‘I just want to see accountability’ City’s reparation commission calls for cash payments to black city residents

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – After an 18-month process, the St. Louis Reparations Commission released a series of recommendations on Monday, calling for city leaders to provide cash payments to Black residents to address historical injustices. Antwane, a city resident who did not want to share his last name, told First Alert 4 he’s pleased with the reparations commission’s call for cash payments. “We have to get this part of American history behind us,” said Antwane. The recommendations address racism, imposed discrimination, segregation, and poor living conditions on Black city residents for decades in some cases, centuries in others. Additionally, they aim to address the city’s history of slavery. He and others on the seven-person commission believe the city needs to address its past. “We can only do that by making amends and making repairs to the people that were harmed,” said Antwane. “I just want to see accountability,” said Will Ross, vice chair of the commission. The commission released part of its report draft on Monday, which included a series of recommendations to the city. These include cash payments to any Black city resident or anyone who can trace their ancestry to slavery. The commission tasks the...