California Task Force Recommends Apology, Drug War Reparations for Black Americans

The nine-member committee first convened almost two years ago to give final approval to a long list of proposals over the weekend in Oakland, California.

of Final report draft The federal and state governments have long targeted black people for “discriminatory arrest and incarceration,” and the extent of this unfair crackdown was exacerbated when the War on Drugs began in 1971 under the Nixon administration. Note that only

“Reparations are not only morally justified, they have the potential to address longstanding racial disparities and inequalities,” Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, said at the meeting. rice field.

The first ballot approved a detailed account of historical discrimination against black Californians, specifically examining areas such as voting, housing, education, unequal policing, and incarceration.

In addition to the reparations recommendation, the task force also approved a public apology acknowledging the state’s responsibility for past mistakes and promising that the state would not repeat them. will be issued in

“An apology and an admission of wrongdoing alone will not be enough,” said Chris Logison of the Fair and Equitable California organizers.

Members quantified the impact of racist enforcement and incarceration on drugs by incorporating analyzes on other secondary consequences associated with drug convictions and the cost of time spent in prison. They assessed racism based on comparisons of average arrest rates, convictions, and sentences between blacks and whites who engaged in drug-related activities at comparable rates who experienced different consequences in the criminal justice system.

The Special Committee stated that “Compensation for harm to communities shall not be available to eligible recipients in California during the prescribed period of damage (e.g., residence in police-attended communities during the ‘War on Drugs’ from 1971). We recommend that it be offered as a flat payment based on how long you have been in the state. by 2020),” the report said.

Members also recommended that Congress enact an “individual claims process” to compensate those who can prove “certain injuries,” such as those who have been arrested or imprisoned on drug charges in the past. . Cannabis is found in many states.

The commission unequivocally concluded that Congress should pay an estimated 1,976,911 California blacks $115,260 in 2020. According to him, compensation to all those affected is $227,858,891.023. marijuana moment.

“In order to measure the large racial incarceration disparities in the 49-year drug war from 1971 to 2020, Task Force experts compared non-Hispanic white drug offenders to African estimated the disproportionate number of years spent in prison by non-Hispanic California drug offenders of American descent,” the report said. “Because these disparities can be measured in years, experts can calculate how much the average California employee would have made in her one year, and how many of these disproportionate years spent in prison. attached a monetary value to

The report found that the war on drugs has resulted in “highly disproportionate incarceration of African Americans”, further increasing unemployment and homelessness in economically depressed African American communities after incarcerated individuals were released. The panel also proposes additional compensation for health disparities and housing discrimination.

It also points to the discrepancy in sentencing for crack cocaine and powdered cocaine enacted by Congress during the Reagan administration, citing it as an example of drug policy crafted in a way that disproportionately affected black communities in particular.

In addition, the Task Force will revive affirmative action, abolish the death penalty, restore voting rights for those previously and currently incarcerated, provide free college tuition for those eligible for compensation under the proposal, It made recommendations such as abolition of bail by the government and provision of a universal single payer. Above all, healthcare.

Members will convene again on 29 June before presenting the final report to Parliament.