Reparations for Black Californians May Price $800 Billion

Picture Credit score: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Instances by way of Getty Pictures

Reparations might price California a hefty value to the tune of $800 billion. The quantity was decided on Wednesday (March 29), after the state’s reparations activity drive conferred with 5 economists and coverage consultants, per AP News. The quantity, which is 2.5 occasions California’s $300 billion annual price range, would compensate Black residents for “over-policing, disproportionate incarceration and housing discrimination.”

The preliminary estimate doesn’t embrace a really useful $1 million per older Black resident for well being points which have shortened their common life span. The determine additionally doesn’t take into account government-obtained property or undervalued Black companies, which the duty drive claims California has perpetuated. Regardless of the numbers, Black residents might not obtain money funds within the close to future.

“We’ve acquired to go in with an open thoughts and provide you with some artistic methods to take care of this,” mentioned Meeting member Reggie Jones-Sawyer, one in every of two lawmakers on the duty drive. The group will assemble on Wednesday and Thursday to debate the price.

“That’s going to be the true hurdle,” mentioned Senator Steven Bradford, additionally a member of the panel. “How do you compensate for lots of of years of hurt, even 150 years post-slavery?”

Dealing with a July 1 deadline for estimating the greenback quantity and the way a lot Black California residents ought to obtain, the duty drive has to persuade Gov. Gavin Newsom. The panel’s quantity comes one month after an analogous panel arrived at $5 million to the town’s Black residents, additionally citing debt forgiveness.