In a resolution passed by the city council, Evanston will use the recreational marijuana sales tax to create a local reparations program. The funds will provide job training and housing assistance to residents of the Black community. Although marijuana news the city is not legally legal to sell recreational marijuana, the state’s new law opens the door to recreational marijuana sales. However, the city has chosen to opt out of the program, which would limit the money the city will receive.
Despite its high-profile plan, the city is unable to raise sufficient funds to fund its reparations program. As a result, the city has decided to create a nonprofit to distribute the money to the city’s Black residents. The nonprofit group Evanston Rejects Racist Reparations opposes the program because it is not inclusive and is not true reparations.
The city’s Black community is approximately 17 percent of the total population of seven thousand and makes up a significant proportion of marijuana arrests. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, blacks in Illinois are eight times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites. This new fund, called the Black Community Benefit Fund, requires that applicants be direct descendants of those living in the city between 1919 and 1969.
As a first step, the city is planning to use the money for a restorative housing reparations program. The funds are expected to bring in between $500,000 and $750,000 a year in taxes. The fund can also receive outside donations. The city plans to make reparations through direct payments to black residents, diversity policy, and other methods. Once the new laws are in place, the city will be able to allocate the money to the program.
The city is focusing on black residents of the city in order to address racial and economic disparities. The Black population of the city is about 17 percent of the 74,000 residents, and the city’s black population is the majority of arrests for marijuana. Furthermore, the city’s law disproportionately targets blacks in the area. As a result, the local reparations program is unlikely to be comprehensive enough to address these problems.
In addition to the funding for reparations, the city has also created a “truth and reconciliation” process. The city plans to make a $25,000 direct benefit payment to Black residents who were displaced by real estate brokers. Those who were displaced by the discriminatory policy will also receive the benefits. A further round of benefits will target Black business owners and promote entrepreneurship.
The city council of Evanston will use the first $10 million of revenue from the recreational marijuana sales tax for a local reparations program. The money will also be used to address the city’s disparities in wealth and population. In addition to this, the new fund could be a model for other cities. This will be a first step toward addressing the problem of racial inequity in the city.
The city council passed a resolution to establish a $10 million fund to address the issue of local reparations. The funds from the recreational marijuana retailers’ tax will be transferred to the fund for the local blueberry domina auto reparations program. Unfortunately, the city will not reach the $10 million mark before the fund is fully funded. The funds will be distributed by a random lottery to 16 people who are eligible for the funds.
The measure has a long history of addressing the issue of racial discrimination. The city has committed to use marijuana sales tax proceeds for reparations to remedy racial inequity in the city. The program has the support of civil rights activists. Alderwoman Robin Rue Simmons spearheaded the charge for the bill. She said that she is proud of the city’s decision to take action on the issue.