City Sued Over Reparations Payments to Black Residents

Reparations Now (Getty) *Evanston, Illinois is the first city to fund reparations to Black residents after leaders announced in 2019 plans to provide $10 million over the next 10 years. According to an ABC News report, reparations of as much as $25,000 per resident that qualifies will be distributed to use toward housing. The city passed its reparations resolution in 2019, an effort spearheaded by 5th Ward Alderman Robin Rue Simmons. The Washington Post reports that the city has paid out close to $5 million to 193 Black residents over the past two years. Now, a conservative advocacy group has initiated a class-action lawsuit aimed at terminating the program, contending that it discriminates against non-Black residents of the suburb. “This program redistributes tax dollars based on race,” said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, the group that filed the lawsuit against Evanston. “That’s just a brazen violation of the law.” The lawsuit argues that the program should only be accessible to individuals who can provide evidence of experiencing discrimination within the city. Per The Washington Post, “About 60 percent of Evanston’s residents are White, and 17 percent are Black. Hispanic and Asian residents both make up just less than 10...