NYC Considers Reparations for Black Residents, Removal of ‘Racist’ Public Art

The City Council is mulling a package of controversial bills that include weighing whether black New Yorkers deserve reparations for slavery, and another resurrecting a woke push to remove artwork they consider “racist” from public property.

Councilwoman Farah Louis (D-Brooklyn) introduced her reparations bill on Thursday – the same day the state Legislature in Albany approved a comparable bill.

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It is part of a larger legislative package introduced Thursday by some council members of color they said is aimed at “rectifying” historical “injustices.”

One measure by Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn) would require the city’s Commission of Racial Equity to create a “Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation” process that establishes “historical facts” about the city’s past use of slavery and then recommends changes for local government and institutions to “prevent recurrence” {snip}

Another bill by fellow far-lefty Sandy Nurse (D-Brooklyn) would require the city’s Public Design Commission in consultation with city agencies to publicly release a “plan” to remove monuments and other art on city land it believes pays tribute to ex-slave owners or people who profited from slavery as well as anyone who committed “systemic” crimes against indigenous peoples or “against humanity.”

This bill would also require the city to install “explanatory” plaques on sidewalks or other public spaces near schools deemed by the commission and city agencies to be named after a person who profited from slavery or committed other “crimes against humanity.”

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Louis didn’t return messages Friday but hailed the legislative package on Twitter, calling it “a significant stride towards rectifying long-standing injustices and recognizing the imperative for genuine reparations.

“It is essential that we confront the pain and inequalities of the past if we aspire to construct a fair and inclusive society,” she added.