Conservative group files lawsuit over Evanston reparations program

The future of Evanston’s groundbreaking reparations program could be in doubt after a conservative nonprofit organization filed a federal lawsuit accusing the initiative of being unconstitutional. The suit, filed Thursday by the group Judicial Watch, names as plaintiffs six people whose relatives once lived in Evanston during a 50-year period of housing discrimination that often deprived Black residents from building wealth through homeownership and kept them segregated to a tiny enclave on the city’s western edge. None of the plaintiffs or their relatives identify as Black, the lawsuit says. Attorneys for the six plaintiffs argue that the program awards applicants $25,000 based on their race, without having to prove they or their relatives faced housing discrimination. As such, they argue, the reparations program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, which says all Americans are given equal protection under the law. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told the Tribune that Evanston’s program is “just a proxy for giving out money to people based on race.” “It looks to me like Evanston wants to be on the cutting edge,” Fitton said. “We don’t want those anti-discrimination protections to be upended through these types of programs. It’s important this be...