ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – After an 18-month process, the St. Louis Reparations Commission released a series of recommendations on Monday, calling for city leaders to provide cash payments to Black residents to address historical injustices.
Antwane, a city resident who did not want to share his last name, told First Alert 4 he’s pleased with the reparations commission’s call for cash payments.
“We have to get this part of American history behind us,” said Antwane.
The recommendations address racism, imposed discrimination, segregation, and poor living conditions on Black city residents for decades in some cases, centuries in others.
Additionally, they aim to address the city’s history of slavery.
He and others on the seven-person commission believe the city needs to address its past.
“We can only do that by making amends and making repairs to the people that were harmed,” said Antwane.
“I just want to see accountability,” said Will Ross, vice chair of the commission.
The commission released part of its report draft on Monday, which included a series of recommendations to the city.
These include cash payments to any Black city resident or anyone who can trace their ancestry to slavery. The commission tasks the city with creating a system that establishes eligibility and the amount per resident.
In addition, the commission also called for payments of $25,000 per person who was a direct descendant or a former resident of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project or the Mill Creek Valley and McCree neighborhoods.
It would be up to city leaders to make any of this a reality.
“The real work is to continue to apply pressure,” said Kayla Reed, chairperson of the commission.
A spokesperson for Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office told First Alert 4, “We’re grateful for the commission’s hard work and are reviewing the report.”
The commission said they will work with the mayor’s office to finalize the report at the end of the week, and it could still change after hearing feedback Monday.
Other recommendations call for a memorial or museum, as well as a public apology from the city.
The commission is also calling for a series of policy changes in addition to the payments. That includes housing grants to descendants of enslaved people, investment in the revitalization of neighborhoods, and addressing healthcare disparities.
Antwane said righting the wrongs of the past will go a long way for his community.
“It’s a matter of life and death for a lot of Black Americans,” said Antwane.
The commission also made suggestions on how to fund these initiatives. Those include using Rams settlement money, unspent ARPA money, or marijuana tax revenue.
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