{"id":24960,"date":"2023-01-29T21:41:27","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T05:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=24960"},"modified":"2023-01-30T20:25:24","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T04:25:24","slug":"s-f-s-bold-misunderstood-reparations-proposal-hasnt-had-its-first-hearing-of-course-conservatives-pounced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/01\/29\/s-f-s-bold-misunderstood-reparations-proposal-hasnt-had-its-first-hearing-of-course-conservatives-pounced\/","title":{"rendered":"S.F.\u2019s bold, misunderstood reparations proposal hasn\u2019t had its first hearing. Of course conservatives pounced"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/author\/justin-phillips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Justin Phillips<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jan. 29, 2023 (SFhronicle.com)<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/feed?app_id=137086563877087&amp;link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fbayarea%2Fjustinphillips%2Farticle%2Fs-f-s-bold-misunderstood-reparations-proposal-17747114.php%3Futm_campaign%3DCMS%2520Sharing%2520Tools%2520(Premium)%26utm_source%3Dfacebook.com%26utm_medium%3Dreferral&amp;name=S.F.%E2%80%99s%20bold%2C%20misunderstood%20reparations%20proposal%20hasn%E2%80%99t%20had%20its%20first%20hearing.%20Of%20course%20conservatives%20pounced&amp;description=San%20Francisco%E2%80%99s%20reparations%20proposal%20infuriated%20right-wing%20hacks%20and%20reactionaries....&amp;picture=https%3A%2F%2Fs.hdnux.com%2Fphotos%2F01%2F31%2F23%2F60%2F23411721%2F3%2FrawImage.jpg&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fbayarea%2Fjustinphillips%2Farticle%2Fs-f-s-bold-misunderstood-reparations-proposal-17747114.php%3Futm_campaign%3DCMS%2520Sharing%2520Tools%2520(Premium)%26utm_source%3DUTMSOURCE%26utm_medium%3DUTMMEDIUM\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fbayarea%2Fjustinphillips%2Farticle%2Fs-f-s-bold-misunderstood-reparations-proposal-17747114.php%3Futm_campaign%3DCMS%2520Sharing%2520Tools%2520(Premium)%26utm_source%3Dt.co%26utm_medium%3Dreferral&amp;text=S.F.%E2%80%99s%20bold%2C%20misunderstood%20reparations%20proposal%20hasn%E2%80%99t%20had%20its%20first%20hearing.%20Of%20course%20conservatives%20pounced&amp;via=sfchronicle\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Your%20friend%20has%20shared%20a%20San%20Francisco%20Chronicle%20link%20with%20you%3A%20&amp;body=S.F.%E2%80%99s%20bold%2C%20misunderstood%20reparations%20proposal%20hasn%E2%80%99t%20had%20its%20first%20hearing.%20Of%20course%20conservatives%20pounced%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fbayarea%2Fjustinphillips%2Farticle%2Fs-f-s-bold-misunderstood-reparations-proposal-17747114.php%3Futm_campaign%3DCMS%2520Sharing%2520Tools%2520(Premium)%26utm_source%3Dshare-by-email%26utm_medium%3Demail%0A%0ASan%20Francisco%E2%80%99s%20reparations%20proposal%20infuriated%20right-wing%20hacks%20and%20reactionaries....%0A%0AThis%20message%20was%20sent%20via%20San%20Francisco%20Chronicle\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/justinphillips\/articleComments\/s-f-s-bold-misunderstood-reparations-proposal-17747114.php\">Comments<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"1-image-23411721\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.hdnux.com\/photos\/01\/31\/23\/60\/23411721\/3\/1200x0.jpg\" alt=\"San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton wrote the legislation that created the city\u2019s reparations advisory committee two years ago. In December, the committee gave city officials a draft reparations proposal with recommendations on addressing historical wrongs related to housing, education and economics. Walton has said the city will consider all of the recommendations.\"\/><figcaption>San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton wrote the legislation that created the city\u2019s reparations advisory committee two years ago. In December, the committee gave city officials a draft reparations proposal with recommendations on addressing historical wrongs related to housing, education and economics. Walton has said the city will consider all of the recommendations.Stephen Lam, Staff Photographer \/ The Chronicle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"2-image-23411722\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.hdnux.com\/photos\/01\/31\/23\/60\/23411722\/3\/1200x0.jpg\" alt=\"San Francisco Supervisors Hillary Ronen (left), Rafael Mandelman and Shamann Walton, shown at a meeti this month, were among the 11 board members who voted unanimously in 2020 to create a reparations advisory committee.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"3-image-23411720\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.hdnux.com\/photos\/01\/31\/23\/60\/23411720\/3\/1200x0.jpg\" alt=\"SF Black Wallstreet members Ernest Jones (left), Gwendolyn Brown, Tiffany Carter and Afatasi discuss reparations during a meeting this month. The nonprofit works to improve upward economic mobility for Black residents, and its members support the recent draft reparations proposal that includes a $5 million cash payment to eligible recipients.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A reparations proposal that, among many complex ideas, suggested paying $5 million to each eligible Black San Franciscan whipped conservative politicians and pundits into a frenzy when&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/justinphillips\/article\/sf-reparations-black-17716918.php\">I wrote about it<\/a>&nbsp;this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fox News crammed the words \u201coutrageous,\u201d \u201cunconstitutional\u201d and \u201cunlawful\u201d into&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/critics-slam-san-franciscos-proposed-5-million-reparations-outrageous-unconstitutional-unlawful\">a single headline.<\/a>&nbsp;The National Review warned the plan would bankrupt the city. The San Francisco Republican Party called the proposal \u201cludicrous.\u201d The collective freak-out was both predictable and predictably cynical, and led to death threats and racist letters for members of the African American Reparations Advisory Committee, which drafted the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is exactly what the right wants, and it obscures a more mundane reality:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>San Francisco is nowhere close to approving a reparations plan. The Board of Supervisors, which created the committee, will have its first public discussion about the committee\u2019s proposal on Feb. 7, and the final plan isn\u2019t due until June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All 11 supervisors voted unanimously to establish the advisory committee. Only four communicated with me about the committee\u2019s proposal, which the supervisors received in December. Mayor London Breed\u2019s office declined to comment other than to say Breed is reviewing the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More from Justin Phillips<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/justinphillips\/article\/oakland-police-department-17741494.php\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/justinphillips\/article\/oakland-police-department-17741494.php\">The Oakland Police Department\u2019s worst enemy is the Oakland Police Department<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/justinphillips\/article\/oakland-police-department-17741494.php\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/justinphillips\/article\/oakland-police-department-17741494.php\"><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/justinphillips\/article\/sf-reparations-black-17716918.php\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/justinphillips\/article\/sf-reparations-black-17716918.php\">$5 million for each longtime Black resident? S.F. has a bold reparations plan to consider<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/justinphillips\/article\/sf-reparations-black-17716918.php\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/justinphillips\/article\/sf-reparations-black-17716918.php\"><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Honestly, I understand if some politicians are hesitant to brave the troll mobs to share their early thoughts. Nationally, reparations poll poorly \u2014 30% of adults support it, according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2022\/11\/28\/black-and-white-americans-are-far-apart-in-their-views-of-reparations-for-slavery\/\">2021 Pew Research Center data.<\/a>&nbsp;Even among reparations supporters, only 57% favor the idea of cash payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The politicians I spoke with reaffirmed their support for reparations but were evenly divided on whether or not cash payments were feasible; two said they were unrealistic, while the other two said that some form of cash payments could happen. No one guaranteed that the city would give Black residents $5 million checks. Meanwhile, the conservative media tried to make cash payments seem like nothing less than a certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supervisor Joel Engardio emailed a statement in which he said he supports \u201cfinding bold, meaningful, and creative ways to address the injustice of slavery and systemic discrimination suffered by generations of Black Americans.\u201d But the $5 million direct payments \u201cmay not be feasible under current budget constraints.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supervisor Hillary Ronen gave a similar perspective, both on the reparations plan and the lump sum payments, saying: \u201cI wish we had this kind of money in San Francisco\u2019s general fund but if we want to maintain the services that exist today, we do not.\u201d Ronen added that the city still has to have \u201crobust public discussions and hire a director to oversee how to meaningfully meet all the Committee\u2019s recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supervisor Dean Preston said the city could take an introspective approach to finding ways to fund the draft plan\u2019s recommendations: \u201cWe can take a hard look at some of the things that are contributing to the disparities in the city but that we consider untouchable in city government,\u201d he told me during a phone call.\u201cCertainly that could mean decreasing the police budget and using money to fund some of the committee\u2019s recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supervisor Shamann Walton wrote the legislation that created the committee two years ago. During our conversation, he mentioned that some city residents have floated the idea of using San Francisco\u2019s Cannabis Business Tax as a funding stream for reparations, including cash payments. The tax, which was suspended through the end of 2022, could raise around $10 million annually for the city\u2019s general fund, the San Francisco Standard&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/business\/san-francisco-poised-to-suspend-local-cannabis-tax-again-until-2026\/\">reported<\/a>&nbsp;in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople wonder how with so many Black people historically over-incarcerated, over-criminalized, behind marijuana charges, what could that tax do to help with reparations,\u201d Walton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walton emphasized that the city still has a ways to go to figure out what a reparations plan should look like. He said he also expects to face harassment as San Francisco\u2019s reparations journey unfolds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur Board of Supervisors unanimously approved this committee, and this committee is doing its job,\u201d Walton said. \u201cWe have a lot of people that are supporting this process in the city, despite how the outside voices are trying to make it seem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There will probably be more manufactured anger from right-wing hacks in response to this column. Let\u2019s recognize it for what it is: irrational envy of a city working to right historical wrongs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>San Francisco Chronicle columnist Justin Phillips appears Sundays. Email:&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:jphillips@sfchronicle.com\">jphillips@sfchronicle.com<\/a>&nbsp;Twitter:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JustMrPhillips\">@JustMrPhillips<\/a><\/em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/author\/justin-phillips\/\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Written By <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/author\/justin-phillips\/\" target=\"_blank\">Justin Phillips<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Justin Phillips joined The San Francisco Chronicle in November 2016 as a food writer. He previously served as the City, Industry, and Gaming reporter for the American Press in Lake Charles, Louisiana. In 2019, Justin also began writing a weekly column for The Chronicle&#8217;s Datebook section that focused on Black culture in the Bay Area. In 2020, Justin helped launch Extra Spicy, a food and culture podcast he co-hosts with restaurant critic Soleil Ho. Following its first season, the podcast was named one of the best podcasts in America by the Atlantic. In February, Justin left the food team to become a full-time columnist for The Chronicle. His columns focus on race and inequality in the Bay Area, while also placing a spotlight on the experiences of marginalized communities in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/img\/logos\/black\/logo.svg\" alt=\"San Francisco Chronicle Homepage - Site Logo\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/img\/core\/hearst_newspapers_logo.svg\" alt=\"HEARST newspapers logo\">\u00a92023 Hearst<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justin Phillips Jan. 29, 2023 (SFhronicle.com) Comments A reparations proposal that, among many complex ideas, suggested paying $5 million to each eligible Black San Franciscan whipped conservative politicians and pundits into a frenzy when&nbsp;I wrote about it&nbsp;this month. Fox News crammed the words \u201coutrageous,\u201d \u201cunconstitutional\u201d and \u201cunlawful\u201d into&nbsp;a single headline.&nbsp;The&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/01\/29\/s-f-s-bold-misunderstood-reparations-proposal-hasnt-had-its-first-hearing-of-course-conservatives-pounced\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24960"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24960"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24960\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24966,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24960\/revisions\/24966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}