Illinois town plans for slave reparations paid with sales tax from marijuana sales

Breitbart ^ | 11/29/19 | Joshua Caplan

[david1292]

An Illinois town has approved a measure to fund a local reparations program with proceeds from the purchase of recreational marijuana.

On Monday, Evanston aldermen voted 8-1 in favor of the proposal aimed at what officials believe will improve help the city’s black community. Local leaders eye marijuana dispensaries as an attractive source of revenue to reverse what they call the ongoing impact of institutional racist and persisting effects of slavery, according to the Chicago Tribune. “The fund will be capped at $10 million, according to city of Evanston staff reports. City estimates project the marijuana tax could generate $500,000 to $750,000 per year,” the newspaper noted.

However, Evanston officials face roadblocks in collecting adequate revenue from the plan as various suburbs have yet to approve the establishment of recreational marijuana dispensaries, despite them being scheduled to become legal in Illinois next year.

“We can implement funding to directly invest in black Evanston,” 5th Ward Alderman Robin Rue Simmons said of the measure.

The marijuana tax will be “invested in the community it unfairly policed and damaged,” Simmons added.

“This is a really special moment in the city of Evanston and also in the country,” stated Second Ward Alderman Peter Braithwaite.

The development comes as Democrats in the House and Senate have introduced resolutions to approve studies to examine reparations proposals for African Americans over slavery.

[Pollard]

gee. what happens when every black in Chicago moves to Evanston?

[simpson96]

Robin Sue Simmons