Asheville, North Carolina, is known for its stunning mountain views, the famous Biltmore House, and being a particularly woke city. One of the city's new projects is its Community Reparations Commission (CRC). The CRC has recently shared a set of suggestions they hope city leaders will follow.
In the early spring of 2022, the CRC was formed with a group of 25 members. The city of Asheville has given the commission the job of coming up with "short-, medium-, and long-term suggestions." These suggestions are meant to help fix what the commission is claiming to be damages caused by extensive racism.
The commission has shared its list of suggestions, divided into four specific areas. One proposal is to start a program that guarantees income. As explained in a document about the idea, the program is meant "to make sure basic needs are met for people with low income and few assets." This would be monthly cash payments, with "no strings attached" and without any "work requirements."
The council is calling for more support to existing neighborhoods. Particularly, they want to "help historically African-American communities" by giving them grants. The council says that the smallest amount of funding should be no less than $250,000 per community. They believe that these steps will effectively "fix the harm caused by redlining."
Also, the council says that the city and county have been involved in city improvement, a practice it says has "destroyed many homes and businesses owned by Black families." It says that this has caused a lot of harm to many traditional minority neighborhoods, leading to many people being moved into public housing and stopping the chance for families to build wealth over generations.
Additionally, the council wants an Economic Development Center for Black Asheville residents. They also suggest forming a Reparations Accountability Council. This group would have the important job of watching all CRC suggestions put into action by the city, county, and their contractors.
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