California activists ask for land and $350k+ in reparations, warn of 'backlash' if request denied
OAKLAND, Calif. (TND) — A recommendation to provide over $223,000 in reparation payments per eligible Black Californian, sent to California’s Reparations Task Force, stirred a frenzy earlier this month over the high dollar amount. But, despite opposition to the seemingly heavy-handed payout, some individuals think the task force is still hundreds-of-thousands of dollars, and 15-20 acres of land, short.
The only group of its kind in the nation held the first part of a two-day meeting discussing proposed guidelines and plans on how to disperse the taxpayer funded reparations Wednesday.
During the public notice and comment portion of the meeting, an attendee got up and requested the task force provide eligible Black residents $350,000 each in reparation payments, which is $127,000 more than initially recommended to the task force.
Another attendee argued he thinks the dollar amount should be “the median house price in the state of California,” which is “at least $830,000,” the man claimed.
The expansive and wide-ranging recommendations came from Max Fennell, a mildly popular social media personality known for his athletic prowess as a triathlete, and Deon Jenkins, who ran an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate during the midterms.
Fennell added that, in addition to the $350,000 payout, each eligible Californian should be given 15-20 acres of land, and Black-owned small businesses in the state should receive $250,000 in grant money.
When Jenkins took to the podium to speak, he insisted there were “four elements of reparations.”
“Defense, money, land, grants,” Jenkins listed. “Four elements of every society, every nation – a defensive structure, economy, land and having access to that economy. If that is not being addressed reparations will not hold. Reparations – repair is the root word, we cannot have repair if those elements are not addressed.”
In raw footage of an interview about the ongoing reparations discussion, which Jenkins took part in and shared on social media, he suggested that “either they’re going to comply or it’s going to be a series of backlash.”
It appeared Jenkins's comments were in reference to the task force and its ultimate decision on how much will be given out.
The National Desk (TND) reached out to the Reparations Task Force to inquire if the group had any comment on Fennell’s recommendation during Wednesday’s meeting, particularly in light of the criticism sparked earlier this month over the recommendation to the committee that it allocate $569 billion for reparations, which amounts to roughly $223,200 per person, The New York Times reported.
TND heard back from the task force’s vice chairman, Dr. Amos Brown, who was appointed to the panel by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Much of the recent news coverage regarding California’s Reparations Task Force has been inaccurate and deceitful,” Brown told TND. “The Task Force is taking a deliberate and common sense approach, based on facts and evidence. Our process is well documented, with input from the public, experts and key officials, providing diverse opinions, objective analysis and factual information. The work of the Task Force continues and will be completed in the Summer of 2023 with the release of our final report.”
