, brother. Okay,
S
01:00:47Speaker 1
and you need to know all this is be recorded, and we'll be able to document it for our task force when we meet next.
S
01:00:57Speaker 21
Hello, everyone. My name is Kimberly Canty. I set a table here for number one, for the cash conversations, we listed the illnesses for the areas like Delray, who have been poisoned forever, loss of bankruptcy rules for people's pensions, their jobs, their health insurance, the retirees lost our police officers lost their health insurance, all of that should be cast compensated. The privatization of our jobs from public lighting. All those gentlemen lost their jobs, their health their health insurance, their pensions when it was privatized out to DTE, loss of wages, the closing of our trades program, so our young people are now unable to become a tradesman and have a journeyman license, because now they have to pay $18,000 to take those classes which were free through the city. Also we paid them. They had insurance, they had benefits, and could contribute to the pension. So we have the other thing we need to be compensated for is the rainwater drainage fee. I just watched them shut water down for the church on Mac and Connor. They shut their water off. We have so many fees and things that we need to be the redlining of our car insurance. I live on the border of Grosse Pointe, if my house was two blocks over, it's a $400 a month difference in my car. And wow. So we need to be compensated for the redlining of the mortgages, the insurance and for number two, also the privatization of our clerical jobs out to a private company, so they're not making 12 or $13 an hour. They're now making minimum wage. They have no insurance, and they have no pension and no opportunity for advancement. So all of that needs to be those people need to be compensated for number two, our institutions, they need to return. Delau, yeah, our water department, yeah, our recreation centers, yeah, yes. Uh. Limpy was given to Mitch album of the Detroit Free Press, and the first thing he did was close the pool. So the kids over at seven Island Van Dyke area have lost the opportunity to learn how to swim for free through their recreation center. They're also giving out public land to Dan Gilbert and another gentleman. I can't think of his name, but all public land that has been given to private institutions and private citizens that especially are not Detroiters should be refunded and given back to the city. The land bank is another institution that needs to go for the fraud that they have committed taking the PL the council never should have funded them again. So that needs to be closed and and redone. It should go back to planning and development, to the real estate department. The other thing for number three, for compensation, through the waivers, we have the the toll fee scam, where they're towing your car, the fake parking tickets, they're giving you, the drainage fee, again, from the water, the rain water drainage fee, where only the citizens Detroit are paying for people in Oakland County, which is one of the richest counties in America, why am I paying for them to flush their toilets? Same thing with Macomb. Macomb got a lawyer in suit. They don't pay the drainage fee either. They won, so I understand why we're the only one paying the drainage fee for number four, our public transportation that has to be redone. They don't have a public policy that fits our income guidelines for our busses so that money that. They're using, could be used for our public transportation so our seniors can get out and go where they need to be. Also, we have the license plate scanner thing, where only the negros in Detroit have their license plate scanned. So they tow your car again because you don't have it. And it's also a crime. It's a misdemeanor. One of the gross point officers told me that you can't switch the plate to none of that stuff. So now you're a criminal because you because you're poor and can't pay $600 a month car insurance. So then you go to try to go to grocery shop, and they take your car. They also don't post on Woodward that if you park on that rail, that ticket is $450 there are no signs posted anywhere like they posted on the handicap. This is $150 fine. It's posted on the sign. So you know, so everything now is is a scam for Detroiters and for number five, we want to have our home repair grants restored. That was a program designed from Mary Ann Mahaffey. The senior home repair program was funded every year so you to get a porch, a roof or whatever. For our senior home repair program that has been taken away, and for number six, for the Friedman department. We need to have a competency test for whoever's going to be in that department. They need to have a background expertise, and whatever the issue is that they're monitoring, and also they need to meet metrics. We need to have to show some advancement, and that you need to actually do something for that position, they have to be some system where you're not sitting there three years we're paying you twiddle your thumbs. So that was our
S
01:06:53Speaker 1
I love the way you went down one through six next table. You
S
01:07:03Speaker 1
No, I don't know which one's last one did you all go?
S
01:07:11Speaker 6
Thank you. As you can see, we were very busy over there. Everything that was already stated was exactly what we talked about, but let's go a little bit further. So when talking about specific harms and repairs other than just cash payments, the idea of repairing all of the harms that occurred in the black community, harm of taking our land, our home free education, since that was something that was denied of us, restoration of Community Services, being tax free because we were over tax free health care because we are abused within the health care system and experimented on. Police reform, mental health reform, the establishment of black hospitals with doctors who care about the people within that community because they are also black, instead of being again, experimenting on other things that we talked about is reparations, the reparations department and what All
Unknown Speaker
the do, right?
S
01:08:18Speaker 6
We talked about the citizens that are working within the city departments, fire, police or with the city, regardless, should live within the city borders, because if you are a citizen of the city, then you will care about the city, instead of taking your money from your job to a suburban area and not care about the citizens here. It'll make you pay attention to your job. We also talked about the drainage free fee within the city and how we're paying it, and not the suburbs. We're talking about the tax exemption. We talked about the pipe repair fees and that program that they have now, and how hard it is to be a part of that program. We should get that for free. That should be a free service, because of all of the harm that was done within the water department itself, in those systems being old and beyond disrepair, how many people lost their homes just because of a water bill? We talked about grants. We talked about the establishment, the establishment of a African town, or what we like to call the black business district. They would that was taken from us, like paradise valley or black bottom to get rid of bad cops who are taking money from the city because of lawsuits, the idea that we do not accept cops who are already known to have bad behavior and who are felons, because that is a problem, as well being a felon in one area and then going to another state and also being able to become a police officer. Officer. We already talked about, that's the city position, but we really talked about them being living here, having the benefit of police officers, knowing their neighbors and knowing the children within their community, and establishing community because of that. We talked about the restoration of recreational services, as this young lady also talked about, we talked about dismantling all forms of the police force within our schools or harming our children. We talked about the food deserts and rest during nutritious food within our communities. We talked about restoring black bomb in Paradise Valley, if it's not going to be a business district, to be housing and land that we would have priority in owning because that land was taken from us. We talked about first choice reparations going to people within the black community. You have to be an African American of chattel slavery. We talked about offering trades within the educational system, or apprentice programs, like there used to be economic programs and apprentice programs to help the children acclimate after graduation and to do it young. We talked about the educational system and how it is inferior to our counterparts out in the suburbs. For instance, what's the name of that school again? Ma'am Cranbrook, which I agree. We talked about funding trust for not only just businesses, but also for communities and block club grants. We talked about bringing back equity and dei within the city departments, as well as in the trades and the unions. We talked about the prior, the prior privatizing our jobs just like you did earlier as well. We talked about giving people who had experienced police had brutality compensation. We also talked about freeing our political prisoners and people who had been put into institutions because of cannabis or correct because now they're saying that they want to help these people, and there are non violent crimes, and now you can receive help for things like that, if it's an opioid, but our people are still in jail from the 80s. Okay, we also talked about a restoration of all programs that were taken like, for instance, are, what was the department? Ma'am, I don't remember the I know it's the health department. And there was another one that you were speaking about.
Unknown Speaker
Do you remember?
S
01:12:49Speaker 6
Oh, yeah, all right. DHS, the health department, all the, all the departments. We also, lastly, talked about police officers getting additional training because they cannot take or handle people with mental health disorders and restoring Africans. Listen, we was writing it down. Okay, thank you. Though, every y'all did a wonderful job. Thank you so much. Oh, I thought I did. I said that, okay, tiered level harms, the idea that some people have priority, for instance, people who had experienced harms from black bottom and Paradise Valley, or our seniors, or people who had lost their homes, they would get priority over others. But thank you.
S
01:13:38Speaker 1
Thank you very much. All right, I think of one last table. Now the next table back. Could you do that? Oh, Hazel was doing it. Okay? You have a mic here, here's a mic. Thank you.
Unknown Speaker
That was connected
S
01:13:57Speaker 27
too. Alright, thank you so I'm Janice Hazel, a member of the reparations Task Force, I want to thank the seven people who are sitting at my table for being open and honest and their recommendations. So we went down and focused quite a bit on the survey that I hope everyone will take. So number one, to receive compensation through Detroit reparations programs, a person must be. Number one, the question a descendant of an African enslaved in the United States, and there was very, very strongly agreed that that is an eligibility requirement, excuse me, that we need to have as an eligibility requirement. Number two, the age of an individual to be able to receive reparations at least 21 years of age. That was totally voted down that a person should be whatever age they are whenever, if this program were to come into fruition. So. No. Age limitations. Number three, a resident of Detroit for at least 20 years. No, the people at my table would like to see it to be lineage based, and you must have had lineage in the city of Detroit at least 50 years. So that is at least 50 years, whenever this program might come into fruition. And those people who may have been here, which we've been, our elders, our parents, our grandparents, possibly grandparents, great grandparents, may no longer be living, but that's where the lineage line goes down. So at least 50 years, and not 20 years, that was in the survey, and the number four residency status, a current resident of Detroit and our table members said no, because people have had to move out of the city of Detroit for a variety of reasons. There are people who are our elders, who spent 60 years here, but now are living with another relative in another city in and around Metro Detroit, or possibly outside the state of Michigan, because they need to be cared for, or they're living in a respite or a senior facility. Detroit does not have many of those. They are in our surrounding suburbs. So it was stated that the individual's eligibility, they do not need to be a current resident of Detroit, but must meet the other eligibility requirements of having lived in Detroit or have lineage in Detroit for at least 50 years. And then a big issue that was to discuss is, how do we what do we call ourselves? And we were supposed to have, last year, during some of our sessions, the African American, even though that's in the ballot language, is something that the people at my table don't want. They don't consider themselves African Americans, because that opens the door for a lot of other things, some of the other naming, naming frameworks would be a DOS, which is African descendants of slaves, or American descendants of slaves, freedmen of Detroit, American Negroes or black, but African American is definitely something that the people at my table no longer want to have in the framework. Remove that, that terminology and absolutely within the program, whatever it turns out to be the individuals at my table want cash reparations to be a component, not just programs, but cash must be a part of the equation. And the other thing that we did have a bit of a discussion on is clarification of the reparations framework, restorative justice and reparative justice. So much of what's been said here is about the national framework for reparations. It's not city of Detroit. What did the city of Detroit do? How did it harm its residents? So that's something that we have to always remember. We're talking about the city of Detroit and its institutions, its its government. And so a lot of this other dialog it is about national reparations, federal reparations, national or federal harms. So we have to be very clear about that. And I believe I hit all of them. We have an incredibly knowledgeable person at our table, Miss Mayberry, who spoke to us a few months ago, I think sometime last year about a lawsuit about that. It was, what was the ward? It was a million dollars, $1.3 million because the plaintiff was charging against and I'm sorry you don't have the microphone, but the naming, they did not want to be called. He did not
S
01:19:06Speaker 30
want to be called African American. I went before the State of Michigan on a lawsuit stating that he didn't want to be called an African American, and he won a lawsuit because on his birth certificate, he was a negro at this particular time, like I was stating that we don't, I do not have a race on my birth certificate. It was taken off at this time, my children, my grandchildren, my great grandchildren, because I found my lineage from 1835 it makes me a a prisoner of war during the Trail of Tears, because my people were, you know, were a prisoner of war that we as black people in America, or you want to say black, alright, and we got another story with that one. But the thing is, because we. Fought 100 year war to save our states, because we own Florida, we own Georgia, we owned Alabama, and we had to move out of there because of the going through the Trail of Tears also. So
S
01:20:13Speaker 1
if you could wrap it up, they were and you make public comments, what
Unknown Speaker
year was that public time?
S
01:20:20Speaker 30
What year? What year? Oh, the year that the city of Detroit was, I mean, for state of Michigan is in in 1998
S
01:20:30Speaker 1
or nine, okay, okay. Thank you very much. Thank you for that table. We have people there on Zoom. We want we put the categories, the six categories, online for them to see if there's anyone who wants to make a comment on these six areas of what they think should be, something that we recommend, that was not mentioned already, then You can raise your hand we recognize.
Unknown Speaker
Okay, go on 17 city of
S
01:21:09Speaker 13
Detroit. There were 17 urban renewal areas in this city, and those areas were in what we see as prime land now, mostly you see downtown. You see along the river, all the development and everything. Those were urban renewal areas. In an urban renewal area, the city must give the people their money that they get from the government to fix their homes up, they have to be put in a situation where they are eligible for grants and all kind of benefits. These people didn't get those in addition to that. And I am a person that really suffered through this more than anybody I know, and I was an elected official, these people lost their property. They were thrown on the streets. Some of them, they they didn't get to benefit from any of the development that occurred in their neighborhoods. And the city was saying, yes, they could come back when they fix it up, but now they have condos and homes there that they can't afford to live in, those people should be compensated. Okay?
S
01:22:25Speaker 1
So you want compensation? So yes, very dish. Thank you very much. Anybody on zoom that wants to speak to the sits areas that's something that not been mentioned already, that you are highlight. Just remember, we will have public comment at the end. Or any other comments you may have? Is there anyone that has raised their hand? Yes,
Unknown Speaker
there are five hands raised
Unknown Speaker
two minutes.
S
01:22:50Speaker 31
Thank you so much. May I be heard? We hear you. Okay. My name is Hill, and I just had a quick comment about those six areas and maybe suggestion for how we could implement them from our participation in the Detroit reparations Task Force, it seems like this. There's some more time needed, and maybe even beyond the January deadline, excuse me, June deadline. And maybe we we need something that's going to be permanently established to continue to build this out. So my recommendation is to think of systems that would actually help us to decide those things in a couple of different ways. It sounds like we need to protect our rights here in the statement that the young woman said about the license plate is really disturbing, because that's a receding of our rights in real time right now. So if there's a way that we can protect the rights that we have, and then also kind of look at the rights that we've lost over the years and work backwards, for example, if we were to get an equitable lease agreement payment with glee, will the Detroit water and sewage department? We know that that would be $215 million per year. Right now we're getting a deficit of somewhere around 170 or so million dollars a year. So that would be significant when we talk about jobs and opportunities and even cash payments to these traders, and I'll stop there. Thank you this
Unknown Speaker
person, Adelia Israel,
Unknown Speaker
hello. Hello.
Unknown Speaker
Can you hear me? Hello,
Unknown Speaker
the chair. We can hear you. We can hear you. Go
S
01:24:54Speaker 32
on. Oh, okay, I'm sorry. This is madelia from Detroit, and. And I just have two pretty specific questions about the financing of this future reparation division for the city of Detroit, or freedmen's, or whatever they want to call it. I'm going towards where is the funding coming from? I heard Anita mentioned something about bonds. That's a little sophisticated. We're probably going to have to have a whole session discussing that and how that really works, but we are in a process now, trying to figure out how we're going to take the funding, even the rest that we have the $203,000 what are we going to do with that in the next two months? I agree with Janice, we need to extend this beyond just a rush. I feel like we're rushing through a lifelong matter of concern for harms of black people in Detroit, which is what we always end up being put in some kind of hurry up thing for something that's happened to us for decades, centuries. I say we stop the rush thing, period. And I don't know how we're going to do it, but it needs to get done immediately. Stop rushing us through trying to heal ourselves, period. That's one part. The other part is, I agree with when Mingo, and I'm going to be honest, she went through heck and brush Park, which is where a lot of white people want to be. They're gentrified. Most of that area's got high end condos up and down the road. And they put her out of her. She had a really nice size historic property, and those white guys came and took it. They
S
01:26:38Speaker 33
Next, we have Jerry, yes, I'm sorry, would you like to proceed or do the two seconds? Yeah, that's that go on. I mean, two minutes. Person, okay. Next is Jerry Goldberg.
S
01:26:55Speaker 7
Jerry Goldberg, yes, here I am. Can you hear me? Yes, we can hear you.
S
01:27:00Speaker 34
Listening to I think people come up with tremendous suggestions about how reparations can be used to deal with the many crises we have in Detroit. But the question, of course, is where the funds going to come from, and I submit that the deep pocket that needs to be gone after are the banks. It's the banks. 65,000 Detroiters lost their homes to foreclosures, just from 2005 to 2015 as a result of criminal predatory loans by every major bank. As a result, our population was reduced from one six, from 1 million to 650,000 and we went from the highest city with the highest home black home ownership, to a city with 35,000 rental evictions every year. These same banks then put the city into bankruptcy through criminal loans called interest rate swaps that produce the bankruptcy and of course, that bankruptcy was staged to pay off the banks at the expense of the retirees. 78% of the cost of the bankruptcy went on that retirees and these same banks are responsible for the mass water shut offs that occurred in the city where the bonds are issued for allegedly for infrastructure, went again to pay off criminal, criminal rate, criminal interest rate swaps to the banks. The banks are the target. They are the deep pocket that can pay for what's needed to repay the people that have been our city that has been destroyed by their practices. And of course, these same banks were every one of them was involved in the slave trade. And if you look at the in COVID lawsuits, they target the banks. So it goes way back. So I would just want to say I'd be glad to work with the guy I've spoken to the Commission on this. I would glad to write up a report on the banks. But I think, and of course, people that, how are we going to get to the banks? We'll get to the banks. As one of the women said, I believe Edith Ford, the same way, the reparations will be won through struggle. The banks are vulnerable. Let's go after and let's set an example in Detroit that we're going to go after the deep pockets that have robbed the African American community and all oppressed community.
Unknown Speaker
Thank you. Someone else.
Unknown Speaker
Next, we have Vanita Benitez iPhone. You
Unknown Speaker
Anita,
Unknown Speaker
yes, we can hear you. Go on. I've
S
01:29:28Speaker 35
enjoyed the conversation, and my my support is for Mr. Goldberg and Miss Israel, who just spoke, as well as others. We should stop rushing something, and make sure we cover all the bases, because we've been neglected for so long, and the current administration has showed who it is and what it wants to do. But we will not go away. We will not go back. We're going to move forward with this task force in a unified. Fight manner that will address generations that will come after us because we have been abused, but we haven't given up. So I commend you to keep fighting a good fight. But regret, if we regret that we didn't take the time to do it all. We don't have to do that now. Let's stick together. Thank you.
S
01:30:26Speaker 1
Thank you. Is there anyone else on Zoom, yes,
S
01:30:29Speaker 33
we have net guest, N, A, T, T, E,
S
01:30:36Speaker 1
net. Can you hear us? Yes, good afternoon. Can I be here now? Yes, we hear you.
S
01:30:41Speaker 29
Thank you. I appreciate you allowing me to speak, and I would like to commend everyone for taking the time to view through each of these points, discuss them in detail and present very, very good findings. I would actually recommend, I appreciate all of the six points, but I would probably recommend that veer that none of them are either or all of them come to fruition. However, if the vehicle can be point number six, the freedmen department or Freeman's Bureau to help facilitate this, that would be ideal. My only concern is I wonder if some of these that can be addressed not through reparations but the obligation of the city or state to pick up some of these, to pick up some of the course and some of the administrative courses as well, to be responsible facilitating some of these harms being addressed. I think some of this is actually at the state level, not the end. I think if funds are appropriated from the state, that you can couple those funders in addition to the funding that comes through for reparations to get some of these things done. I do not feel that a reparations budget should cover some of this. It again. It should be the financial responsibility of the state of Michigan, and I guess you know with you all in order to facilitate and get these done. So all six come to fruition. All six are addressed and done, but not from a reparations budget. Get some of the appropriate funds from the state in addition to what you need to push for reparations. Thank you so thank you so much.
S
01:32:18Speaker 1
Okay, that concludes the ones on Zoom. The next item is public comments. So if anybody wants to make public comment, I would only ask to try not to repeat what you did at the table, trying to expand on it. We will, you know, maybe ask people to expand on it as we go back in our committee. But if you have another area you want to make public comment on. Now is the time to do that? Member Parker, Evans, going to walk around with the mic so?
S
01:32:48Speaker 27
Member Parker, yes, I might be heard. Mister singleton has just come back into the room. He was in a National Black Panthers meeting. And so could he have three minutes before we do public comment? Because we're going to end in,
S
01:33:01Speaker 1
yes, I think that we would love to hear from Okay, thank
S
01:33:05Speaker 27
you. I'd like to introduce, excuse me, I'd like to introduce Rashad Singleton, who is here from Florida, just flew in this morning. He is the president of the National reparations League. You will hear about a lot of different national reparations organizations, as you can see, Mr. Singleton, some of you might know him from his hardwood days, his former NBA player, and I'm so very happy that he and other young men like himself are taking the time to use their platform, which you know, if you've been in the NBA, you have a large platform and a large voice. And so he's here today to give us just a little information on reparations on the national level, which we do have legislation, HR 40, but other actions such as the National reparations League Report Card and school that I hope that you will take time to visit their website. Thank you just
Unknown Speaker
tall enough to get you under please proceed on. Thank you very much for coming.
S
01:34:06Speaker 36
Thank you so much for having me. Thank you sister Janice for inviting me. Shalom and all praise to the Most High. It's a blessing to be here with you today. I bring you greetings from Florida, and I just want to let you know, first of all, I know this isn't an easy process, but I want you to think about where you at and where Alabama is. Think about where y'all at, where Florida is. Y'all are leading the way. Y'all are inspiring the whole nation. So keep on going on, each and every one of you, I thank you for your time. You could be sports doing this and another, but you choose to fight this liberation. Sister Janice said, I am the president of the National reparation League, where we have chapters around the nation advocating and fighting for reparations. We've developed something called the. Reparations report card where we want to hold politicians accountable. Room, I ask you, should a politician get your vote if they're not for reparations? Should a business get your money if they're not for reparations? We've developed something called the reparations report card. If you are not for our reparations, you will not get our support.
S
01:35:30Speaker 36
It's too many, too many politicians out here coming to church right before the election just to get your vote. Too many politicians out here kissing black babies just to get your vote. We don't give a damn about you playing the saxophone no more. We don't give a damn about you appeasing us and trying to be cool with us. Our people, as you can see, want one thing, and that's reparations. Reparations, reparations. It is time for the youth to unite with the elders. The youth has the energy. The elders have the answers. It's time we unite across the board. And something that I've learned that there is some white people for reparations, I thank you for being here. We have to understand that people that are for our reparations are our friends, and don't care what they look like. If they're not for your reparations, they ain't your friend, no matter what I say. Black Power to you. Keep on fighting. We love you from Florida. We love you from the south. Rashad, Singleton, Black Power, family.
Unknown Speaker
Black thank you so much,
S
01:36:38Speaker 1
and keep up the great work that you're doing. Okay, public comments. I saw a couple of hands back there, if you can get the mic back there, and again, two minutes.
S
01:36:59Speaker 37
Uh, yes. My name is Victor, gifting for those who are online, um,
S
01:37:04Speaker 7
oh, see that was that was able to sell us, wasn't it talking about stand
S
01:37:11Speaker 37
up? Um, yes. I mean, after listening to everybody who presented something, struck me as not being said. What about the reparation for those who were incarcerated
Unknown Speaker
or worse. Okay,
S
01:37:23Speaker 37
we, we look at, I mean, this whole reparation thing has been, as re McIntyre said back in her book, the criminalization of a race. So we have a lot of people who in lockdown. Will they be have, will they have access to the reparations we know we have political prisoners. Will they have access to if nothing else, will that would their sentence be commuted? We need to make sure that all those who are outside, as well as those who are inside, also benefit from this reparation movement. Thank you.
S
01:38:01Speaker 7
Thank you, Baba. Okay, briefly, I
S
01:38:05Speaker 21
wanted to, I wanted to say I did mention that when we were over at Burt's place about the Duggan eliminating a reporter's court. That was the worst thing to happen to us as far as criminalization of the black man in Detroit, once that we voted in for the nevers and bustle to go to prison. Once that happened, they took away the rights of over a million people to be a jury of their peers. They shut down recorders court, and that was like one of the worst things to happen to us. Still, to this day, we do not have their our own court. Gross point has their court. East Point has a court. Roseville has a court, but it's almost a million citizens here. There's only 30,000 people that live in East Point. So how do they have their own court? And we don't have our own court? Then the state who is our nemesis, the state of Michigan is your enemy. They took they lifted the residency requirement, they allowed dug in to steal their millage money from the public schools in our libraries. They're only doing it here in Detroit, where the Negroes live, those state laws. So that's why Duggan wants to become your governor, so he can make state laws public acts that will kill you off 10 seconds. So the other that's one thing that we need to have reversed, because you don't have a jury of your peers. You have a jury of Wayne County, and most of them are from Livonia. And everybody, almost every citizen of Livonia is of German descent. Mm, my friend had to go to court. They gave him his list. I said, Oh, you. To go with the judge, because everybody that's going to be on your jury is a Nazi. So people don't understand how the court works in in the prison system and judges, that's the thing that Thank you. Thank you very much. Killing us off. Alright,
S
01:40:15Speaker 1
I see more hands going up, so when you really limit it, I hate to make it one minute, but go on and try to do it quickly. Hello,
S
01:40:23Speaker 38
everyone. William Davis, I think a greater effort need to be made, not only to help the city of Detroit, retiree, which I am one, a greater effort needs to be made to reclaim our assets that were stolen by the state in a corrupt governmental action, because we really was not bankrupt, but we are still continue to hurt. If we was able to retrieve our water department or get a fair lease, if we was able to retrieve our dia or get a fair amount of money for it, you know, we could we have assets that was stolen by the state of Michigan, so we need to be aggressively pursuing actions get to get our assets returned. You know, we do not need a whole bunch of white people come and tell us anything. We need to start spending our money in our community, and if our money turned over in our community, we will be able to do a whole lot better economically. That's right, that's all I have to say.
Unknown Speaker
Thank you. Someone else,
S
01:41:21Speaker 10
gone very quickly. Whitney Clark, again, I just wanted to say that we are. I want to just kind of express the urgency of the moment as well, and I know that we don't want to rush and miss something, but I do also want to, like call to everyone's attention that we are, like one part of a mass movement that's going on, and we have to come together in this moment, with the retirees, with those who've just been living here for decades, with those who've been overtaxed, with those who want better schools, there are a number of different movements. And so I believe that the power is in collaboration. And so we do need to, also like be mindful, but also let, let's narrow this down as quickly and and efficiently as possible, so that we can come together while people are trying to become governor, while people are trying to become mayor, because people are asking for our vote right now, let's have a list, and let's make sure that we're holding them accountable.
S
01:42:18Speaker 1
Yeah, okay, Evan, you could come to our front somewhat, most of them from the back. Raise your hand if you want to make a comment, and hopefully you can limit it down as shortly as possible. Yep,
S
01:42:30Speaker 15
I got you. So my name's Ernest Russell, and I'm with the freedmen agenda League of Michigan. Um, before I leave out of here, I hope everyone gets one of these postcards and on it is a QR code to message the state, because, as our sister pointed out, the state of Michigan has played a role in the destruction of black Detroit Detroiter families. In addition to that, not only just Detroit, there's Ben Harvard, there's Saginaw, there's Flint, there's a lot of other cities, and just like in Detroit, those people are going through the same harms. And so I ask that everyone scan that QR code and send it out to the legislators to say that you support a state study. And as brother Rashad pointed out, they're going to be coming back to these churches. They're going to be coming back to these events and kissing your babies yet afraid they got here, afraid to talk about the one thing that really matters, and that's reparations. And so, you know, a lot of people give big Gretch a lot of clout, and even Lieutenant Governor garland, they give him clout. But where are these people when it comes to these topics and these issues, and where have they even spoken on Detroit reparations when we talking about these last two years? And I think it's time to hold those people accountable. So we urge your support, and I definitely want to just second the thoughts about not rushing our repair and supporting the establishment of a department that allows us to track if.
00:0000:00