Reparations task force officials appointed by Fulton County, Georgia, say the county was “complicit” in stealing land from Black residents in the post-slavery decades.
The Fulton County Reparations Task Force is currently in the investigation phase and will soon present its findings and recommendations to Fulton County leaders. FOX 5 ATLANTA report. Dr. Karczek Sims-Alvarado, the commission’s chairman, said the commission had collected mountains of evidence showing the county benefited from slavery and the disenfranchisement of black people during the Jim Crow era.
“We believe we are creating a blueprint for making a very strong case for compensation,” Sims-Alvarado told FOX 5 Atlanta.
Fulton County commissioners are seeking $250,000 to investigate the county’s ties to slavery, property the county may have illegally confiscated from black owners, and the use of illegal prison labor in county lock-up facilities. approved the establishment of a special committee with a budget of
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Walter Foster, 80, a longtime resident of Los Angeles, holds a placard as the Reparations Task Force meets to hear public opinion on reparations at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on September 22, 2022. Fulton County, Ga., officials are investigating possible restitution in their county. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Over two years, the task force collected documents such as land leases and prison records, and relied on civilians to submit family documents to build a case for reparations for black communities.
“What we discovered is that Fulton County was complicit in declaring prominent territory for its residents, particularly within the Buckhead area,” Sims-Alvarado told FOX 5 Atlanta. “Some people are lucky enough to buy another home in Dixie Hill, while others end up becoming residents of the housing project.”
Elon Butts Osby, a task force member and Bagley Park resident, said the county forcibly took land that belonged to his grandparents.
“I was forcibly removed from Forsyth County during racial cleansing, and between 60 and 84 acres of land was stolen from my grandfather,” Butts-Osby told FOX 5 Atlanta.
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A person puts on a reparations rally hat during a rally for reparations at the African Burial Grounds National Monument in New York City, July 23, 2021. (Getty Images)
She said her grandfather was able to buy land and resettle the family in northwest Atlanta, but the value of the property was comparable to today’s value of the land they once owned in Bagley Park. It is said that it was not.
“The actual value was shocking compared to what my grandfather paid for the six lots he bought,” Butts-Osby said.
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Atlanta downtown skyline. Fulton County leaders appointed a task force to investigate historical injustices against black residents and recommend possible reparations. (Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Her family’s story is one of three case studies the Reparations Task Force is using to justify payments to Black residents of Fulton County.
“People need to pay…the city and county…they need to pay,” Butts-Osby said.
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The task force meets on the first Thursday of each month, and the public is encouraged to share their opinions, concerns, and requests during public comment. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, March 7, 2024.
A final report with recommendations to Fulton County leaders is expected to be released in October 2024.
Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
