The board of supervisors for San Francisco has plans to formally apologize to Black residents for the city’s history of “racial inequity” found within its policies and legislation. Their resolution to do so comes as a task force urges for reparations on behalf of its long-standing Black community.
A committee hearing on Feb. 15 led to the resolution, which will acknowledge and detail the city’s remorse for its displacement of and lack of public investment in the Black community’s growth, in addition to historical police injustice and distrust. According to the National Review, the apology also mentioned how redlining practices led to wealth inequities and educational divestment in the areas that Black people were heavily concentrated or pushed into.
“San Francisco has a long history of creating and/or enforcing laws, policies, and institutions that have perpetuated racial inequity in our city, much of which is difficult to document due to historical erasure,” the draft resolution stated.
As for reparations, the task force recommended in December 2022 that $5 million be designated to each Black resident who has been a part of San Francisco’s community for a substantial amount of time, which would cost the city over $100 billion to thoroughly allocate. This hefty amount doubles when accounting for additional wealth redistribution policies.
The city’s political figures are divided on instituting reparations, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. One board member, Shamann Walton, believes that the a $5 million allotment to each Black individual is not sufficient to absolve all the racial injustice and trauma endured directly by the San Francisco government, but says the apology is the first step in a lengthy process of action to remedy these generational issues.
“I want to acknowledge all the work around reparations here in San Francisco, so as we continue to improve outcomes for Black people in this city, this apology will bring us all closer to that end goal,” stated Walton.
On the other hand, Mayor London Breed proposed to dismantle their reparations office to aid in budget cuts. Her own Dream Keeper Initiative has already designated $100 million of local government funds to be poured into the economic and professional development of Black natives to the city.
Several other cities, including Boston and church communities
in East Lansing, Michigan, have made steps toward rectifying the systemic violence and discrimination toward Black people via monetary aid. However, San Francisco still has a long way to go before passing legislation that would allocate funding of that magnitude on behalf of the demographic.RELATED CONTENT: California Makes Progress On Reparations But Leaves Out Cash Payments