California state reparations, an over due debt that is owed today!

17 Jan, 2024

California state reparations, an over due debt that is owed today!

(Our letter that was sent by email on the date of this blog post to local and state (California) officials regarding a state reparations bill. If you are on our email list you were bcc’d on this email. Please feel free to send your own letter using the link below. Feel free to copy this letter in its entirety or take specific talking points that are listed.)

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-the-california-legislative-black-caucus-we-deserve-better?source=direct_link&

 

Hello California representatives, 

I’m an advocate with the progressive grassroots Freedmen’s Bureau and I’m sending an email today to express my support for reparations for the ethnic group generally known as “African” or “Black” American Freedmen, descendants of survivors of the U.S Emancipation. Black American Freedmen are an amalgamation of Indigenous American, European, and African ancestry. An ethno-genesis that formed in and is foundational to what is now known as the United States. We are counting on our elected officials to bring forward strong bills for reparations that offer DIRECT TANGIBLES to American Freedmen, the descendant class. Further below and attached you will see specific requests that Black American Freedmen are expecting in order to meet the full restorative state justice package that is owed and past due. Anything less than proposed would be offensive and we are setting a high bar for Black American representatives. You represent other ethnic groups well, you can do the same for Black American Freedmen. 
 
After surviving the European American holocaust that inspired Hitler, Black Americans went on to continue to fight for equity/equitable access to systems that they had a right to. Our ancestors were and still to this day we are fighting for the right to and respect of sovereignty that we are being denied. Black Americans founded cities like Los Angeles and in these same cities today Black Americans are losing land and housing rights due to systematic displacement tactics that are harming a large collective. In towns like Los Angeles county many predominately Black American communities are struggling with intentional noise, fuel, and lead pollutants that are linked to issues such as violent crime, dementia, heart disease, hearing loss, and other issues. My own mother as a child needed to have surgery in Pasadena, CA because the pollution was/is so bad. So what we are dealing with as a people has been generational and it is time that the government is held accountable for its involvement in systemic violence against the people. The government is meant to work on behalf of the people and it is not doing that by continually denying Black American Freedmen the redress that they are owed after their ancestors survived the European American holocaust that the U.S, state, and local governments  participated in in various capacities which include said governments aiding White European American Anglo Saxon slave owners (mostly) with the breeding of their own mulatto children into slavery. 
 
At the CA reparations task force, enough evidence was brought forward to show that the state of CA has actively participated in systematic oppression/theft from citizens of a specific ethnic group and the state must be held accountable for their involvement in aiding Nazis with crimes of genocide, enslavement, human trafficking, land theft, etc. Refusing to hold governance accountable is why it continues through generations with systematic violence against supposed marginalized people. What is happening in Palestine is a direct result of not holding the violent European colonial system accountable. We must call order to this system. 
 
Our reparations expectations for the state of California are: 
 
– $5 million dollars to be paid over a set period of time to each Black American Freedmen descendant that is at least 18 years of age by the last day of the year that the package is signed. This is the minimum amount that the state of CA owes the descendant class. The state can request the funds to pay its debt from the Federal government that is an issuer of a sovereign currency that it can legislate into existence. That does not absolve the United States federal government of what it owes the descendant class. Once the federal government makes this payment, the CA state treasury and/or approved Black American owned banks can be the issuer of reparations payments that are owed to the American Freedmen descendant class. 
 
To qualify for reparations under this package one must: Have identified as “Black” or “African” American on the earliest census record available and have verifiable records of enslaved ancestors in what is now known as the United States and the Freedmen’s Bureau will help confirm records for those that need it. 
 
“Generally known as African American, American Freedmen are 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. American Freedmen are Indigenous to what is now the United States. American Freedmen are collectively an amalgamation of African (descent), Indigenous American, & European ancestry. An ethno-genesis that was Made in America.”
 
–Land and housing back is self explanatory but we have a case of local and state government that is actively engaged in the stealing of land and housing from Black American Freedmen. In cities like Santa Monica, Black Americans have had a substantial amount of land and housing stolen from them and there is also accusation that the city has actively used the affordable rental housing for White Eastern European immigrants only, denying Black Americans access to the affordable rental housing that their taxes contributed to collectively. We will be making land claims for available public land sites like the Santa Monica airport in order to get land back that is owed to Black Americans.  We believe that the local and state government should be before a court to answer to the evidence that was brought to the reparations meeting regarding land and housing theft, regarding the breeding/buying/selling of Black/Mulatto/Colored/Negro children & adults into slavery, etc. 
BelmarPark Santa Monica
Belmar Park Santa Monica
 
– Introduce a strong federal reparations package for the balance owed by the federal government.
– A 20 year tax penalty against the state. Suspension/reduction of state taxes for Black American Freedmen. Black American Freedmen should not be paying taxes to a government that owes them a debt. We are dealing with taxation theft, taxation without representation, dealing with being forced to pay a government that has been accused of working against Black Americans by aiding Nazis that have stolen land and housing assets, dealing with a government that has been accused of aiding European American Nazis that bred their mulatto children into slavery. 
 
–A Freedmen’s Bureau agency that is controlled directly by Black American Freedmen and has policy guidelines that must be followed and specific milestones that must be outlined and met within a reasonable time frame. The Freedmen’s Bureau should act as the holder of certain assets that belong to the collective Black American Freedmen ethnic group and this includes but is not limited to; historical records, federal, state, and local grant funding that is meant for holocaust museums especially since Hitler was inspired again by the European American holocaust, community building networks and systems, etc. (read SB-490 from Senator Bradford regarding the Freedmen Affairs Agency-https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/BradfordSB490
 
–Policies and guidelines regarding large waves of migrants that are often dropped off in underfunded Black American communities. Why is the local and state government actively helping corporations bring in distressed migrants in order to use them to work jobs that American citizens are often striking/fighting for better working conditions? And how does that relate to the growing poverty in towns like Los Angeles county where poverty has grown by over 50% with Indigenous Black Americans being impacted greatly by this poverty growth? Why are the distressed migrants only dropped off in Black American towns and not in areas like Beverly Hills? Shouldn’t every sub city be doing their part?
 
–Public safety outline and community initiative that is curated by specific Black American Freedmen communities that are in need of alternative public safety systems/communities investments. Address systemic issues like the issue of  violent police forces, the issue of intentional noise, fuel, and lead pollution by the likes of LAPD helicopter pilots & other systems like freeways that have been built through said communities. How do we repair the harm that is being done in real time and why is the local and state government aiding a police militia that is leaking via helicopters, noise, fuel, and lead pollution over predominately Black American neighborhoods? Pollutants that are again linked to cognitive/psychological health issues including violence, dementia, heart disease, etc. 
"California Eagle" African American newspaper
“The California Eagle was a newspaper in Los Angeles for African Americans. It was founded as The Owl in 1879 and later The Eagle by John J. Neimore. Charlotta Bass became owner of the paper after Neimore’s death in 1912. She owned and operated the paper, renamed the California Eagle, until 1951.”
Attached you will find the original letter that was sent to the CA state reparations task force to express what is owed. We are counting on equitable representation in a country that our ancestors helped to found and in a region where our ancestors existed before the U.S or any state did. Black Americans are an ethnic group and it is important that we are respected as a foundational people and equitably represented in a “fair & just” Democratic process. 

 

We also invite you all to read the letter about the coming class action lawsuit against the United States, state, and local governments for crimes of genocide, entrapment, treason, human trafficking, and chattel slavery; 

https://thefreedmensbureau.org/black-america-class-action-lawsuit/


Best, 
America Freedmen 
Progressive Grassroots advocacy 

@americafreedmen

American Freedmen, we are going to share some of the public comments from todays CA state reparations task force meeting. This speaker says that CA has actively worked with white terrorist groups to undermine Black American Freedmen. #LandBack #Reparations #California #stateviolence #BlackAmericans #Landtheft

♬ original sound – American Freedmen

 

@americafreedmen

♬ original sound – American Freedmen

@jg_burgess

BURGESS DESCENDANTS HAVE NO RELATION TO THE FAMILY THAT SOLD THIER LAND BACK TO THE STATE!! We are still fighting to reclaim our land ! #BURGESS #MONROE @rocket_root

♬ original sound – Jonathan Burgess