Your tax dollars might soon be spent making reparations for systemic racial discrimination rooted in the early 20th Century.
City Council is looking to spend $100,000 on a historical context study to determine the extent to which the historic Black community in West Hollywood was affected by “redlining” — the covertly racist method of grading the desirability of residential neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, a system that began in the late 1930s.
Redlined communities struggled to receive federally backed home loans, making property ownership more difficult for residents and perpetuating the decilne of the neighborhoods. Those policies are believed to have preserved racial segregation, exacerbated poverty, and allowed for a continued wealth gap between white Americans and other minority groups in the long-term.
The study — as envisioned by Councilmembers John Erickson and Mayor Pro Tem Sepi Shyne, who authored the proposal — aims to produce “better understanding of the complex history” of West Hollywood prior to its incorporation in 1984.
A 1939 map used by the Home Owners Loan Corporation considered West Hollywood to be “in decline” overall, a C on the grade scale, and noted two enclaves of minority populations — Jewish neighborhoods on Santa Monica Blvd. between La Brea and La Cienega (C80), and a “working class population with subversive racial elements” in the Norma Triangle (D27).
The proposal does not mention reparations to the Jewish community, nor any non-Black minority populations.
The study presumably would provide a rationale for the community reparations program that Erickson and Shyne have proposed. But what do they mean by reparations?
“Restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition (that) redress gross violations of international human rights law or serious violations of international humanitarian law,” according to the staff report, quoting a definition used by the United Nations.
The report details how a handful of other U.S. cities have attempted to define reparations.
Evanston, Ill., pledged $10 million to Black residents (or their descendants) who lived in the city from 1919 to 1969 and suffered housing discrimination. Each household is eligible for $25,000 to be used for home repairs, down payment on a property or interest/late penalties, paid for by the taxes on recreational cannabis.
Asheville, N.C., has a reparations program that does not include direct payments to individuals — instead, it funds “investments in areas where Black residents face disparities,” including efforts to increase minority home ownership and access to affordable housing.
City Council will discuss the proposal, item 5b on the agenda, at their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday evening.
You have NEVER seen so many white people turning black over night, “My GGGGrandma was black!”
Why can’t the Federal Gov. force those directly responsible (including banks and corporations, NYT) that profited from Slavery, Jim Crow and discrimination compensate DIRECT dependents of Slavery and the Jim Crow era.
Hundreds of millions (down through history) of non black Americans lived their lives against segregation, slavery, discrimination and hundreds of thousands gave their lives fighting against it.
One piece fits all does not cut it!
John Erickson has a long history of playing fast and loose with other people’s money. I will lose the tiny bit of respect I have for Lindsey Horvath if she is third vote to okay this, These people are manipulating and betraying the taxpayers of West Hollywood. For shame!
Playing fast and loose with other people’s money is the textbook definition of a politician. It’s how they position themselves for the next rung on the ladder.
Erickson and Shyne have been total disasters for this city.
So many angry misinformed people, so few facts. Perhaps we will witness an implosion.
You go first. Give up your resources and home.
Another example of wasted tax dollars by pandering incompetents. As insensitive as my remarks might seem, the City of West Hollywood never participated in such conduct. This is for the Board of Supervisors not a city council that seems so disconnected from the crime rate, the homeless population that has yet to be addressed in a tangible manner and the blight along Santa Monica Boulevard. These council members are no different then the state legislators I worked for! Pandering, scheming and constantly cherry picking a topic to appeal to a base they already have or seek to gain support from.… Read more »
I completely agree. If there’s so much money to squander, the funds should be returned to taxpayers and residents, and the sales tax rate should be lowered immediately.
I swear this George Floyd Effect has made people whacko. Absolutely wacko, and creating a far more worse society.
I like to call it the “Murdering Cop Effect”
Erika Erickson, you are such a stick in the mud. You were glorifying the BLM demonstrations and billions of dollars of damages. You were even out there painting crosswalks and never charged. Because you and the SHE – Shyne, Horvath, and Erika Erickson are Woke folk. You all backed the BLM, run by three angry anti-family millionaire lesbians and the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (also known as RCP and The Revcoms), which provided security at many events. Including those in front of Greenblatt’s Deli, which is now out of business. Part of the BLM anti-semitism. Horvath made a deal with the BLM to… Read more »
Who is Erika Erickson?
Do you never get tired of writing these unhinged manifestos in every comment section?
Are you John “Erika” Erickson’s manicurist?
Don’t break the law next time. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
And meanwhile young black men are committing what percentage of local crimes?! Oh, the irony.
It was not so long ago that blockbusting and redlining were common strategies around Los Angeles, particularly on the Westside. I remember it vividly. These practices were enforced through written covenants, officially recorded on county property deeds, that banned the sale of property to Jews and Blacks. Both groups were considered equally undesirable. These covenants still exist on many deeds, altho their legality has since been stricken by court rulings. These covenants, along with prohibitions on membership in area social and professional clubs, constrained the ascent of both Jews and Blacks in the region. They also had the effect of… Read more »
I whole heartedly support reparations. However, this is not a City of West Hollywood issue to correct. Reparations are for the County of Los Angeles to fund and distribute. The years cited for reparations, 1919 to 1969, the city was not incorporated and our 1.9 mile metropolis was part of Los Angeles County.
The City of West Hollywood needs to get its history correct. And before I’m painted as a bigot, stop. I am not nor have I ever been. The City needs to tackle city business and issues that originated from 1984 to the present.
Agreed. The City of West Hollywood has no reason to address something that happened prior to its inception. I would much prefer enhanced policing of our neighborhoods over this which, if necessary, belongs to the county not the city of West Hollywood! The crime rate continues to escalate and this is more vital issue now!
I 100% agree with you. Shyne and Erickson (and Horvath) are pandering to the Liberal Elite and leaving West Hollywood to drown in their political folly. I am a life long die hard Democrat, yet this council’s complete lack of interest in governing our 1.9 square mile city is an embarrassment. This council needs to combat homelessness and crime.
This is political pandering at its finest. Jews were also subject to Racially Restrictive Covenants in Los Angeles last Century but do you see Jews asking for “reparations”? No, you don’t. We get oppressed and then we do better for ourselves. At one point, Jews were not allowed into Country Clubs so instead of bitching about it, we started our own. In this situation, it’s not the Blacks asking for reparations, it’s the Woke Liberals coming up with this nonsense for the sole purpose of Virtue signaling. Pathetic and SO transparent.
“We get oppressed and then we do better for ourselves.”
You cannot compare the plight of black Americans to Jewish Americans. Sorry.
Oh really? Someone doesn’t know history. Why don’t you try Googling “The St. Louis, 947 passengers” for starters….
“Someone doesn’t know history.”
Oh, the irony.
Seriously, nothing in Jake’s comment was a comparison. He laid out historical fact. To reduce it to a comparison seems to suggest that one ranks higher on the nobility of wrong scale. There’s no scale of wrong–wrong is wrong. For those who have been brainwashed and indoctrinated by the writings of (white) Robin DiAngelo, I highly recommend the writings of (black) John McWhworter. Professor McWhorter has a fascinating take on current woke-ism.
A virtual signaling campaign for Jonathan Wilson. Welcome to the Woke which in no way promotes cohesiveness. Time to move on and be the example you want to see. Castigation is not a goal.
In the era of ‘social media” this is bound to produce a riot of chatter; my thought is that it will bring bigots galore. And I believe that any reparations are a drop in the bucket, but they are also long overdue. I think the thought and gesture is fine, but will it ever happen?
“my thought is that it will bring bigots galore.”
Yup. Several of them are in this thread of comments.
You go first. Give up your resources and home.
The majority of these comments is EMBARRASSING. Clearly no one knows what redlining is, what a study is, or what the purpose or actual meaning of reparations is. Thank goodness there are people in city council who do. This white queer man is calling out all the bigoted older white queers of West Hollywood to get on the right side of history and educate yourselves about what exactly is going on. FFS!
You go first. Give up your resources and home.
Erikson should make reparations for all of the children he facilitated murdering in his career. I’m so happy for all of the misery the WEHO city council inflicts on it’s voters. Remember every time a violent act is inflicted on a liberal it’s exactly what they voted for… IMAO.