Okay, on coffee store greens, and cheeky waiters, one of the co chairs that person has for us. We have had we have been charged by the voters to make recommendations. Recommendations city councilmen on housing, nationality government were all caused. By the end of this week, hopefully you will have gotten a better understanding of what we have done and where we're going. Please enjoy it and God bless. Words inspiration
Good afternoon, neighbors. I'm Janice Hazel. And I would like to say thank you for coming out to be with us to learn more about how we can disseminate reparations to those who have been harmed which are black citizens of the city of Detroit, all the way back through our ancestors enslaved in this wonderful, beautiful city, as well as our more recent ancestors, your parents, my parents, our cousins, our grandparents, let us definitely move forward in earnest to make certain that we all can be compensated for all of it disadvantage, disenfranchisement, and other worms that we have endure that still take place today. Thank you again for coming out. Okay,
roll call. Jack.
I'm Dr. Jackie Robinson. Mr. Collins, number partner, member Hicks. Member Hazel,
President, member Ford number ties.
My suicide coach Ricky Williams, your info check out here
Okay, so since we have a quorum, we gonna go to public comments. No, we'll come back to the gym.
I was like,
consistent with the spirit. Inspiration on that note, I'd like for us to recognize that in terms of people with special attention to what's happening with at least what's occurring in Gaza. In particular, we're allowing citizens who are citizens of that country to a meeting just the viscerally by a set of military forces that are aggressive to oppress. And I think that as we pause around the world, we ought to give some time
doing so since we have a call we could go to telecom half two minutes each and then go to the mic
two minutes I just mentioned then I think it rascal and Eastside I just was witnessed in this last week, the decision to give nearly $300 million of tax money to luxury condo builder. Their plan being put in place to give another point 5 million to build a luxury hotel. This is what I said in the last meeting is reverse reparations. Decide that an LA resident who's 100 members at $100 million mansion and has 55 billion in personal business growth. If you decide to give that person 300 million of our tax money that came from paying ours that's supposed to go from paying our city debt or school debt. Our schools, libraries, parks, special needs children and your guest blogging the wealth of the people and Give it to the people who need at least in the entire world. The vote that took place was not for the Henry Ford Hospital expansion. They're self funded, is called that in by politicians and press accounts, to explain the project to the people or to justify the project to the people because it has standing the credibility to people to expand health services. But the money is not going into the hospital expansion, it's going to 90 260 million, we're just going to try and wars and build luxury condos. When they tell you it's affordable. According to people's platform analysis, 13 out of the 662 units will be affordable. Most of our going to be $2,000. For Rent, exploitation of the abusive lack of common sense and the lack of purpose for our public needs, it is obvious that I'm asking on behalf of the traders protecting justice, that you expand your concept of reparations, recreation, reverse recreation.
I want to recognize Neil Collins on our task force members, we now have a quorum. We have a quorum now. So two minutes, you have Remember, your
login info. Thank you very much. The name is ammonia Perry. And today I'm representing our the Howard University alumni. Where I spent about 12 years of my life and how university while I was in Washington, DC for 27 years. And in my conversation, because I wanted to make sure that we had the people here for the event in January, everybody mentioned that there was going to be a Howard University was going to be here in the city of Detroit. So I took the liberty of asking my holidays in Washington DC or with the doing reparations. And on our campus, if they were coming here, because I wanted to make sure that I received them well have tea with them or something like that after the real business of the tax court. So I'm asking, what are they going to be doing? Because when I talked to I say Dr. LC Scott and others, Sarah Davison, they weren't quite clear. So I told them, I was coming to the meeting. And I would ask the people who are in charge? What would you like for them to do? Are you already in touch with them? And if I can help in any way, to make sure that Howard University is represented well here, in the city of Detroit, I am here.
This room will provide us with
the case on a resident of District Four and I just have a very simple question I'm having to take a long time. It is hard to access this news zoom, this link on this case for it is invalid. The link on the city of Detroit is invalid the link on marry shadows makes invalid and I have residents in my district that are sickness shedding and that cannot make it better and they cannot access. Does anybody can anybody right now, the redzone link so that I can text my people and put it on my community page. After doing the meetings about to start to access information.
See me
that afternoon, Hamilton do very concerned citizen. I was at the last meeting at the Northwest activity center. And I came there for reparations. There were no minutes. Okay. And I'm just wondering, are we ever going to get minutes to know what previously was done? So we can act upon fact? Okay. I left my name, my email, my phone number and
a an event on the 25th at
failure Gator. And I just want to know how was that proceed? I have no information to attend. I'm a citizen and it's supposed to be for the wasn't supposed to be for the citizens of the city of Detroit or just the board. What What was the situation with that? We're not getting any information from this taskforce. And I just want to know where is the information? People are leaving their emails. You are not getting to us as the way I see it. As you perceive it. It needs to be done a lot better than what you are doing.
Thank you. Okay. I moved to amend the agenda by rearranging line item 910 and 11 to be discussed after line item six, but Miss house is not here so mascot for motion
to accept the agenda so what we're moving as we move in line item time 10 and 11 to six but this house is here so that's why after five okay. You need a setback I need a second. Okay, all in favor. Okay. All oppose motions. Okay, so we're gonna go to expense report number nine.
So really quickly, I did just want to make a quick announcement about the expense report. This is line item number nine that was just moved. I wanted to let everyone know that the expense reports are now public and are available online for your perusal and for your approval and for your preview for all transparency sake. Thank you. User overview. I'm sorry, for those who don't go on behind the overview. That will come in the Treasurer's Report
for sir. Okay. Now we're gonna go to number 10 subcommittee reports.
approved by the Minister
motion approval the minutes there are none. So the motion fails. Okay, now we're number 10. subcommittee reports. The subcommittee Report.
Hi, I serve on the housing committee for our subcommittee and our chair Bernard Carter had a family emergency so he's out of town. So I would just like to relate to everyone that we meet once a month, our project manager is going to provide you I think, on the screen, the schedule, and I think that's going to be published. But the Housing Committee met last month, we're meeting with the University of Michigan, which we've been meeting with them since September, they provided an overview of some of the research that they've done and our other deliverable schedule, which will be later this spring, which we will present to the public. So we are moving forward that will be a part of the comprehensive harms report. But the Housing Committee is looking at some more in depth items that our academic partner, University of Michigan is working with us on. And so when our project manager puts the information about how to attend, I do believe it's going to be a zoom link that you can attend, you will be able to also help guide us in research and then that is what will will be presented in terms of recommendations and proposals that we want your feedback. So we have been meeting I assume since July of last summer. And now we will be meeting with the public so that you can also participate. Okay, thank you.
Okay, any other reports? Any other reports? Okay. Treasurer's Report.
Madam Chair and Mr. co chair. We weren't formed last night in our internal meeting that the Treasurer's Report was removed from the agenda for today. That's what was stated last night in our term meeting. So I do not have a Treasurer's report because I was told it was removed from the agenda.
Keep them. Okay. Any any other attendees
unfinished business. Now we're gonna go back to why we're here today. Michael emotet this is the this is our presentation Mike Wayne, whatever he's going to be talking about municipality reparation. This is my friend. We used to do grits and politics together. And so listen to him, you're going to do his presentation. And he goes on, you know, Mike
just started, is there anything that can be done with the elimination in the auditorium? I don't I can't scream in the hall. I don't know how
to do it now. Do I use a microphone? mic over here every minute.
All right. So, so at the start,
key. Okay. So I'm stuck at the bottom. Yeah. Because I was told that 30 minutes. Alright. How's everybody going? All right. All right. So I'm Michael Lim hotel, founder of the African history network, host of the African history network show with the talk show host researcher and lecturer, writer and historian. Some people listen to me on antonyms station WFP F seven years, we've seen young voter Martin unfiltered every Friday. So I've been asked to do a presentation dealing with the face for the case for municipal reparations, the case for municipal reparations. Okay, and you can come see me at the end. If you need any minor information, I got flyers made up for you all today. All right now. What I want to do in this presentation, hopefully everybody can see is previous is only 30 minutes. These are some key points that I want to deal with this presentation. I speak across the country. I've spoken to multiple platforms dealing with reparations, including the California reparations Task Force final report that came on June 29 2023. We'll briefly look at it finding what reparations is defining specifically with specificity with municipal rep races are which is different than just general reparations, and why municipal rep races are a good option. What municipal reparations does not absolve the need for reparations at the federal level, we need both. What was Michigan's history of slavery? And that's important to understand because even though slavery did exist in Michigan up until 1837, Michigan was not Mississippi or Texas and Tennessee or Alabama history. So it's it's a lot of things that happen after slavery ended in 1837 in Michigan, especially Detroit, that we definitely need to repair the damage others will. Oh, why did Michigan has such few slaves in comparison to Mississippi and Texas? Who, who has never heard of the Northwest Ordinance 1787. Raise your hand if you've never heard the Northwest Ordinance the 1787. This is why it's important understanding history and law. And I spoke last Saturday, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity incorporated my fraternity Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated our Black History Month celebration and one of the things I've talked about a system economics, law and politics we have to understand all four history, economics, law and politics. I'll mentioned briefly the California reparations taskforce I'm gonna give you some sources in this presentation. So you do what you do more research pocket, proper documentation is all conversation. I tell people, you don't have to believe words that I say go research this for yourself. Okay, you don't have to believe me in Detroit's history of racism against African Americans. Okay. Now, when we look at this historically, historically, the term reparations did not apply to slavery. Historically, when we talk about reparations, it was a levy on a defeated country, forcing it to pay some of the war costs of the winning countries. Reparations were levied on the Central Powers after World War One World War 119 14 and 1980. To compensate the allies for some of their war costs. They were meant to replace the indignities which have been levied after earlier wars as a punitive measure, as well as to compensate for economic losses after World War 219 3945. The Allies levied reparations principally on Germany, Italy, Japan and Finland. If we advance in history later, the meaning of reparations became more inclusive. It was apply it was applied to payments undertaken by the Federal Republic of Germany to the State of Israel for crimes against the Jews and territory controlled by the Third Reich, the Nazis and to individuals in Germany and outside, outside and to indemnify them for the persecution, the term was also applied to the obligations of Israel to the Arab refugees who separate property losses after Israel's victory over the Arab states in 1949. Okay, when you set up the State of Israel, if you go to pretend akka.com, they have a good article there. This is just a summary of reparations@retirement.com. Now, when we talk about reparations for African Americans, especially from the federal level, okay, just a working definition, this is not an endorsement of one organization or another because I don't belong to India. But the National Coalition of blacks for reparations in America, better known as and Cobra defines reparations as a quote, a process of repairing healing and restoring the people injured because of their group identity, and in violation of their fundamental human rights by governments, corporations, institutions, that family is at the root at the root of the term reparations is the concept of repairing, repairing the damage that was done to someone making them whole again, restoring them to a position before the damage was done. Okay. And as I explained to people, it's important for us to actually study what actually happened as opposed to what we think because when we get deep into this, like if you read the 74 page executive summary from the California reparations Task Force, their final report released June 29 2023, I've read the 74 pages executive summary, I'm going to now reading 1000 pay for the history is is mind boggling. mind boggling, is the one that we survived. Okay, what was actually done to us and how long from this point the state and federal level and the federal government were used against us to continue to inflict harm today. Now, those groups that have been injured have the right to obtain from the government or corporation institutional family responsible for the injuries that which they need that was they need to repair and heal themselves. In addition to being a demand for justice. It is a principle of international human rights a principle of international human rights as a remedy. It is similar to the remedy for damages in domestic law that holds the person responsible for injury suffered by another when the infliction of the injury violates domestic law. Okay. Examples of groups that have attained reparations include Jewish victims of Nazi Holocaust coming from Germany, Germany, reparations, primarily coming from Germany, they put about $90 billion in a pension fund, okay, for Jewish Holocaust survivors, Japanese Americans in turn and concentration camps in the United States, basically 1942 to 1945 $1.6 billion was set aside to pass Congress in 1988. And they had a 10 year window from 1988 to 1992. To apply, and they got $20,000 each. Now contrary to popular belief, this did not apply to all Japanese Americans is this. This was only issued to approximately 82,250. Do you want documentation on that I had. And that was in that only apply to Japanese Americans who were actually survivors of the internment camps or those who had to evacuate he did not apply to all Japanese Americans in the United States from 1998 and 1980. Alaska Natives for land, labor and resources taken, taken victims of the massacre in Rosewood, rosewood 1923 January 1923. Whole town about 200 African Americans wiped out that land was taken and the city of rosewood was removed from the map. If you studied the history with John, John Singleton directed the movie in 1997, called Rosewood excellent movie flash fiction but excellent movie and rosewood, Florida in there, the city's Native Americans as a remedy for violations of treaty rights and political dissenters in Argentina and their descendants. Now one of the things that has to be in me continue this presentation but when we talk about Native Americans, for some reason people keep leaving out the black freedmen Indian treaties in 1866, which applies to black people in many of our ancestors were in those treaties, getting benefits getting land members of Native American nations like the creek Indian nation that founded Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1834. And when they went into Tulsa on the Trail of Tears, they took their black slaves with them. Those trees is still in effect today. And for some reason, we ain't trying to force those except for Demario Salomon Simmons, it got the call it ends. But I don't understand why we not trying to enforce laws that are still in the books now being enforced for the Choctaw Chickasaw Creek, Cherokee Seminole Indians. So you can go to a cobras official website as well. Official in Cobra online.com For more information on this once again, this is not an endorsement of one reparations group or another. I don't belong to any of them. I'm just I'm just used to it. breakfast. Okay, now, what a maneuverable rat race. It's not part of the part of the confusion, didn't want municipal references is probably one because it's so new. And the city that led the way for municipal reparations at the city level would be Evanston, Illinois. And 2021 a no Robert roof seven, I just interviewed for the second time when they have to just be network so Monday, she this past Monday, she was the older woman in Fifth Ward or the woman who spearheaded this, this reparations initiative in Evanston, Illinois. Municipal reparations deals with using policies, ordinances, etc. At the local city level to repair the city damage, a discriminatory policy for the city used to inflict harm upon a specific population. Generally speaking, the US municipal reparation deals with a city, repairing the damage that the city is responsible for doing, okay, throughout history is the city's cities across the country don't have the resources to repair the damage that the federal government do. But oftentimes, they can repair the damage, or at least some of the damage that the city is responsible for, based upon the laws and policies put in place. Municipal reparations deals with the city repairing the damage the city was responsible for causing not repairing the damage the federal government was responsible for. Okay, now.
One of the I think one of the problems that causes confusion with municipal reparations, and I'm not one that really advocates just make well south as the covers of some people's wares, but I'm not one that really advocates using the term reparations a lot and I'm gonna explain why. Okay, especially in this climate in this country with the attack on diversity, equity and inclusion with with affirmative action in college admissions has been overturned by a six three conservative Supreme Court that Donald Trump put in place, okay, with what's going on down in Florida. Okay, you know, I like him, because I like I like him. I like him too. This. Has he has anybody ever studied the history of slavery in this country? Raise your hand. I'm not gonna give you a quiz. Just raise your hand. Who wants to ask this, but you had to come to the mic. One of the most ladies who run away run away at nighttime and not in the daytime. Don't everybody answer the question at the same time? Why did most slaves run away run at nighttime run away at nighttime at night in the daytime? They knew they had a better chance to get away, run away in the darkness. All right now, in the in the case of Evanston, Illinois, they did not have the history of slavery. But they did have the rapid history of housing discrimination. Now in preparation for my first interview with Robert who sent it, I read a lot of this 70 Page home report that Dean or the local historian Dino Robinson put out because he was commissioned by city council. So anybody thinks you can do reparations without doing a harm record? I'll pick differently with you on that. Okay. Now, what they found is see the state of Illinois abolished slavery in 1880. Okay, different cities, different states abolished slavery different times, Michigan about same at 37. And I'm gonna get into this presentation. Michigan didn't have 10s of 1000s of slaves at 37. At best, Michigan. Well, Michigan had probably about 23. And he turned 37, about about 73 and 1773. Mississippi have 430,000 in 1860. So don't take this the wrong way. But I when I hear people and I speak across the country, you know, I'm gonna platforms across the country. When I when I hear people talking about slavery, slavery, slavery in Detroit. Yeah, this underground railroad. second graph is my mother says his story about the Underground Railroad. Yeah, I was sleeping in Texas, Texas in 250,000. Slaves in June of 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger goes into Texas to deliver gen one and number three, which is why you commemorate June 19. We don't even understand the history June 19. That was the last thing devil Delaware and Kentucky didn't abolish slavery to December 18 1865. To the season, abolish slavery to February 22 1865. So the Juneteenth is not the last day of slavery and Emancipation Proclamation didn't previously see that. So that's another conversation. All right. Now, reparations. And in the process for restorative relief must connect between the harm and pose and the city, not what you think that but what actually happened to harm and pose. And the city. The strongest Case for Reparations by the city of Evanston is the area housing. Why? Because Evanston wasn't founded until 1853. Evanston was founded after slavery ended in 18. A 1818, Illinois, Evanston, Illinois did not have a history of slavery. And I heard all these reparations people run around talking about this not reparations for slavery, you're right, because they will have a history of reparations for slavery, they will have a history of slavery as a center of the city of 60,000 people, the black population is 16% decline, a city is not going to try to repair the damage that the city was responsible for creating, you got to go to the federal government for that. So you got to understand, this is why she wanted to talk to Linda Jeffers, Professor J small because I want to come and he taught me how to do a systems analysis. Okay, this is why a lot of stuff I hear you'll see me about two hour anyway, go anywhere, because I'm listening. And I'm like, okay, the plan that you're laying out, to try to get to where you say you want to get to, that's not gonna get you there, because you haven't properly analyzed the prop. Alright, so the strongest Case for Reparations in the city of Evanston is the area housing where there is sufficient evidence showing the city's part in housing discrimination as a result of the early city zoning ordinances in place between 1990 and 1969 when a city ban housing discrimination 1969 After the Fair Housing Act 1968. Now who you got some people who say, Well, we see the anti black hate crime bill, okay, well, this, this sounds good, but title six in 1964 Civil Rights Act Section 601 non discrimination fairly simple programs, is why race based policies are illegal at the federal level. And I learned this when I was on a committee to write an executive order for the city of Detroit and the Kwame Kilpatrick administration. And our core, our Corporate Council Chairman, Phil, our first very first meeting, because it took us 13 months to get this done, because it was much more complicated than we thought. Once we got in, took everything apart, and realized what we were dealing with it was we took those three times as long to get this completed. And she told us at a very first meeting, she said, it is illegal for us to write policies that are only for black people in the city of Detroit. But what we can do is we can write policies for Detroit based residents, which disproportionately help African Americans, you got the same thing at the federal level, go to archives down there, anybody ever read the 1964 Civil Rights Act? Like a whole, go to archives.gov, because I go read this stuff, go study the law. This is why you hear me talk about political self defense in everything they do to us. They use the law to do it. And then when they get caught breaking the law, they go hire an attorney at law to defend them in a court of law. So doing a system analysis, that will tell me we need to understand the law better than understand the law and know how to disarm them on that weapon. That's political self defense. All right now go to, if ever because this is on the city of Evanston, Illinois website, all this information dealing with what they did you read that city of evanston.org. Okay. All right now, compared to federal and state governments, courts or private institutions, municipalities are the most suitable for reparations most suitable for reparations at the local level. Here's why two reasons why, of the various levels of government. They have a proper locus for two reasons. First, as Howard University political scientists that Anandi Carter explains, and I know Nambi, who've been on Romana together before, she said, there is a political wheel for reparations present in municipalities at the local in the cities that is absent at the grid lot state and federal law. So the first thing you have to understand that doing a systems analysis is is what is needed to advance what you say you want, how many votes you need, how many how many votes does it take to get a bill passed in the House of Representatives who can tell them? Don't everybody speak at the same time? Who can tell 218 Bomani got all right. I got a prize for you at the end. But all right now in the House of Representatives, unless there's a bill that qualifies for the budget reconciliation process, or unless you're dealing with judges because of what Mitch McConnell did to the Senate. How many folks does it take to get a bill passed in the Senate? Pay 60. Okay, no Republicans in the Senate support reparations. So how do you want to get a reparations bill passed? No Republicans, not even the black we're not even Kim Skinner supports reparations. He was the first one that came out said he wouldn't vote for it. And then in the black Republicans in the House of Representatives support rep racing. So if you saw how you're gonna get a patent, okay, I'm gonna tell you that. But hold on. Let's continue. Now that's an avocado said. It's really local activists and local actors, members of city councils who are empowered in ways in their small communities to do things and to act outside of what the state would do and even the nation would do nothing. Then because what are you doing? You're right. Alright. So at the local level is where we have more power, at the local level is where we have so in the House of Representatives to 435 members in the House of Representatives, there's a we we make up only about 12% of the house. And we make up three and a half percent of the city. And I say three and a half percent because half the time Senator Tim Scott don't have like he's black. So you get to that, that's what you have in a city, okay, with across the country, our city council's 6070 80%. Okay. Now, the reason why they get in place is because African Americans organize and fold it and put them in place. And many of them might consider Detroit saw that because black people were harmed by policies from the city of Detroit, it was their duty to use their political power to do something about that wrong. Now, if you're black and you get elected, and you don't do anything to help the people put you in office and repair the damage, then what the hell good.
Okay, so that's why at the local level for municipal reparations, there's more power. That's why there's been more movement. That does not mean we don't need repairing the damage from the federal law. That means you want to use another strategy, and it's not going to happen anytime soon. Okay. Now, by contrast, former US Representative, the Honorable John Conyers introduced the reparations bill that every session of Congress from 1989 until his passing October 2019, but these bills never came to a vote to defer this hr 40 has made it out of a book is out of a House subcommittee, and that wasn't like 2021. That's the farthest has gotten. And although President Biden indicated his support for a reparations commission, and he said an action is unlikely. If you read the 1000 pages, California reparations Task Force, please don't take this the wrong way. We don't need another seven. Okay, you know, who was that Tina Turner had that song you don't need another hero. If you read that. You don't need another study because we don't get sucked into debt. Okay, now I'm talking about at the federal level, you will need enough state the federal level each municipality needs to do harm report about what specifically happened in that city. Okay, now, this federal reluctance isn't entirely limited. Although local policymaking is often undervalue. Decisions made closer to home can have large impacts on Americans everyday life decisions made in Washington. That doesn't mean what happens in Washington is not important is extremely important. But at the local level, we have more control and more ability to use that power to bring about solutions to help everyday African Americans our shows are now second second reason Dr. Nancy Carter lays out political scientists, municipalities for finding provide the opportunity for community Senate reparations that other levels of government do not a local approach allows for powerful close to home storytelling, enabling greater understanding of connections between past and present. In turn, this animates the development of thoughtful, conducive reparations. Additionally, municipalities can solicit input more easily from community members and encourage their involvement. Okay. Now, in municipalities based approach allows for accessibility and proximity between government and beneficiaries. Once the policy is in place, such a plan can more effectively empower the community and enable rebuilding relationships with perpetrators of the injustice if you want to rebuild those relationships. Now, you just saw For more information read this. This is a this is a good report here. This is by Brook Simone University of Michigan Law School. It's called municipal reparations considerations and constitutionality. That's on pages 350 to 351. Part of the confusion is and I searched online for hours trying to find a working clear definition of municipal reparations. And I'm still searching. So when I graduated from waste these business schools in 1994, okay, one of the things we learned is that it's very hard to solve the problem, you can't define what it is that you're trying to achieve. Okay, so the first the first thing even though I had it, even though I knew what I wanted to put in this presentation, the first thing I had to do was come up with a working definition of what municipal reparations is the otherwise you just shoot down a target you can see. And then what happens is just like, huh, how Republicans and conservatives hijack critical race theory and critical race theory just since the 1960s. Okay, and they made it they hijacked it, and CO opted it and made it into what they wanted, want it to be not anything that deals with racism or slavery or anything like that. Now, they call that critical race theory and then they attack it. That's why you have to clearly define what it is you're talking about. Because that's why As you know, don't take this the wrong way. But see, that's why, especially on the national level, even here in Detroit, you have to understand right wing conservative radio, and right wing Cable News, Fox News, Fox News. That's the most popular Cable News Network. Now, if you watch it, you can say, you may say, How is this the most popular? These people look crazy? Well, look at the rest of America is representative. And they prey on fear. They help to they help to spread the lies about what Critical Race Theory FoxNews. Okay, so what we're not one of the things, I think, in this city, across the country, we have to also develop better strategies on how we're messaging what it is that we want. And let me give you an example out of San Francisco, because I study what happened in San Francisco, San Francisco reparations Task Force, right. They released about 100 policy recommendations. Somebody in the meeting in the audience said all black people should get $5 million. Reparations, no formula. Is that just just family you got this. Okay. Now, if you go Google article dealing with the California record, this is getting the San Francisco references Task Force in their policy recommendations. The family and dollars made up 80 to 90% of the media coverage. Now apparently nobody did the man because when I was on a rolling show, when for writing Muhammad show the cultural blaster network and an African history network show, I broke down a map that 50,000 African Americans in San Francisco when he put together their stipulations requirements, because see the states the state of California also has a similar law at the federal government. Well, race based policies are illegal. That's why the California reparations task force had to structure theirs based upon lineage as opposed to race because there's illegal and they want to make sure anything that gets passed by the State Assembly does not get overturned in court, because it conservatives sued to overturn President Biden's executive order on student loans. And if you had Roe vs. Wade overturned by 60, conservative Supreme Court, you think there won't be lawsuits regarding this? Absolutely. When I talked to Robert seven, three years ago, she said they will the way they structured it coming out of MSDN. It was structured to be able to withstand lawsuits because he said they knew they will come. So San Francisco is 20,000 African Americans get fired me and bounce that's $100 billion $100 billion is seven times the annual budget of the city of San Francisco that has an annual budget of $14 billion and was facing a two year projected budget shortfall of $728 million. And African Americans a 6% of the population of San Francisco and 6% in the state of California. So I have the video because I talked about this on my show. There was one city councilor for San Francisco. He was interviewed by local news stations. And they were talking about the family in Dallas and he said, No, we got over 100 policy recommendations. I'll be happy to talk about those. The white newscasters want to talk about the Fabian they want to deal with fantasy. Because what they do is blow what they do is cobalt or something, right? Make it into what they want to want it to be in in attacking to make sure you don't get this haunting attack critical race theory. Okay, critical race theory is not taught in K through 12. Not according to miles from Amman for liberty, not according to Fox News. So we have to be careful with this. All right. Michigan's history of slavery. Well, Montana, oh, Lord. Michigan seems to be a slave. Okay, historian to meals, a professor in the Department of Afro American and African Studies. And the 2000, level recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. She cited in this article here, and I'll give you the name of just a second, but very important, slavery in the trade ground with the bustling per trade when the settlement was under French control. So in Detroit, they talk about France 1701. Right. We learned that in elementary school, okay. The early censuses, posted by Tia mills and her students revealed the number of slaves steadily increased through the years records from 1773 show there was 73 slaves in Detroit, this Detroit a Mississippi even though a lot of my people, my parents my dad came from Mississippi his family in Detroit is not Mississippi. By 1782, the number of African slaves more than doubled to 179 170,000, not 17,170. Even after the Northwest Ordinance, the 1787 took effect took effect clearly prohibiting slavery and in the Northwest Ordinance. Everybody researched this. It says neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist in the territory because that's where the language from the 13th Amendment comes from the Northwest Ordinance in 1787. And that was created to we enslave black people. We have studied the history of what happened. slaveholders found loopholes in the language and continue as though nothing had changed. But look at what happened. And I'm gonna skip some of this here. Okay, Jay Treaty 1793. In 1795, Detroit nearly had 300 African slaves read this article Detroit's dark secret slavery Michigan, the de dot u n u m IC h.edu. That's
Michigan University, University Michigan. The 1830 US census shows 32 slaves living in the Michigan Territory because Michigan is now the State of the Union to 1837 32 slaves in the Michigan Territory because the the Northwest Ordinance the 1787 What it did was it abolished bringing slaves into what was known as the Northwest Territory, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Massachusetts. All right, that's why Michigan have low levels. Also the climate in Michigan and Michigan was not slavery was not essential to the economy missing where slavery was essentially the Mississippi because the number one cash crop was cotton, especially after 1793. Okay, now, according to the terms of them, let's go to this year. Although the treaty seem to violate the Northwest Ordinance, the 1787 was prohibited slavery northwest of the Ohio River. The original settlers in the region were allowed to retain their slaves since they were considered private property. Michigan's territorial just August been what we would have been named after in Detroit mandated that no new slaves could be introduced into the territory and grasses those who remain would either be emancipated or die so that by 1837, when Michigan became a state in the union, and they have a new constitute a new state constitution, it was created, there were only three slaves residing in the state of Michigan. Okay, once again, yes, harm was done. Okay. But most of that is done after slavery inside the state of Michigan. Okay, now, let's skip over all this here. Slavery finsih. Let's look at this. How many African slaves were Mississippi, let's compare. Michigan and Mississippi slavery grew rapidly in Mississippi during the decades before the Civil War Civil War at 61 in 1865. By 1860, Mississippi, Mississippi is enslaved population was well over 430,000 While there were only 350,000 white people in the state of Mississippi, yet most white people were not slaveholders and even those who were other than plantation owners enslaved fewer than 10 African people. The state's economy was primarily based on the production of cotton specially at 1793 When Eli Whitney creates the cotton gin, do you have copies of the cotton gin and then 1803 You have the Louisiana Purchase that doubles the territory of the us and give us more land to plant crops which increases the need for enslaved African people. Let's skip over the rest of it. What about Texas we celebrate June 18 June 18. In Texas vagary hat continues as the state experienced no large scale fighting or significant presence of Union troops. Texas was a safe haven for slaveholders. So they were so they were very few battles during the civil war in Texas, so slaveholders from Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia would take their slaves into Texas. Okay. Texas, had 250,000 state applicants in June 1865. All right now, all the witnesses patient didn't happen overnight for everyone. In some cases, slavery's withheld the information until the harvest season. The next harvest season celebrations broke out among newly freed black people, and Juneteenth was born. Read this article from history.com official website of the History Channel, what is June 10, June 18 and slavery in Texas Okay, now, read this article hit them with the California records Task Force. There's a link in the article to the full report as well as the 74 page, Executive Summary California risks Task Force releases, final set of recommendations June 29 2023. See any okay now I'm going to skip over some of this. Here's people with it. Okay, the task force hired California records professionals hired a panel of experts including economist to calculate what black Californians have endured the through their formula because they created a formula to create to do this, they determined that an eligible person could be owed up to $1.2 million. The formula includes dollars loss because of race based health disparities, mass incarceration, housing discrimination, unjust land seizure, and other harms that have major impacts on black California, California, even though they've identified somewhere between 1500 to 4000. The slave people from 1851, California becomes a state in the US 1860, California and Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, California doesn't have a huge slave population either. But they have a huge they have a deep history of segregation, housing, discrimination, voter suppression, all those things, something similar to what happened I'm here in Sydney, Detroit as well in the state of Michigan. This is the archives that the title six of the 1964 Civil Rights Act non discrimination federally assisted programs was why race these policies are illegal at the federal level. Now, some people say we need that anti black hate crimes bill. Well, first of all, the first Hate Crimes Act in the history of this country was signed into law in 1968. by President Lyndon Baines Johnson as part of the Fair Housing Act. It is part of the modern day Civil Rights Movement largely for African Americans. Okay. Secondly, people forget somehow the Emmett Till anti lynching bill, which was the first anti lynching bill of 122 years, just represent the George Henry white in 1900 was the only black man left in Congress. Okay, presented the first anti lynching bill. Okay, now, there's a good article from NBC news.com, that talks about local reparations, as well as reparations gay historic momentum in 2023, because of California's efforts, redacted nbcnews.com. Now, here's why. I don't use the term reparations for what we want. Two thirds of Americans that get reparations does the Pew research study that was done in 2021 Read this article here, Associated Press ap news.com February 2420 23. Japanese Americans want redress by full black reparations because you got some Japanese Americans were siding with African Americans to get some type of redress restitution. Only 30% of US adults survey by the Pew Research Center supporting reparations for slavery in some way for Descendants of formerly enslaved people. 77% of whom are black Americans suppress suppress, suppress support among Latinos and Asians for 39% and 33%, respectively. And white Americans had the lowest rate of support at 18%. I think a lot of them watch Fox News. Alright, now, one of the things has to happen. Yes, you have to have a home report that is extremely important. The to focus and I deal with this and my presentation is focused on present day structural inequities, as opposed to just focusing on slavery, because present day structural inequities are the legacy of slavery, you have to deal with the laws and policies that were put in place that brought you to where you are and affected to harm. You can trace that back to slavery, Jim Crow segregation, but many people mean, well, but when I hear people just keep talking about slavery, slavery, slavery, I'm like, Have you studied history from 1865 to like, 2024, and what was put in place, show how these policies are beneficial for everyone, not just African Americans sent most of the people to get a vote on this, especially at the state in the state legislature. Okay, at the federal level, most of people got to vote on this on that African Americans. So when you can show how these policies are also good for Americans, because policies that are good for African Americans are good for America in general periods. Okay. Now, that last piece of evidence read this year and I'm gonna sit down and shut up. Okay. All right now, California reparations Task Force, unprecedented, they lay out unprecedented reparation of unprecedented history behind it. Vicki is an anti Black Hawk. Okay. And if we look here, the California report covers not just the immediate impact of a slavery 246 years in the US, but also the harms of decades of political neglect. Finding that there has been sustained damage to generations of black Americans. The damage has had a lasting effect on the political, economic, social, physical, mental, and cultural well being of black people and what they do they break it down into 12. On they still they tell you in the executive summary and the introduction, it's more than 12 harms that have happened but they focus on the 12 halls. They lay out the history what happened in Newton 115 policy recommendations are the sign of repetitive damage on the twill enslavement, racial terror political disenfranchisement, housing segregation, separate and equal education, racism and environment and infrastructure pathologizing the black family control over creative cultural and intellectual life stolen labor and hindered opportunity. So a law that deals with in prisons, especially privatized prisons, okay, now California, do the powers privatize prisons right around 2020 Okay, that passed the state legislature signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. 10 and unjust legal system 11 mental and physical harm and neglect 12 the racial wealth gap, okay, now, Detroit's history racism.
If we look at 1930, the housing crisis African Americans in the city of Detroit was systemically shut out of the housing market due to structural racism. Redlining played an integral part in the housing crisis 94 to 80% of Detroit residents aided abided by racial covenants. So that was written into the deeds of homes that the homeowner could only sell that home to non African American people, not negros white people. Okay, and that locked us out many of us from buying homes and accumulating wealth through the upper to the increase in the value of the home. Okay, now 1943 race route June 1943. During World War Two, up and down, we went out Wouldn't it pull up race right now? 375 removal of black bottom sanctioned police of brutality 1967 rebellion. That was a riot that was over bill. And we have rebellions all across the country 1990 In 1995, take over Detroit Public Schools, Detroit, bankruptcy is well also over assessing a property taxes. And when you study the history of that, that's one of the ways our land has been stolen from us. I got an article from The Washington Post dealing with African Americans. The value of our property taxes are oftentimes over assessed. Okay. And this has happened across the country. All right. Now, let's see this article right here. This is this proves my point here. This is a study from Citi Group bank. Racism has cost the US $16 trillion. There's articles from CBS news.com, September 23 2020. This article deals with how over a 20 year period of time, not 246 years, just from the year 2000 To the year 2020. Racism has cost the US economy $16 trillion, they break it down in three ways. One, black voters have lost $113 billion in potential wages over the past two decades, because they cannot get a college degree to the housing market lost $218 billion in sales because black applicants cannot get home three, about $13 trillion in business revenue never flowed into the US economy because African American entrepreneurs could not get access to bank loans, then they go on to tell you what's more, the US could have $5 trillion in gross domestic product over the next five years. If those gaps which are laws and policies and others were closed today the study indicated which means when when you do good by us, that helps everybody when you help repair the damage that's been inflicted upon African Americans that helped everybody that is even bigger. One of our great South African freedom fighters said the most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind that the oppressed, we must take our minds back into do not ask permission to do. Alright, that's a wrap up there.
I want to thank you for a wonderful presentation. So now people really understand what misspelling reparation is all about. We're gonna spend the next 15 minutes with a question and answer a conversation with Michael. And then give each one one minute. Ask questions and talk, sit wherever you want to rest, wherever we want to sit.
And everybody knows, I received a call from what texts from Gloria house Gloria houses out of town, therefore wasn't able to make it. And she wanted us to help the city recognize that she intends on making that on the 11th of July.
A good thing it also wasn't a good time for a Rossa taskforce member, okay. If you go to the mic
we only got you got to be on your bike for.
How long? Hello, my name is Kate.
District Four. I just have a quick comment. Mike. That was a great presentation. Is there a way that you can see the five people attending as well as me? Thank you so much. It's probably possible the city website and Yes. Don't be so sorry.
Okay, next
is send an email when we ask people to join and one of the areas that we were concerned about is whether or not there will be sufficient time because it has for us to do all of the research and distribution rather Immortelle do a harm assessment and be prepared to deliver recommendations by October and if that could not be the case. One let me know if October is the deadline day and two. If so, are you all going to record requests from counsel that you get an extension so you'd have sufficient time to complete his report and do the job and you know is expected to If
we don't get it done now. Don't get it done.
But okay, now told me exactly. I want to
talk to you afterwards to the chair.
I'm sorry, Keith. Okay, can I be smiling? We just addressed this in one of our last. And Toronto means I put for the motion a motion for us to be done by November 1. But if we're not done for us to put in for the extension, and we put a secondary date on, on the calendar for Sydney, was it March the all the secondary data in the region center?
No discussion?
I think we're currently on q&a Regarding the presentation. I was just trying to respond to the question that was posed to us. So we so we were aiming to be done by November 1. And I think we put a secondary date on the calendar for March 31. If we're going to ask the Council for extension, if we're not done by that date. Fair question.
My name is Karla presentation. My
name is Andre Watson, my great job. Right. So that was very powerful. And I think it would be good if we could, like, get a curriculum or something where the community can learn more about this is reparations is starting to really get to get distractions. So the most empowered that we are, the more effective we can be. I think most of us realize you get one shot at this, I suspect. But it's truly an involved process, which is very new for everyone. So you have to come with a lot of humility. But information allows you to be effective, because you can't abandon that component of the solution. So I really encourage us to consider taking what Michael has said, breaking it down and allow the community to be empowered, therefore supporting you are and more importantly, for us to finally gain solution.
Thank you. Next.
Take over every Monday, Mr. Bale read. So looking at your presentation, a couple of things I noticed there. So the one slide with the percentage of people who approve of reparations by race, right, and then you had a Bala nose and stuff like that. And that was about 2023. So what was the one thing I was wondering when I first saw that was what was the those percentages 20 years ago, by those same group of people? And what was the death percentages up into 10 years ago, by that same group people also, I imagined about to take a wild guess there might be a lot lower. So it looks like the approval for reparations has been growing. Another thing to you. So you've been interested if you want to another second thing you mentioned about about the number of votes in Congress or something like that for the you know, you need
to have Yeah, House of Representatives in the US Senate. A
thing whatever votes in Congress. So how many votes in Congress? Where's there for the Afghanistan to get there might have been voted in Congress. It was
over. It was over 218 and it's over. It was over 60 in house representatives with the two and 80
votes that I'm gonna put and I'm gonna just put out when I sit down how many Bopha condors was all for the Ukrainian
you had over 218? Yeah, now.
I'm gonna sit down. And if all these that we did, they can all go to Congress. And we're not for y'all. But who are we as a group of people, we got family members here and members and friends and other states to colleges and making the military things like the travel while we as a group of people, local politicians and candidates that's not in our interest. So we need to take a look at cultural barbecues and we spend a lot at the grocery stores. We need to be talking to ourselves. While we're not separate, you're not vote for other people. What is local candidates, state candidates and federal candidates are everywhere and you can get all your agenda stop ignoring we just had a primary.
Let me let me answer that question. Well, first of all, if you want to deal with repairing the damage specifically at the federal level, because of the resistance, I will take the term reparations off in the wind 15 policy recommendations and push those policy recommendations, I would take the term references. I wouldn't even call it references. If you actually have you read the executive summary from the California reparations Task Force, that final report, the final report. Now just start with the 74. Page executive summary. Start thinking because when you reading, it lays out the 12 columns, it lays out the history that has happened in the US in the history that's happened, specifically California. And the other thing is I get a chance to talk about this. Americans in general not understand history. Americans in general don't understand this. Okay. I ain't just talking about black people. I'm talking about Americans in general. Okay. So. So, policies at the federal level, I will take the term reparations, awful study, the woman and 15 policy recommendations, create Korean great versions of that at the federal level, you can push those policies there, because those policies are beneficial for everybody. Okay, all of this also has to do with the way that ways presented. But the other thing is, yeah, we have to vote people out of office who keep overwhelmingly consistently voting against our interest. You have to do that, okay. You have to invoke people into office who God that you may not agree on everything, but generally support policies that you advocate for. Okay. And we'll continue to do that. Because this is a numbers game. And we've never been taught that we've never been taught the numbers games.
Remember? Yeah, I have a question. Michael, hopefully, you'll join with me on this. At the latter portion of your presentation, you listed a number of current day harms we are concerned
with, right. So that's just an abbreviated list. Okay.
I'll conclude it with the $600 million over assessed tax tax. Yes, for some of you who know me know, I'm also a member of the Detroit Lions organization. One of the things that we've done in the library side of things, it's gone out and asked for support for an operating millage. And we received roughly $30 million in that neighborhood every year to run a run the library structure in the city of Detroit, what the city has done through a process which they call a tax capture when it's taken money in which we as voters, and taking into consideration we as voters means majority black Yes, yes, we have done is voting this message, the city has come in, essentially using both state and, and city authorities to grab a portion of the money that we said we want to go to our libraries, and use this to finance a lot of the downtown development activity and so forth. They also have other schemes, like tax increment financing, where they take taxes that should be spread across the city and collected but only put it in certain segments of the city. Those are harms to Yes. Would you not say that we would embrace or should embrace this whole question of the preferential tax treatment that's occurring inside our city today. The taxpayers for justice, for example, published an item a few months ago that I think said something like 450 million million dollars we approaching, we're approaching a trillion dollars, you know, that kind of harm. And these are things a quantum pocket viable. Right. So in this sense, we should also the last point, would you not agree that or for Tom gorsek. And all of these names that that popularized our city, that it's really the history of abuse that put them in a situation where they can pin it, and they can commit the abuse today, because they had not, it's all of these process would not have capitalized them over time. They wouldn't be in a position to do the work that they do. Why?
Exactly two? Okay.
Let me answer that. Okay,
great. Let me answer that. I agree and his brother now we were on a panel discussion together back in early 2023. Dealing with the Kerner Commission report in 1968. Because because those policy recommendations on the Kerner Commission report needs to be implemented. Okay, and when you actually go research that, okay, so yeah, and this is why when especially municipal reparations is way beyond slavery, it's still you got to understand laws and policies politics is the legal distribution of scarce willpower and resources and the writing of law, statutes ordinances The limits of treaties, the adoption, interpretation and enforcement with slavery or harm. Yes. When you when you study the history of Detroit, you say the history of Michigan, what happened after slavery that continues to fit the home to, to this day. So when we talk about repairing the denim, especially for municipal reparations, it's way beyond slavery is dealing with things that are going on today. But those things oftentimes are a legacy of slavery or racism, housing segregation, etc.
Or next phrase.
Two minutes key, yes. How are you? Akela. Praise the Lord. One thing God is showing me now the time every generation is going on for that time to bring deliverance of what we need. And a lot of times the older sector rides on into the new sector, where they get like all these young cooks into this table, they got a lot of brilliance inside of them. They need to be brought to the forefront. Like I told Coleman on when young mentor our young people, so we won't keep falling into the same damnation, but one generation to the next. So I'm planning to appeal a case. I'm saying to YouTube, because yeah.
Praise God. That's why I don't come out here because I get upset, because Oh, no, we should not be in a state today. I ran for city council 97. And the thing that we could have done and half of us in this city did not manifest because we was playing tricks, like tricksters. So all I'm saying is bring our young people that young baby, I'm 50. Now y'all know how we are. How long have we been out here? So we need to bring our babies for right Miss board. Yeah, we need
to get your boy. That's what we got. That's why we got some young folks around. Yeah. Okay.
Start next.
Good afternoon. So my question is for Robert. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Bernice Jackson. I am not a Detroit resident. I'm from Pontiac. And so my question goes to our brother impo. Tap on one. How did the Japanese and other nationalities How were they able to progress with reparations? And everybody? How are we couldn't was that because the law was different back then? No, I didn't know my history. So I know you're going to go there. So I just
and my wife, Mr. Nice to come out today. Oh,
yeah. Cuz I want you to be clear, I want to reclaim my time. Um, and then also for an organizing and movie movement building standpoint. How can predominate black cities like Pontiac, Inkster, and the like? How can we emulate what Detroit is going on right now, because we are at a critical time, we have a lot of momentum. And I do agree to make it more tangible with the issues of housing discrimination, environmental type, etc. But how can we get started since we do have some traction and momentum going?
Okay. Let me say this. This last. I mean, okay, so you are we are the last class. Okay.
All right. So, okay. So let me ask those two questions. First of all right. With Japanese Americans, what happened was, there were hearings held in read about 1988. And they brought in survivors of the Japanese internment camps to testify, tell their stories, things like this. I don't remember what the vote was. But it passed the House passed the Senate Senate law, but President Reagan, it was about little more than about $1.6 billion. They got $20,000. Each is a went to approximately 82,250 Japanese Americans, I can give you the when I sit down, I'll pull an apple article from justice.gov, the US Justice Department, they have information at the website. So I've got that information. So that's what happened. That so that's dealing with a period of time from about 1942 to 1945. Okay, the racial dynamic, and the history is is totally different because and one of the reasons why I don't use the term reparations because reparations is a trigger word for a lot of people. So then you bring a reparations, the first thing they want to say is their, their ancestors didn't own slaves. The ancestors came after slavery ended. What can't you pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, things like this. You haven't even gotten to the evidence you got to deal with nonsense they got from Fox News. So that's why I come in different directions. Then you talk about other other cities to where they can start. or is present day conditions of African Americans in those cities. Deal with the data then deal with the laws and policies put in place that created those harms. trace that back into history. That's how you do. Okay. Pontiac, I've been asked by somebody that wants to know about, uh, you know about this stays like this. That's how I was prompted. What that does is one that reduces opposition. Because these initiatives will be talked about in national right wing media, Fox News OA in right wing conservative talk radio, Sean Hannity show things like this, you become a target. Okay, so we got to learn how to run away at nighttime and the data.
So my job don't recognize. I want just fine. We got zoom pulse on Zoom, so we gotta move to the common short. Okay. Okay. No.
Thank you so much to the young lady that just asked the question right there. Pontiac, I just wanted to mention that the current federal legislation and the way that many municipalities have structured their reparations Task Force or commissions, and how they have structured the study or commission is after the commission that was enacted by federal law in 1980, when President Carter was in office, in 1983, the wartime commission on internment for the Japanese Americans was completed and sent to Congress. I was working in Congress at that time for Congressman Conyers. And that is why we modeled hr 40, which was actually the first federal legislation after the Japanese internment for the $20,000 that each of them received in 1988. over it, so
we gotta, we gotta move on. Okay.
I move as quickly as I can. First I want to concur with what Commissioner library Commissioner Hicks said, concerning.
So we got the back yard talk is about a comment talking in the back.
And I forgot my game to My name is Russell Powell. And I'm sorry, I want to bet encourage that because just the last decade, we've caught up with a report, summary report work, you don't have to do with quantify every tax captured in the last 10 years. And it's half a billion dollars. It's going to when you go back to its origins, it's going to be a billion, did you add the tax tax abatements, that's going to be another billion. It's an tax increment financing, it goes on and on. I also am mindful of the argument that terms like redress may have to be more communicative and less subjective to some people. If we're looking at redress. We need some focus topics. I think specifically picking the big four would be an excellent subject. We still didn't have people around, have some expertise on the subject. And you know, how you quantify the terror in the murder? I don't know, but should be done. And what was the third thing on the school district? The from next year's mike on your presentation on your slide. They should be 1999 to the present. Because we're still suffering the legacy of the irreparable harm caused by Snyder's the EAA, but also just the direct takeovers and the conscious creation of debt, which was 1.6 billion in 2016 on our school district, those are my points, so I'll move on.
Hello, my name is Kimberly Canty. And I wanted to focus on specifically the things that have affected Detroit. Our recorders court was taken away from us. So you took away the voting rights of a million people. Our schools were taken over they took the lead on redistricting, the water department, DTE was allowed to buy Mishcon which is become a problem for our low income people as well as our middle income people because they will shut off your lights and your gas. If you don't pay one or the other. Their Trades Program was eliminated under our mayor. Our housing has been torn down. I'm a former employee of the Detroit Housing Commission. They have demolished. The majority of the low income housing here. We had 9500 housing units for low income people. We only have 3500. Now that 6000 places you will not be able to live. Our DPW has been privatized public lighting has been eliminated. So now we're paying DTE when we had our own power plant to put in we also powered all of our libraries, our police departments, our schools, Wayne State, Detroit Medical Center, so it actually will produce income, but they took that away from us so now we have to pay DTE the shareholders money. The that has been strictly read we define to where people who are handicap are having difficulty getting to the bus stop. They took away the bus shelters. We've been over a set with our Texas again with Mr. spoke about the library millage money being stolen our reappropriation of our money from Obama for the water department in our beds, property, Texas. And also your FEMA money from the state of Michigan.
Mr. Williams, how you doing? Ma,
I see. We
spoke the other day that you never returned by phone call. Everything that these people have said is true, especially with these libraries. Now I stepped up to share that we are reactivating the branch of the NAACP in Highland Park. Because what I've noticed is that they are trying to move a lot of I'm going to say illegals into the city of Highland Park. And we need to stop that because if they get in there, it's going to spread out. So I mean for you all to recognize that when you are in these positions, and you're being benefited from it. Eventually your time went out. And then they put you back with us. Okay. So we are not able to educate these people, Mr. Williams, with our libraries being global closed, and the house has been lost because everything this young man said is true. And being put to two minutes is not good enough. So when that's not we're not gonna talk, you understand because I pay taxes, Oh, hold on yourself. We need to make sure that you do your job. So these people are not doing your job. We need to band together to make City Council's do what they need to do to select the appropriate people to be on the reparations task force to look out for us because people now go to work every day. And they take that money out so they can get paid. So you can see here, you should be representing us Mr. Williams, and everyone else, these young people we have to pour into them what we know and we need to let them teach us as well. Because we are still growing. This is a black race is going to keep on multiply and we are not going to be die off. This is Valaria berry running for city council again district five, even for you didn't believe in me. I'm still gonna make it happy because that's our
next zoom calls.
Good afternoon. I am Rinda Bachman, Coal Miner's Daughter from Birmingham, Alabama, relocated to Detroit, Michigan in 1967. Right after the rebellion. First, I'd like to thank Mr. Michael holds him for your presentation. And I have followed you for some years now. And I do know that you are native Detroiter. And based on the information that I heard from you today, I do agree that and from this young lady, that our young people should be in place. So what we have been finding out in the community is that young people have been misled by these tasks was being put together, that they don't have a voice. So what we're trying to do, Mr. Hope, and we like to know if you could get us into this, that we get the community together in all phases of the community, the religious, every, every every corner of our our community and put together those harms that you told us about today. and bring them to the task force. And it would be our understanding that the task force should be working on getting the millions of dollars to pay for what we are asking for. So that's our understanding of what the job or the task force is to get the money to pay for the harm that we're asking, am I on the right track? So so?
So very quickly, what how would answer that is, first of all, the task force has to do a hodgepodge report that would document the harms that have happened in the history of those harms that have had. So you know, I'll assist with putting together that report. This is what I showed is just the tip of the iceberg. So you in every municipality, and this is something Robin lucem has talked about, who led the first municipal reparations in the city in the country, she said, the first thing you have to do is the haunted court, because usually, it's much worse in deeper than people think of what happened. Okay, so you always have to document that. And then your remedies are designed to repair the damage of that documented harm.
Okay, so at the same time, could the community be working on those some of those same things and you want to direct that towards? I just need your answer as the expert you'll be repairing.
Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah. If people who have various positions people who have resources in the community, yeah, yeah, they can work on their end to betray that damage.
Yes, exactly. And so to bring that report and give that report and our study to the task force, Oh,
that'd be a question for the task. Yeah. Come to the meeting and give you the information but because I'm not on the task
I got you let me just trying to get an understanding from the community exactly how it works because so far we had got wild Okay, thank you so much. All right. Thank you want to answer
are charges to make recommendations on housing and that's what the citizens of the city voted for. We understand yes, so when
that's done is that okay, all right. Go ahead.
No,
go ahead. I can't do
this we have six hands raised on Zoom. First we have cut the check now.
process for
going to request that Cut The Check Now unmuted please.
Mr. Chair, they've been asked to unmute we're going to move on to the next and come back to cut the check now.
Next, we have Detroit grass roots.
Mike, I want to know that board member Jethro Robison? Yes, you're here. Okay. Michael, if you want to give people your information, but we have to get in touch
with you. Oh, okay. in touch with me. Visit my website, African history network.com African history network.com. And then the phone numbers on the website 3134620003313462003. And I'll give you flyers at the end also, but I pulled out the information below with the Japanese in the $1.6 billion. So this is from justice that the US Department of Justice website is called 10 Year program to compensate Japanese Americans in turn during World War Two closes its doors. Okay. Is it I want to see if maybe everybody can get this up on the big screens and people take a picture of this something like that. But this goes goes through and breaks down what happening is anyway you Can I put this on the on the screen here? So okay, yeah, this goes through a breakdown what happens and who it applies to like I tell people that does not apply to all Japanese Americans. In the country, it only applies to those who were survivors of the internment camps or those who had to evacuate is approximately 82,250 people.
So, if we haven't good difficulty with your computer, we're gonna move on medical
certificate and so on the presentation. That's one other question. One of the things that I've tried to bring to the forefront, not only should we understand what happened to us, but understand how other people benefited from things. One of the things that is not really talked about a lot is that white slaveholders actually received reparations, right, though, so. So this history of reparations and so forth, and so we
just have to we have to move on.
Okay. So I'm glad that you brought that up. So that only apply to slave owners, the Washington DC, that only by the slave owners in Washington DC, that's the conference, everybody researched this. That's the compensated Emancipation Act of April 16 1862. It was sponsored by Apple this December, Senator Henry Wilson, I think it is out of Massachusetts. It passed the House passed the Senate signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. The District of Columbia is not a city like the city of Detroit. So Congress is in charge of the District of Columbia. And they realized that they could abolish slavery in the district. And this is what they did. So slaveholders had to put in send in the petition. And they got up to $300 for each enslaved African at the hand that African people they got free didn't get anything, okay. But they are only applied to the to the Washington DC. And to this day, and to this day, in Washington, DC they commemorating Emancipation Day on April 16, which is when that bill went to effect and that's what freed the slaves in Washington DC. Okay, but So, slave owners across the country did not get reparations. Now the 400,000 acres of land, the 400,000 acres of land that was allocated based upon special fields order number 15, and 1865. What we call general order number three, most of that land was given back by President Andrew Johnson after Lincoln was assassinated. That was only coastal land in South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, you have to read special food order number 15. That did not apply to all the land and the SOP that only apply to coastal land to South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. Okay, but
my work moving on. I mean, I asked Are we moving on? Okay. be recognized as chair. Michael, yes. isn't it also true that when we talk about research, researchers should guide? We know that experience in Washington, DC. And we know about the specifics of the structure that allow for that to take place. You know, that is not to say that this did not occur in other places in the country. It's really the same we don't know about that incur
reparations of slave owners. Yes, yes.
And one of the things that if University, I think it's Michigan State University, one of the things that they were doing, they were going back and they were doing some research around some of the early law, I mean, the early some Supreme Court decisions and other decisions, legal decisions, and that they begin to document that there were individuals who sued so that they got compensation for their for their slaves being taken from them, which had nothing to do with Washington and places like that. And the point that I'm that I think is germane here is that the research should take us where we want to go, we should not have predetermined frames of what we're going to look at the research will tell us and then based on the research, we then come up with reasonable rent.
I agree with that. But we talked about this in class and we talked about slave owners got reparations, okay. Most of them did. So I just wanted in what happens is I hear people not saying you, but I hear people misunderstanding, the compensated Ms. Patient ID equals 60 DP 62 Thinking that applies to all slave owners. It did not. So you do have individual cases where you have slave owners who Who Sued for? Got compensation for slaves that were free? That's that that's not the majority of slave owners. So so we have to understand that. And you have, you know, one case that comes to mind of probably the first one of African American woman's suing for reparations, that's here, we had a wound, you got $2,500 Because he was kept into slavery after slavery in 1865 is about 1872 or so. Okay, so you do have exceptions to the rules, but I just want to make sure we understood what happened at the federal level, but based on law, right,
okay. So we move on. Number 12. Number 12. Unfinished business. Unfinished business? There any unfinished business? Okay. 13. Any
new business?
We have weekly calendar for virtual subcommittees?
We go to new weekly, we'd like a weekly count for virtual subcommittees. So just look for and then 14, we already have public comment, but I'm going to have one coin.
Asked about this the citizens in insurance tax safe sold or participate in telecom stores? Yes,
yes, yes. Yes. We got subcommittees. Yes. Okay.
Is coming here?
Yes.
Yeah. Talk to the citizen.
We, we, we have a calendar, and it's got achromatic. Okay. Any announcements? Announcements. Mr. Chairman, do you recognize any announcement, Mr. Chairman,
that he recognized?
No, no,
no, no, no. Did you really have to kind of rule me here, especially when it's flooded people? Leaving,
we run out, we've got to we get to the Chair. Mr.
Chair. Yeah, I would like to let the community know about our community calendar, and other ways that they can reach out to us and communicate with us. We have a community calendar, and I apologize to you all this was provided. When you all were coming in as you were signing in that QR code or not working with the QR code on my copy our I will be sitting back here or I will be outside and you can use these QR codes to access the community calendar to refer a topic to a sub community and to a few the sub committee and to complete our community surveys well, so I just want to make you all aware of this. We also have our sub committee weekly calendar out there that you want where you did you all receive this. So the sub committees will be going virtual starting March 18. So you want to have this calendar so that you can it's also available on our socials. It will also be posted on the city's website, Detroit mi.us/reparations. If you have any issues getting anything, please email me at reparations at Detroit mi.gov reparations at Detroit mi.gov. I also wanted to make another announcement about the involvement of Howard University, they will be coming to Detroit with Columbia University to complete the black audit project, the black audit project will audit the Afro descendant population in the city to evaluate the community's human rights situation and in progress and progress of communities using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This will also be posted on all of our socials as well as the city's website on Monday. Since
you're like move, move,
move forward. So as we're
moving forward during the future has something to say but
you know, you all don't follow the rules. You all can leave, right but out of respect,
we here this audience is going to listen to this young man kills me. Come on, there's a motion on the floor. The motion has not been seconded. The motion has not been second, the meeting, if not a chairman, the chair excuse me, everyone. We're all here for the same name. And we all want the same respect. The people up here one to be set. And you all want respect. And we do so to respect one another. The reason that we have rules is so that the meaning can run smoothly. You all know that we need rules. We need rules everywhere in purpose in our homes, and we want everyone's questions to be answered. Like it must be done in an orderly manner. And we must respect the chair and the chair must respect the people. So if we can all agree Way Too bad that we can continue the meeting. But please be respectful everyone. Mr.
Chair, I'd like to be recognized men
in the chair, the chair must recognize you, you can't seek recognition, seek recognition is waiting to go and then wait for the chair to recognize you don't just have a seat Mr Chair and then let the chair recognize you and then speak and then be considerate of everyone. Thank you. So if you seek the chair to tension ratio here, and then he will recognize
Mr. Chair I'm not going to be recognized we have a motion we have a motion on the floor
to respect this space
to second the motion for German we can take all of your questions and we will have via email and we can talk to you after
speaking to your respect your time spent with you and I respect those who are not in here that want to come back to Detroit you want to see the future and know what you guys charge and know how powerful it is in Detroit the US and not only the nation but to the world and know how powerful we is as people you feel so now we got to stand especially as a young person seeing this I want to come to this meeting today. This is not a it's not gonna get done. Preparations not on this city.
People gonna save us all in favor. All right over x. robo calls. So doing right, right. When you hear about the money that's coming into the school district, that's me as a young student
it's our time that we don't get left behind. by humans, right. That's my message. We got to change those. So
what I'm here to talk about the movie this Oh, yeah, I want to talk to me. Yeah.
Yeah. Meeting at Oh, this is terrible. Now, I'd
rather speak
to you, given that were given that the medians adjourn, and that was not recognized by the chair. I did want to point out and since we're after the meeting, is that we have a sister here from Black Lives of archives, who directly can talk to for those who wants to share about information where people are going into the communities and then getting archival. I've been getting information, testimony from people and so forth, and the process that they use, which I'm not 100% Clear on and that's why I wanted her in the context of the meeting to come up and talk about what they're doing. And that's a sister right here. And and since we are the meeting, come up