A failed California Senate candidate, who this week demanded that every black California resident receive $800,000 in reparations, has seemingly since threatened action if his demand isn’t met.
As previously reported, failed Senate candidate Deon Jenkins made an appearance when the reparations task force convened by California Gov. Gavin Newsom conducted its first public hearing on Wednesday in Oakland.
Speaking at the hearing, Jenkins argued that the amount paid out in reparations should be equal to the average price of a home in California.
During an interview afterward, he seemed to warn of consequences if this demand isn’t met.
“And unfortunately, ya’ll know what’s next. Either they’re going to comply, or it’s going to be a serious backlash,” he said.
Listen:
Brother deon moving the needle @DeonDJenkins #reparationsnow #Reparations #california #PBS pic.twitter.com/h6XbLwkf9U
— POOKIE (@CousinPookieFBP) December 15, 2022
What sort of “serious backlash?” It’s unclear.
What’s known is that he wasn’t the only speaker at Wednesday’s hearing. Not by a long shot.
Another speaker, 35-year-old coffee company owner Max Fennell, called for every black Californian to receive $350,000 in reparations, in addition to another $250,000 if they own a business, That comes out to $600,000 total per black business owner.
“It’s a debt that’s owed. We worked for free. We’re not asking. We’re telling you,” Fennell reportedly said in his own words.
“The tangibles of what I’m asking for is $350,000 per black American in California that’s tangible, small business grant $250,000 and land 15-20 acres,” he added.
Listen:
California Reparations taskforce meeting. The fam on deck. S/o to @Msflygurl79 @maxfennell and @DeonDJenkins pic.twitter.com/LIMzfUNg06
— CRtheGreat (@CRdaDizz) December 14, 2022
Another speaker, Richmond City Council member Demnlus Johnson III just expressed shock at the idea that reparations are finally being discussed publicly.
“You have to name a problem in order to address it. Of course, we want to see it addressed now, the urgency is now, but just having it all aired out and put on the line is a major feat,” he reportedly said.
A fourth speaker, Rev. Tony Pierce of the Black Wall Street Project, shouted “$230,000 is not enough!” just as his time was about to expire, according to the Daily Mail.
It was a reference to the task force’s recent conclusion that the descendants of slaves are owed an estimated $223,200 each for housing discrimination that occurred between 1933 and 1977.
Another speaker, Carol Williams, argued that once paid out, the reparations supplied by the task force should be tax-free.
“I consider myself a foundational black American. The reparation should be tax free, so that when we get the money, the IRS won’t come after us,” she said.
A sixth speaker meanwhile said, “I can’t even walk down the street without being judged. There’s nothing I can do in this world without being judged. Why should I be judged … only by the color of my skin?”
That being said, polls have repeatedly shown that a majority of Americans oppose paying reparations.
A Rasmussen Reports poll conducted earlier this month found that only 38 percent of Americans support paying reparations.
This consensus can easily be seen on social media:
My father had no inheritance from his family, no money in his pocket but he created his own wealth and didn’t use any excuses while doing it. And no I don’t have anything being passed down from generations
— Gforsberg (@Gforsberg1) December 7, 2022
I’m so frustrated with this. How can we prove that an individual has slavery on there family history? How can we prove you have southerner confederate heritage in your family history. My grandparents immigrated here after all that stuff. Am I responsible for what happened?
— Joseph (@Political_Joe88) December 6, 2022
Let me get this straight. So the current taxpayers of Cali have been found guilty of NOT having slaves & now need to pay the penalty for those in the past who DID have slaves to people who were NEVER slaves in a state where there were NO slaves? Am I understanding this correctly?
— Isaac Rocco (@IRoccoInsurance) December 6, 2022
The majority of the black people living in America have no link to slavery (no ancestors that were slaves). The majority of black families in America did not come to America till after 1900. Black tribes sold black slaves. Black people owned black slaves.
— kate hanson (@ulazyvclydes) December 6, 2022
I have zero generational wealth. Parents don’t have any wealth. My grandfather was a sharecropper. My heritage is German immigrants from 1900. I’m all for giving scholarships and job loans to descendants of slaves. But my ancestors had no involvement.
— LWiltshire (@LynnPWiltshire) December 7, 2022
A University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB poll conducted last year likewise found that two-thirds of Americans oppose cash reparations.
“Four hundred years since Africans were forcibly brought to the shores of America, 245 years since the 3/5th Compromise and 156 years since freed African Americans were promised 40 acres and a mule, a majority of Americans express an unwillingness to pay the descendants of slaves for the nation’s original sin,” the director of the poll, Tatishe Nteta, angrily said at the time.
Writers and editors can be contacted at writers@bizpcreview.com with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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