St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones plans to start a commission to study the idea of reparations for slavery in the city. Alderman Brandon Bosley is backing the plan, and told KMOX that city residents paying their taxes or water bill can voluntarily contribute by “rounding up” their payment to put money in the fund.
“We have an actual reparations account now for anyone in St. Louis,” he said. “You can overpay on your water bill, just like you overpay on groceries sometimes.”
He added that the measure is important because Black people in the U.S. are still suffering the repercussions of slavery.
“A lot of this has to do with the systemic things that happened less than 150 years ago,” he said. “We still have people that are just generations down from some of the atrocities that took place, and that affects folks.”
Bosley said he doesn't know how much money the effort could raise annually for the reparations fund, but he hopes the commission could regulate how the money is distributed to help people start their own business or do something important. He says the money shouldn’t just be used "to buy a tv."
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