California Considering Reparations for ‘Mass Incarceration’

California is considering reparations for “mass incarceration,” among several other grievances, as the state considers paying cash to the descendants of black slaves — though California entered the Union as a free state.

As Breitbart News reported in 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a law creating a committee on reparations — despite the fact that the state never allowed slavery — in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The panel — which is not representative of the state, but composed primarily of black members — voted 5-4 to limit reparations to descendants of slavery, and issued recommendations that include separate black schools.

The panel deliberations are still continuing, pending a final report, as the New York Times reported Thursday:

Californians eligible for reparations, the task force decided in March, would be descendants of enslaved African Americans or of a “free Black person living in the United States prior to the end of the 19th century.” Nearly 6.5 percent of California residents, roughly 2.5 million, identify as Black or African American. The panel is now considering how reparations should be distributed — some favor tuition and housing grants while others want direct cash payments.

The task force has identified five areas — housing discrimination, mass incarceration, unjust property seizures, devaluation of Black businesses and health care — in discussions for compensation. For example, from 1933 to 1977, when it comes to housing discrimination, the task force estimates compensation of around $569 billion, with $223,200 per person.

There is broad public support in California for restoring property unjustly taken from black owners, as in the case of Bruce’s Beach, which has been restored to the heirs of a the couple from whom it was taken in the 1920.

However, there is limited support for reparations in a general sense, especially for “mass incarceration,” as the state continues to struggle with violent crime. No fund has been proposed to compensate victims of crime.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.