Two years ago, as violent protests shook Asheville and other cities after George Floyd was murdered while in Minneapolis police custody, the Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Commission passed resolutions in support of reparations for Black residents, to make amends for historic discrimination. Acting at the same time, California established a task force to study and develop a plan for reparations in that state.
Last week, the task force overseeing California’s reparations effort released the first part of its work: a landmark 500-page report documenting nearly two centuries of systemic discrimination imposed by the state, the harm it caused, and what needs to be done to attempt to address that harm.
The California report arrives just before the Asheville and Buncombe Community Reparations Commission will meet for just the third time. The meeting is scheduled for Monday from 6 p.m.