Letter to the CA state reparations task force: American Freedmen

CA State Task force,

I’m a grassroots advocate for https://thefreedmensbureau.org/. I want to Thank You for the work that you have done thus far regarding state reparations for the group generally known as African/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. American Freedmen are Indigenous to what is now the United States, an ethno-genesis that was Made in America with lineage traceable to at least the 1600’s. Black American Freedmen are collectively an amalgamation of African (descent), Indigenous American, and European ancestry. Our claim for repair is lineage based and it’s against the United States, state, and local govt’s for the crimes of genocide, chattel slavery, entrapment, ongoing intent to cause harm, stalking, etc., etc.

State task force, the harm that Black CA residents are dealing with is ongoing and I want to express that 5 MILLION dollars is the minimum that is owed to each American Freedmen descendant at the state level.

At the local, state, and federal levels of govt, Black American residents in CA are currently dealing with;

gentrification + displacement in real time across cities in CA.
Last year in Los Angeles, we heard on audio a then LA City council president (A White Latina Democrat state agent and descendant of an immigrant) admitting to conspiring against LA residents while specifically mentioning her animosity towards Black Americans.
In cities like Santa Monica we’ve heard rumors about affordable housing that is paid for by American taxpayers, we heard that it was being utilized (prior to 2020) ONLY for White Eastern European Immigrants. Reminder that Santa Monica city used eminent domain to displace Black American Freedmen families in the 1900’s. We are talking about beach front property that was stolen and worth millions by itself today.
Predominantly Black neighborhoods that are usually intentionally underfunded are taking on large portions of lower income immigrant populations that other localities such as Beverly Hills and other affluent neighborhoods are not taking on, even though they utilize much of the lower income immigrant workforce that is usually brought into localities to help suppress the wages of American workers.
Predominantly Black neighborhoods have been intentionally polluted with pollutants that are linked to issues such as violent crime, heart disease, hearing loss, dementia, cancer, & other serious health issues. On a daily basis, LAPD helicopter pilots are intentionally dumping fuel over Black American Freedmen & other supposed marginalized communities, leaking the harmful pollutants that were mentioned earlier. Pollutants that caused my own mother who once resided in Pasadena, CA to need surgery as a child.
The govt is accused of planting drugs + guns in Black American neighborhoods, neighborhoods like South LA that were thriving prior to the strategic disruption. That change in the material conditions of Black neighborhoods due to the failed war on drugs/police violence is alone worth at least 1-3 million dollars in cash repair for each descendant & really even that is still too low.
The state of CA is accused of partnering with White terror groups to strategically steal land from Black American Freedmen.”

State task force I could keep going but I want to stress again that the current recommended cash reparations amount is too low and that each descendant is owed a minimum of 5 MILLION dollars for the type of harm that we are talking about. I mean 1.2 million for genocide? For crimes against humanity? For ongoing intent to cause harm? For the funding of White terror groups to disrupt an Indigenous population’s well-being and right to life? Respectfully, that’s way too low!

Regarding the Freedmen’s Bureau, we believe that the effort to restore the Bureau should be led by Black American Freedmen and we have started to coordinate the Bureau’s processes with American Freedmen in the CA region. We are going to work to get the Bureau up as soon as possible, especially to assist in genealogy services for American Freedmen and to give “immediate relief” to Black Americans struggling with displacement + gentrification in real time. American Freedmen must have intentional Freedmen townships again. 300+ homeless Black Americans died last year and we are not prepared to wait around any longer as local and state govt continue with intentional neglect. We are going to work to withhold our collective Black American taxes until our full repair is paid in order to use said taxes for our reconstruction that is owed yet still being denied. We are examining a new means of exchange until our full repair is paid as well. We are essentially being denied equitable access to use of the dollar which looks like it could crash. A reminder that cities like Los Angeles were founded by Black American Freedmen, we have a right to take up space, to keep our roots intact. With strict policy in place and guided by American Freedmen in the grassroots space, the Bureau will have measures of accountability that it must meet. American Freedmen are moving under a Freedmen’s agenda ONLY via the Freedmen’s Bureau and we are absolutely done with politicians pandering to our people who are demanding direct tangibles that are OWED.

I want to Thank You again for the work that you have done thus far. I want to stress again that the final recommendation from the task force must include a minimum of 5 MILLION dollars to each Black American Freedmen descendant. What we have collectively endured is worth much more but I ask that you go back to the table and really reconsider the harm that has been done and how much work it’s going to take us to repair the damage. We’ve picked ourselves up time and time again, we’ve “pulled ourselves up by the overpriced bootstraps”, we’ve worked hard and then some. American Freedmen are demanding accountability and proper compensation must be paid to the descendant class for not only what they’ve endured but also survive and require healing from. We are looking forward to your final report and in the meantime, we are working to get this case before federal and state courts. This is a matter between American Freedmen and the courts, not a legislature. We have proof of the establishment aiding former slave owners, some of which bred their own mulatto children into slavery. We’ve seen enough evidence and are ready to make the case!

Best,
Tieira Ryder
Grassroots policy advisor, the Freedmen’s Bureau
https://thefreedmensbureau.org/