DISCOVER

Chicago Suburb Will Fund Reparations for Black Residents Via Tax on Marijuana

By MyReligionIsRapAdmin

Posted on December 7, 2019

Evanston, Illinois has voted to tax sales on marijuana in order to cover the cost of reparations for Black residents. City council voted 8 to 1 on 11/25 to impose a 3% tax on marijuana sales that will then go towards the reparations plan. A cap of $10 million over the next 10 years was also placed during the vote.

The tax is expected to bring in between $500,000 and $750,000 in revenue each year, and they can also receive outside donations.

Robin Rue Simmons, who represents the Evanston’s historically Black Fifth Ward, believes it will benefit residents affected by the so-called war on drugs.

Simmons told The Washington Post,

“Our community was damaged due to the war on drugs and marijuana convictions. This is a chance to correct that. Our disadvantage and discrimination has continued beyond outlawing Jim Crow and beyond enslavement.”

High property taxes has helped push out many residents of Evanston who were unable to keep up with the increased cost of living in the wealthy North Shore suburb. The new reparations plan will enable Black residents to continue living in the neighborhood, which is one of the largest Black communities in the Chicago suburb. Simmons further adds that the reparations fund could also help families with placing a down payment on a home that they would not be able to otherwise afford, while other Black residents already living in the community could have repairs paid for their home out of the fund.

A town hall meeting will take place on Dec. 11 to work out the details, with Simmons stating that she believes the fund should be available to all Black residents of the city. Some people hold the opinion that the reparations fund should exclude the children of Black immigrants who were never enslaved. In response, Simmons explained, “This is in response to the continued impact of Jim Crow. From the war on drugs, to mass incarceration, to the academic gap, the wealth divide, the opportunity gap, the achievement gap, it is all based on race.”

Danny Glover, who’s known for being very active across the spectrum of American politics, has also been involved with this also.

Source: www.washingtonpost.com