First Evanston Reparations Fund Initiative: $25K Housing Grants

EVANSTON, IL — The Evanston City Council Monday approved the first allocation of funding to its first-in-the-nation municipal reparations program for the city's Black residents.

Aldermen authorized $400,000 in funding from the city's Reparations Fund — established in November 2019 with a pledge of city's first $10 million in recreational cannabis sales tax revenue — for the its first initiative aimed at addressing the city's racial wealth gap and legacy of discrimination.

Approved by a vote of 8-1, the city's new Restorative Housing Program provides homeownership assistance grants of up to $25,000. Under the program's guidelines, the grants can be used for the cost of buying a home, mortgage assistance and home improvements.

The children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Black residents of Evanston between the City Council's establishment of a zoning code in 1919 and a fair housing ordinance in 1969 will have priority for the program. They will be followed by other blood relatives, who will in turn be followed in priority by Black residents who experienced housing discrimination after 1969.

Dozens of residents spoke ahead of the vote. Supporters praised the historic nature of the vote and its necessity as a first step on a long path toward repairing the harm caused by the city to its declining Black population. Opponents raised concerns about the strings attached to the grants and its distribution through mortgage-lenders — the same financial institutions responsible for much of the historical harm the program addresses.

Ahead of the vote, Ald. Robin Rue Simmons, 5th Ward, the chief sponsor of the city's reparations initiative, revealed that city officials had received an offer of pro bono defense against a threatened legal challenge from a conservative law firm.

"We have a very competent and engaged law department here at the city, that we could not be more proud of, to help us come up with a solid case for reparations," Rue Simmons said.

"It doesn't come as a surprise," Deputy City Attorney Nicholas Cummings said of the lawsuit threat. "And it's the reason why I've advised the subcommittee the way that I have, in order so that we can try and tailor something that actually would withstand constitutional scrutiny."

The Reparations Fund initiative was developed and eventually recommended by the Reparations Subcommittee, chaired by Rue Simmons, following a series of meetings starting in January 2020.

Rue Simmons addressed those who warned the program was being rushed through the City Council, with a new mayor, clerk and at least three new aldermen set to be elected next in just over two weeks and seated in May. Rue Simmons is not seeking another term as alderman.

"I don't want to dismiss, and not show appreciation, for the dozens of meetings that we've had and the many community members, stakeholders, allies, partners both here in town and nationally, that have supported and mentored and provided new partnerships and relationships for us to develop a program, acknowledging it's a first step," Rue Simmons said.

"It's a first tangible step. It is alone, not enough, it is not full repair alone in this one initiative," she added. "But we all know that the road to repair injustice in the Black community is going to be a generation of work. It's going to be many programs and initiatives and more funding."

One by one, aldermen praised Rue Simmons for her efforts in spearheading the program, which has received international media attention as the nation's first publicly funded municipal reparation program for Black residents.

While the reparations program is primarily funded by cannabis tax revenue, it is not primarily aimed at addressing the effects of the city's racial discrimination in the course of years of cannabis prohibition enforcement.

Ald. Peter Braithwaite, 2nd Ward, broke the news that he had received assurances from state officials that licenses would be issued for a specified number of new pot shops.

"We will add at least three additional dispensaries to our city of Evanston that will increase the velocity of funding," Braithwaite revealed.

The state licensing process for prospective cannabis business owners has been stalled by coronavirus-related executive orders, a controversial scoring scheme and state and federal litigation, leaving Evanston with a just a single dispensary for the first 15 months of recreational marijuana legalization.

Braithwaite also pointed out local nonprofit groups, businesses and residents have promised additional funding to expand on the pledged cannabis tax revenue. He reckoned the $400,000 allocated symbolized only a small portion of the $10 million the City Council pledged to the fund.

"We are building out a community group based on our historic Black organizations that will help to harness, listen and respond to the many allies as well as members of our Black community that are going to bring forth other ideas for repairs," Braithwaite said, promising direct cash payments would be discussed in the future.

Ald. Tom Suffredin, 6th Ward, was the lone vote against establishing the fund in 2019, saying it was bad policy to dedicate tax revenue from a particular source to a yet-to-be-determined purpose.

This time, he voted in favor of the housing grant, but not before noting the City Council will have paid more to settle racial discrimination lawsuits since it was elected four years ago than it will have spent on the reparations program.

"Repair really needs to be tailored and defined by the person being repaired," Suffredin said. "My initial concern when I voted 'no' was that there wasn't a plan. I think we have a framework of a plan now. We saw some of the things that could have been avoided by having a stronger plan on the front end. I applaud all the work that was done, but the real challenge going forward for the city is creating a better culture overall beyond just reparations."

The one vote against the proposal Monday came from 9th Ward Ald. Cicely Fleming, the lone member of the City Council assured of still having their seat in six weeks.

Fleming called the program a housing plan "dressed up as reparations." True reparations, she said, requires autonomy for those who have been harmed. By setting the bar at $25,000 with the first initiative, she predicted the city would need to justify why each future program is worthy the same amount, and at that rate, the $10 million pledge would only provide enough for payments to 500 of the city’s more than 12,000 Black residents.

"In no instance, looking at those historical practices, have people been denied cash payments or the opportunity to decide how the repair would be managed. This practice alone can be based in what some might call white paternalistic narratives, where Black folks aren't able to manage their own money," Fleming said.

"I'm concerned about mistrust that we're amplifying by giving national news coverage and press pieces, people talking about this being historic and precedent-setting — again, without really taking the time to slow down to make sure everyone who wants to have input can do so."

Applications are being accepted until March 31 for those interested in being appointed by the mayor to the standing Reparations Committee. During the public comment period, City Clerk Devon Reid called for the appointment process to be fully transparent.

City staff said applications to receive the restorative housing grants will be released no sooner than mid-2021.

Read More:
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