San Francisco Committee Recommends Massive Reparations Payout for Black Residents

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

of Black lives, Black bodies, and Black communities should be met with centuries of restoration.”

A tale of two cities emerges when one examines San Francisco, as one observer put it.

This committee’s actions are consistent with those of other jurisdictions, where similar bodies have advocated for reparations for African Americans.

‘Centuries of devastation and destruction of Black lives, Black bodies, and Black communities should be met with centuries of restoration’

Each Black inhabitant of San Francisco, including those arrested during the racist war on drugs, should receive a one-time, lump-sum payment of $5 million from the African American Reparations Advisory Committee.

Assuming the city council approves the proposal, it would be the largest payment of reparations in American history.

In a study released this week, members of the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee noted, “We have ultimately established that the repercussions of numerous programmatic and policy actions by San Francisco’s administration have been generational and overlapping.”

Committee members asserted that most prominent period that illustrates how the city and county of San Francisco as an institution contributed to the depletion of Black wealth and the forced relocation of its Black inhabitants was the period of urban renewal.

Further, the committee concluded that “public and private entities facilitated and coddled the conditions that created near-exclusive Black communities within the city, limited political participation and representation, disinvested from academic and cultural institutions, and intentionally displaced Black communities from San Francisco through targeted, sometimes violent actions”

(San Francisco’s African American population grew rapidly between 1940 and 1963).

To address what the San Francisco Chronicle calls “a national racial reckoning,” the Board of Supervisors established the AARAC committee in December 2020.

According to the Chronicle, what happens next “will demonstrate whether San Francisco lawmakers are serious about tackling the city’s checkered past or are merely pretending to be.”

The committee’s investigation determined that segregation, structural oppression, and racial prejudice developed from the institution of slavery had a tremendous impact on the development of the city, even though California was never formally a slave state.

Throughout the 20th century, the Chronicle reported, “San Francisco was a Ku Klux Klan stronghold, prohibited Black people from residing in particular districts, kept them out of city employment, and bulldozed the Fillmore,” a historically Black neighborhood and commercial center.

AARAC chair Eric McDonnell told the newspaper, “Centuries of devastation and destruction

Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee Introduces Anti-White Supremacy Bill, then Schools Republican Boebert on Hate

The text of the bill reads as follows: “A person commits a white supremacy inspired hate crime when white supremacist ideology has motivated the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of actions that constituted a crime or were undertaken in furtherance of activity that, if effectuated, would have constituted a crime.”

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA

Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Residents must have selfidentified as Black or African American on public documents for a minimum of ten years and be at least 18 years old when the committee’s plan is approved to receive the compensation.

Additionally, individuals may be required to show that they were born in San Francisco between 1940 and 1996, have been residents of the city for at least 13 years, and are either a former inmate themselves or a direct descendant of a former inmate who served time during the war on drugs.

The Chronicle said that “to put that in context,” the state reparations task panel believes Black Californians may be awarded $569 billion for housing discrimination alone between 1933 and 1977.

Evanston, Illinois, voted to pay $400,000 to select African Americans as part of the city’s vow to spend $10 million over a decade on reparations payments shortly after the San Francisco committee was founded.

The government of St. Paul, Minnesota, has apologized for its role in institutional and structural racism and formed a committee to investigate reparations.

A report detailing the committee’s proposed financial compensation for African Americans was subsequently made public.

A reparations task committee was established by the state of California last year, and its report from that year detailed the incalculable harm that slavery

The SANS Institute Reopens HBCU Cyber Academy Application Window to Address Growing Need for Cybersecurity Professionals

By BlackPressUSA

had caused to African Americans.

After George Floyd was murdered, the District of Columbia City Council announced it would create a task team to investigate compensation. Legislators in both Maryland and Virginia have expressed an interest in researching reparations.

Meanwhile, there has been no movement on a federal level on a bill by Texas Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee to establish a committee to investigate reparations.

The San Francisco committee recommended that low-income African Americans get an annual payment equivalent to the region median for at least 250 years, on top of the $5 million payout.

As an added measure, the city would establish a public bank framework and provide citizens with extensive financial education to ensure that those without bank accounts have access to equal opportunities, including increased access to credit, loans, financing, and other means of managing their money.

The committee also seeks to pay for a broad debt cancellation plan that wipes out all types of debt including student loans, personal loans, credit card debt, and payday loans.

“Given the history of financial institutions preying on underbanked communities — and especially given the vulnerability of subsets of this population such as seniors and youth — this body recommends putting legal parameters and structures in place to ensure access to funds and to mitigate speculative harm done by others,” the committee concluded.

The post San Francisco Committee Recommends Massive Reparations Payout for Black Residents first appeared on Post News Group. This article originally appeared in Post News Group.

Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee Introduces Anti-White Supremacy Bill, then Schools Republican Boebert on Hate...continued white supremacist-inspired hate crimes and other related actions, and Justice Department officials would have the authority to prosecute those responsible for them.

Jackson Lee has requested that the DOJ report its findings annually to the relevant in some jurisdictions, “H.R. 61 simply deals with adding white supremacy to a list of reasons,” the Texas Democrat explained. She elaborated: “So, when the article states that ‘only white people can be charged with’ this crime, that’s flagrantly false.

Bethesda, MD – The SANS Institute is proud to announce the reopening of the HBCU Cyber Academy application window from February 1, 2023 to March 1, 2023. The HBCU Cyber Academy is a unique opportunity for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to gain hands-on cybersecurity training and real-world experience, free of charge.

The HBCU Cyber Academy was established with the goal of addressing the growing need for cybersecurity professionals and increasing diversity in the field. According to recent studies, the demand for cybersecurity professionals is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years, making it a highly lucrative and fulfilling career path for those with the necessary skills and knowledge.

Through the HBCU Cyber Academy, students will receive in-depth training from top SANS instructors and access to cuttingedge cybersecurity technologies. The program is designed to be flexible, allowing students to complete the training around their academic schedules and giving them the opportunity to gain practical experience in a real-world setting.

“The HBCU Cyber Academy is more than just a scholarship program,” said Max Shuftan, Director of Mission Programs and Partnerships. “It’s an investment in the future of the cybersecurity industry and in the students who participate in the program. By providing free, in-depth training and real- world experience, we’re helping to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and ensure a diverse and wellrounded workforce.”

The application window for the HBCU Cyber Academy is open to all juniors, seniors, and graduate students enrolled at HBCUs who have a strong interest in cybersecurity and any alumnus who would like to shift careers into cybersecurity. SANS Institute is dedicated to supporting the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and helping them to achieve their full potential.

“Misconceptions about cybersecurity abound due to popular culture, which often suggests that only those with a computer science background are suited for the field,” says Delisha Hodo, Chair of the SANS Institute HBCU. “The reality is that the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals requires individuals from diverse backgrounds, and even just having an interest in the field matters. Diversifying the industry now will improve its future and dispel these false ideas.”

“The HBCU Cyber Academy is a truly remarkable program,” said Shuftan. “We’ve seen firsthand the impact it can have on the students who participate, and we’re excited to see the positive impact they will have on the industry as a whole.”

For more information on the HBCU Cyber Academy and to apply, please visit https://www. sans.org/scholarship-academies/ hbcu-cyber-academies/

D.C. Business Encounters Discrimination in Quest to Help Ukraine

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Davis said her group had installed “living containers and living facilities” that provided families with things like furniture and bunk beds, as well as generators. “We installed electrical systems and other mandatory features,” she stated. As the war’s anniversary approaches, though, it appears that American impulses have also kicked in.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) of activity that, if effectuated, would have constituted a crime.”

That’s enough of racism and bigotry, says Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.

The Democratic representative from Texas has introduced House Resolution 61, which would amend Title 18 of the United States Code to broaden the definition of hate crimes, with the goal of preventing and prosecuting hate crimes motivated by white supremacy and conspiracy to commit such crimes.

The text of the bill reads as follows: “A person commits a white supremacy inspired hate crime when white supremacist ideology has motivated the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of actions that constituted a crime or were undertaken in furtherance

With respect to any information or evidence obtained by the Department of Justice of any unlawful action specified in Jackson-Lee’s bill, the DOJ shall have the authority to conduct operations and activities pursuant to such crimes.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) would also be authorized to conduct investigations, intervene, and take any other measures it deems necessary and appropriate to prevent, mitigate, or stop any potentially violent action.

The Department of Justice’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program would keep track of

Congressional committees.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, claimed the legislation “makes a mockery of the First Amendment.”

While Boebert, a rightwing leader, misrepresented the legislation after reading a misleading news article, Jackson Lee schooled her on Twitter.

“First of all, it took me about 32 seconds of reading the article you cited to understand that none of you know what you are talking about,” Jackson Lee scolded.

To be convicted of a hate crime

“Your argument assumes that only white people can hold white supremacist views and that only certain groups of people can perpetrate violence motivated by white supremacy.

“I would hope now that your argument would not shift to ‘why is white supremacy being added to this law?’ That would be egregious.

“Yes, white supremacy should be added to this law. Why? Because as Director Wray testified, it’s a major domestic terrorist threat.”

The Ukraine government provided CDAG 60 acres of land, but without funding or even a token commitment from the American government, it will be difficult for the company to meet current demand.The Ukraine government provided CDAG 60 acres of land, but without funding or even a token commitment from the American government, it will be difficult for the company to meet current demand.

Carolyn Davis, like many others, had an immediate reaction to the destruction in Ukraine caused by the Russian invasion.

“Those folks need help,” said Davis, the CEO of the District of Columbia-based CDAG International.

To help, her construction company visited areas of the wartorn country where civilians and military personnel alike needed assistance.

Davis said her group had installed “living containers and living facilities” that provided families with things like furniture and bunk beds, as well as generators.

“We installed electrical systems and other mandatory

Reparations Task Force: Freedmen's Bureau Essential for Compensating Slave Descendants

Antonio

Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Elmer Fonza speaks during public comments at the California Reparations Task Force Meeting in Los Angeles on Sept. 23, 2022. Fonza and his brother Medford, seated on the left, want to know if a proposed Freedmen's Bureau could help them file a claim in regard to property once owned in Gold County by their formerly enslaved great, great, great grandfather. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

The members of the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans are preparing the pretext for recommending a modern-day Freedmen’s Bureau that will be critical for compensating descendants of enslaved Blacks for the injustices of slavery and Jim Crow discrimination they suffered.

Task force chairperson

Kamilah V. Moore explained during the group’s two-day meeting at San Diego State University (SDSU) that the proposed California American Freedmen Affairs Agency (CAFAA) would identify past harms and prevent future occurrences.

Moore said that the agency would be “a main office or headquarters,” with “specialized offices and branches” dedicated to addressing specific atrocities that have “snowballed over generations.”

“The purpose of this new agency would be to identify how past state-sanctioned atrocities have perpetuated and created new iterations of these badges and incidences of chattel slavery,” Moore said.

“And how (the agency can) eradicate and prevent future badges and incidences from forming and prospering against the American freedman or descendant community,” she added.

Lawmakers Push Bill to Grant Prisoners Right to Vote

Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media people who have suffered being a victim of a very violent offense,”

Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) told CBM.

The CAFAA would facilitate claims for restitution and would set up a branch to process claims with the state and assist claimants in proving eligibility through a “genealogy” department.

In addition, the CAFAA would implement the recommendations made by a reparations tribunal to settle claims for past harms and set up an office of immediate relief to expedite claims.

Task force member and civil rights lawyer Lisa Holder said the proposed agency bears a resemblance to the federal agency set up on March 3, 1865, two months before the official end of the Civil War.

The Freedmen’s Bureau, as it was named under a series of post bellum legislation, was originally designed to settle the formerly enslaved on land confiscated or abandoned during the war.

The Freedmen’s Bureau, officially known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, assisted formerly enslaved people in acquiring relief, housing, employment, education, medical aid, and equality under the U.S. Constitution.

Holder said that the “original Freedmen’s Bureau” was “interrupted and disrupted” when it could have been a “powerful” institution 100 years later if it “had been allowed to survive and thrive,” she said. According to the Freedmen’s Bureau National Archives at www.archives.gov,

Assembly Majority Leader Reyes Sworn-in for Fourth Term at Community-Based Ceremony in Fontana

the bureau ceased operations in 1872 due to the lack of funding and “deeply held racist attitudes.”

Holder added that the CAFAA should be the “guiding light” behind reparations efforts in the state of California.

“One of the things I like about this notion of a Freedmen’s Bureau is that it’s in keeping with this concept that reparations and damages for human rights abuses have to create systems that end the harm that causes the harm,” Holder said. “It is also supposed to create institutions that make the community whole in a sense that they get you up to a place where you were before the harm happened.”

Elmer Fonza of Las Vegas and his elder brother Medford Fonza, who lives in the Los Angeles area, have attended task force meetings and activities around the state. Their great, great, great grandfather Nelson Bell was brought to California as an enslaved person around 1850 to mine for gold. He was later freed.

Bell purchased land in Coloma, 48 miles east of Sacramento, but the family lost it all after he died in the 1870s, the brothers told the task force at the September meeting in Los Angeles. Elmer Fonza believes that the property was confiscated through unscrupulous means.

The Fonza family, who visited and toured Gold Country last summer for the first time in their

Memphis Police Murder Case Puts Spotlight on California

Legislation...continued from page 1

In Los Angeles, the Rampart police division scandal exposed gang unit officers planting evidence, framing suspects, and stealing drugs and money.

(FONTANA)— Assembly

Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes marked the start of the 2023-24 legislative cycle at her Community Swearingin Ceremony on Saturday, February 11 at the Steelworkers’ Auditorium in Fontana.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta administered the oath of office and former State Senator Connie Leyva, now with KVCR, acted as the Master of Ceremonies. The 2023-24 session will be Majority Leader Reyes’ fourth term representing portions of the Inland Empire in the State Assembly, but this will be her first term representing the new 50th Assembly District. All legislative lines were redrawn last year using the most recent U.S. Census data.

“Thank you to my district for trusting me to serve you for another term,” said Majority Leader Reyes. “I will continue to align my work with the Inland Empire’s values. You are my neighbors and I look forward to hearing more from you and taking your words to Sacramento to fight for the resources our region deserves.”

Other event speakers included California Legislative Latino Caucus Chair Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (Corona), San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, Loma Linda City Councilmember Bhavin Jindal, Chaffey College Superintendent Dr. Henry Shannon, Colton Joint Unified School District Board Member Bertha Flores, and UFCW Local 1167 Operating Director and Inland Empire Labor Council President Yesenia Gonzales. In prior terms, Majority Leader Reyes has championed legislation to increase equity and inclusion in vulnerable communities throughout the state. She will continue to do so during the 2023-24 legislative session.

Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes is the Majority Leader of the California State Assembly, representing Assembly District 50, which includes the cities of Colton, Fontana, Loma Linda, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands and San Bernardino, as well as unincorporated Bloomington.

Photo Screenshot: Assemblyman Isaac Bryan announces ACA 4 the Bill will restore the voting rights of people who are incarcerated across the state along side advocates and supporters. Feb 8, 2023.

Last week, Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) the chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Elections introduced Assembly Constitutional Amendment 4 (ACA-4). The legislation proposes amending the California Constitution to allow felons serving time in state and federal prisons to vote.

Proposition 17, approved in 2020 by California voters, enabled persons convicted of felonies on parole to vote.

If the bill passes the Assembly and Senate, and the governor approves it, voters in California could vote to join Vermont, Maine, and Washington D.C. in allowing incarcerated individuals to vote.

“After the 13th Amendment liberated the slaves, we started to see different types of voter disenfranchisement occurring,”

Bryan explained in an interview with California Black Media (CBM).

“We saw Black code, we saw Jim Crow, poll taxes, literacy tests, felony disenfranchisement, becoming more commonplace in statewide constitution and so it's through that legacy that we've been trying to roll back all of these years and make sure that our democracy is inclusive of everybody,” Bryan commented on the systemic discrimination and disenfranchisement African Americans have endured over centuries.

Lawmakers opposing the legislation say allowing incarcerated felons to vote is a slap in the face to victims of the crimes they committed.

“I believe that it discounts the impact that this will have on

“Part of rehabilitation is going through a process of recognizing the seriousness of what has been done, and I think when we allow someone to exercise the most sacred privilege that we have in this country, that people have died so that we can exercise that privilege, that is an affront against those who have suffered ill, and a lot of times eternal pain,” Lackey said.

Responding to Lackey’s objection, Bryan said, “That's like saying allowing incarcerated persons to breathe is an affront to their victims, allowing incarcerated persons to drink water, allowing incarcerated persons to hold conversations with one another.”

“There is no reason that that should be coupled with disenfranchisement and the expelling of individuals as citizens of this country.”

“There's a difference between suspending a privilege and dehumanizing someone,” Lackey said. “Certainly no one expects someone to go through inappropriate suffering. That is not part of justice. That's not part of our judicial process.”

David Liamsi Cruz, an advocate from Initiate Justice, was released in September after serving 13 years in prison.

“One problem that I constantly came across was that people serving their sentence alongside me felt that they didn't have the means to improve their environment that controlled their lives or to contribute to their families' wellness outside. Despite what many people assume, people in prison care about the same political issues that we outside do,” Cruz said.

“Those who were willing to become civically engaged with me were diligent in their work, they even brought me bill ideas that could have solved issues that were longstanding in their communities. I was honored to

In Oakland, a group of cops dubbed the “Riders” stood trial for beating, planting evidence on, and stealing drugs and money from alleged suspects. But a deadlocked jury acquitted them of eight charges and a judge declared a mistrial after they could not agree on 27 other charges. The officers went free.

“Initially, it looks like they’re doing great things but behind the scenes, people in communities will tell you they are terrorized by them,” said Johnson.

Marc Philpart, executive director of the California Black Freedom Fund, organized 26 foundation CEOs and leaders to issue a call to action to push back against systemic barriers. Established two and a half years ago following the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and countless others, the California Black Freedom Fund is a fiveyear, $100 million initiative created to mobilize the resources necessary to build Black power and eradicate systemic and institutional racism.

The coalition leaders posted on cablackfreedomfund.org a letter reminding the public of the protests that gave voice to collective outrage, frustration, and grief that permeated Black communities and communities across the country in 2020.

“America recognized that the problem lies not within Black communities, but within structures that institutionalize and perpetuate racial violence and inequity,” they wrote.

Nationally, police killed at least 1,176 people in 2022 - about 100 a month - making last year the deadliest year on record for police violence since killings began being tracked, according to Mapping Police Violence.

“While the nation is grieving, some are making statements telling Black people how to express their outrage. That’s not the focus of our letter. Our letter is a call to action for everyone concerned with the brutalization of Black people and Black communities,” the leaders wrote.

During a Jan. 29 protest for Mr. Nichols and 31-year-old Keenan Anderson, Dr. Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter L.A. and Black Lives Matter Grassroots, said outrage over the police-involved murders of Black men is justified.

“We should shed tears. We should feel it. We should refuse to become numb. Our hearts should break,” shouted Abdullah.

“We should allow ourselves to sob in the dark of the night. And we should demand justice, not just for what’s happening in Memphis, but what’s happening right here in L.A.,” said Abdullah to demonstrators blocking the intersection of Lincoln and Venice boulevards. The location is where Anderson, a cousin of Black Lives Matter Movement co-founder Patrisse Cullors, flagged down a Los Angeles Police Department motorcycle officer for help following a traffic collision.

Anderson died in police custody hours later, after being tasered six times on the back of his heart, according to family attorneys. LAPD body cameras detailed what happened during the minor traffic stop, when a man, afraid, called the police for help, said family attorney Carl Douglas. In every way, Anderson was respectful of authority: “Sir! Help me, sir,” the unarmed and compliant man repeatedly pled, Douglas said.

“That officer then calls for backup, and Keenan sees several officers then rushing toward him. His reaction then was a reaction that several Black men would react in a similar situation, one of fear. And that fear drove him to run into the middle of the street,” stated Douglas.

Back in Memphis, Mr. Nichols’ brother Michael Cutrer urged people to stand together and fight for their rights. “We definitely speak loud and proud, and we are there marching and protesting and all that’s great, but it has to be about something,” he said.

Lawmakers Push Bill to Grant Prisoners Right to Vote... continued witness their passion for change, for an opportunity to grow, and to contribute to something way bigger than themselves. Even though I am home [from] prison now, I have not forgotten the 10,000 voices of people who are still inside and have so much to contribute. I want their voices to be heard.”

Supporters of the plan say that reducing recidivism - or the reincarceration of persons less than 3 years after they are released from prison – is one of the primary benefits of this plan.

“We already know a lot of the facts, and the facts are that the more someone is engaged in their democracy, they are 50% less likely to reoffend,” said Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) who is a co-sponsor of the bill.

“So, if we already know this, then the policy not allowing those who are incarcerated to vote has nothing to do with public safety.”

Kalra said when he was a public defender it was “plain as day” to see who was given second chances.

“Those who were given probation versus prison, and it was so connected to race and class and the same communities who have been fighting to be free since the inception, and before the inception of this nation,” he said.

Another concern is the ability for those who are incarcerated to hold public officials accountable. “Those who are incarcerated and their families are some of the most educated people in our state, far more educated than the average voter,” said Kalra. “And they will hold us accountable, and maybe that's what people are afraid of. They don't want that accountability from those who are suffering the most from decisions that are made traditionally in [the Capital].”

The legislation is backed by a coalition of lawmakers, including California Legislative Black Caucus members –Assemblymembers Lori Wilson (D – Suisun City), Reggie JonesSawyer (D-Los Angeles), Tina McKinnor (D – Inglewood), Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), Dr. Akilah Weber (D – San Diego) and Senators Steven Bradford (D- Inglewood) and Lola Smallwood Cuevas (D–Ladera Heights).

“There was a time where women couldn't vote,” JonesSawyer said at the press conference held last week to

The San Bernardino AMERICAN News is committed to serving its readers by presenting news unbiased and objective, trusting in the mature judgment of the readers and, in so doing, strive to achieve a united community. News releases appearing in the San Bernardino AMERICAN News do not necessarily express the policy nor the opinion of the publishers. The