'Fishing for votes': Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson slammed over $500K endeavor for a reparations task force for Black residents

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: In order to establish a Reparations Task Force charged with developing a citywide reparations plan, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issued an executive order on Monday, June 17.

The mayor's office states that the task force will undertake a comprehensive study and analysis of policies that have historically impacted Black residents of Chicago, from the era of slavery to modern times.

Black citizens constitute nearly 30% of Chicago's population

Following this analysis, the task force is expected to propose solutions to address the racial disparities resulting from these policies. Notably, Black citizens constitute nearly 30% of Chicago's population.

“Today's Executive Order is not just a public declaration; it is a pledge to shape the future of our city by confronting the legacy of inequity that has plagued Chicago for far too long,” Johnson stated in a press announcement, according to The Hill.

According to the NAACP, reparations can take many different forms, such as monetary awards, aid, land restitution, social services, and more.

Johnson claimed in his executive order that the nation and the city "perpetuated, condoned, profited and benefited" from the chattel slavery system.

He went on to mention a number of Jim Crow laws that were in place from 1877 to 1963 and which made racial discrimination and segregation lawful. 

Redlining, housing discrimination, and highway construction are a few of the policies that have caused "disparities in life expectancy, unemployment, homeownership rates, home value, incarceration, and more," according to Johnson's office.

The establishment of the reparations task force, tasked with examining policies affecting Black residents of Chicago since the Civil War era, follows the allocation of $500,000 for the initiative in the 2024 budget by Johnson, Just The News reported.

If sanctioned, the reparations could take multiple forms such as monetary compensation, social service benefits, and land grants.

Illinois became the first city to fund reparations in 2021

Since the abolition of slavery in the United States in 1865, the topic of reparations has been discussed on a regular and contentious basis. Financial reparations are opposed by some on the grounds that they are unjust to non-Black people or are excessively costly.

Financial reparations, according to some of their proponents, can alleviate discrimination-related injustices that have damaged families for many generations.

Evanston, Illinois, located not far from Chicago, became the first city in the United States to fund reparations in 2021, dedicating $10 million over the next ten years to compensate Black residents for the cumulative losses caused by generations of housing discrimination.

However, the program has recently been challenged in court by a conservative legal group, Judicial Watch, which claims the policy discriminates against individuals who do not identify as Black or African American.

Internet believes Brandon Johnson is 'trying to buy votes'

As soon as the news surfaced the social media, users started reacting to it. One user wrote, "Sounds like he’s fishing for votes nothing will come of it."

Another user added, "This is called trying to buy votes."

The third commentator questioned, "Where is he getting the money?"

"That money is gone gone gone. Criminal," one remarked.

A person labelled it as, "Unconstitutional."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.