“CA state reparations task force, 

Thank You for your work thus far to bring forward reparations at the state level for the group generally known as African or Black American (Freedmen), descendants of survivors, of U.S chattel slavery, the U.S emancipation, and/or freed Black persons in the U.S prior to the 19th century. We are sending you a letter today to clarify our position as American Freedmen at the grassroots level for repair that is owed to descendants. 

• First and foremost, it is imperative that the CA state task force include a direct cash amount that is owed to descendants. For the harm that we are seeing at the state level still today, direct cash repair is somewhere around 5,000,000 (5 million) per descendant, to be paid over a period of time TBD. This amount does NOT include what the federal government owes descendants and as we gave public comment to at the last task force meeting, we are encouraging the CA state task force to lead a case against the federal government for crimes against humanity. We have the evidence to move forward with a class-action lawsuit especially with the admitted systematic violence via the “Discovery Doctrine”. As we dig more into the ancestry of Black American Freedmen, we are finding mulatto children of enslaved Negro women who were forcefully raped mostly by White men to birth children for the slave trade. The U.S government paid some of these former White slave owners for “property loss” after slavery ended so essentially they were paid by the government for selling their own children. To be clear, there is no amount of money that can make up for the loss that American Freedmen have experienced as they were forced to interact with barbarians against their will. Money is the bare minimum owed to descendants for the crime of theft, genocide, human trafficking, rape, stalking, murder, malice, etc. 

• As mentioned, systematic harm is still happening today at the local & state level in CA. There are over 21,000+ homeless Native Black American Residents in Los Angeles county. The Black American population makes up over 40% of the homeless population even though they are only 8% of that total population. Over 300+ homeless Black Americans died in Los Angeles last year and the community is dealing with displacement & gentrification in real time. The Black community in CA was directly targeted in the failed war on drugs with accusations of the government planting drugs in Black American communities and pollutants, some of which are linked to violent crime, dementia, heart disease, cancer, & other serious health issues. With that said, we encourage the task force to include as many American Freedmen (descendants) in the repair claim as possible. Black American Freedmen that have been in CA since the establishment of the task force should qualify for repair.

• For the Freedmen’s Bureau restoration, it is important that the restoration of the Freedmen’s Bureau and it’s institutions are led by American Freedmen that want to see the restoration of those institutions and the development of new ones which include hospitals, Freedmen grade schools & universities, Freedmen incorporated townships, Freedmen court systems, etc. We encourage the task force to support American Freedmen working groups for those that do want to see the Bureau revitalized. At this time we are not interested in any outside investment firms or non-profits backing the Bureau. With that said, it is understood that all Black Americans will not want to participate in the restoration of the Bureau and we encourage the task force to include a recommendation for the CA Treasurer to make payments to those Black Americans that want to opt out of all services pertaining to the Bureau including the land back option. 

• Because the Freedmen’s Bureau is being advocated for by the Freedmen that want to see it returned, we encourage the task force to create a clearer language & understanding of who the African/Black American (Freedmen) are. The proposal from the task force should include direct mention of the Freedmen and that the position of the Freedmen which is to continue with reconstruction that was delayed because of past/present interference, specific disruption by former president & treasonist against the Freedmen, Andrew Johnson. “Andrew Johnson, a former slave owner who became president upon Lincoln’s assassination, opposed the Freedmen’s Bureau throughout his brief term in office.” Imagine allowing a former slave owner to deny restitution to the people that they forcefully kidnapped, trafficked, and enslaved! #Barbarians 

• Special Field Order 15 to continue with reconstruction to distribute available land to American Freedmen should be mentioned in the proposal by the task force. As mentioned earlier on, Black American Freedmen in CA are dealing with displacement + gentrification in real time. With SFO15, it is the position of the grassroots team to have a team within the Bureau provide land back within existing townships AND to offer Freedmen the opportunity to create entirely new incorporated Freedmen townships that work/trade with other existing Freedmen townships in the state under an Indigenous status. 

• Regarding Indigenous status, and we are aware that the topic is controversial but to be clear, The Freedmen’s Bureau grassroots team is preparing to utilize the collective (PROVEN) indigenous ancestry of Black American Freedmen to re-establish an Indigenous American Freedmen (Negro) tribal group. We are confident that was have satisfied enough proof to show that Yes, there were some Native Americans classified as Negros and were essentially mixed in with the enslaved African Jamestown arrivals (Native American is not a race, it’s a place in time). We will be using the “Discovery Doctrine” as evidence in the case that we are preparing that has provided proof of structural intent to cause harm on at the state, federal, and global level against American Freedmen.

• The Freedmen’s Bureau grassroots team supports reparations for the group generally known as African or Black American (Freedmen), the descendants that have ancestry in what is now the U.S prior to the 19th century. For direct cash repair and land back claims, the Bureau is only prepared to handle claims for Black American Freedmen. It is to be expected that our desegregated Freedmen townships will utilize other resources from the community investment portion of repair which will benefit the collective of the community. Freedmen hospitals, mental health systems, schools, etc. will be not only for the collective Black people but for all non-Black people that live in healthy & thriving Freedmen townships. We must care for the collective of the community but we want to stress again that this claim for cash + land repair is centering Black/African American Freedmen. If other supposed marginalized groups have cash reparations claims against the state or federal government, they can make them on their own time. American Freedmen (Dr. King, Malcolm X, etc.) have been champions for other ethnic groups for generations now, so I’m sure the work that American Freedmen are doing now will help other groups with their claims. American Freedmen have been amazing advocates for other groups and generations later our people are still falling behind, still having their time stolen as they fight for themselves & others so we are absolutely in this moment centering ourselves and we are not sorry for that. As a reminder, BlackLA has been dealing with generations of corruption now. In the Fall of 2022 we heard a descendant of an immigrant, a White Latina and former LA council president, admit on audio that she wouldn’t support another candidate because that candidate supported Black Americans. Black Americans have also taken on the largest portion of immigrants in their already underfunded communities. Black American Californians absolutely cannot take on the work of any other ethnic groups at this moment. I’m saying this as someone that does support healthy immigration with an understanding that deportation will be possible for anyone conspiring against Indigenous populations in the U.S. 

• We are encouraging the CA state reparations task force to include a recommendation of a “Black Tax” which will legally permit Black American Freedmen to withhold a portion of their state & federal taxes (with interest) until full repair is paid to descendants. This will allow American Freedmen to begin withdrawal into their own incorporated townships and possibly statehoods to see to the well-being of the collective Negro Freedmen under an Indigenous position that allows for self-determination for a group that has been denied justice, a group that SAVED the North when they were losing to the Confederates. https://www.udoyou.net/2022/12/15/is-it-time-for-a-black-tax/

CA state task force, I want to Thank You again for the work that you’ve done thus far but there is more work to do especially in clarifying who the Freedmen are for the Bureau portion of the proposal and again, we absolutely need to see a cash recommendation in the proposal. We are encouraging the task force to lead this case straight to the federal government, please let us know what and if we can do anything to support you in doing that.”

The Freedmen’s Bureau, grassroots proposal.T.Ryder

CA state reparations task force report; https://oag.ca.gov/ab3121/reports

“Doctrine of Discovery”; https://upstanderproject.org/doctrine-of-discovery