Evanston’s Reparations Program Faces Lawsuit

A recent ruling from a federal court has allowed a lawsuit challenging the reparations program in Evanston, Illinois, to move forward. U.S. District Judge John F. Kunes denied a motion to dismiss filed by the city, thus permitting Judicial Watch, a conservative group, to pursue its civil rights class action complaint.

The reparations initiative provides $25,000 cash payments to Black residents and descendants of those who lived in Evanston from 1919 to 1969. This makes Evanston the first city in the U.S. to implement such a plan, which amounts to a $10 million commitment over a decade to support Black residents.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, criticized the program, stating, “Evanston’s reparations program provides cash payments only to Black individuals. The Constitution prohibits these race-based government programs. We’re pleased the court has allowed this significant lawsuit to proceed against this, what we see as a woke racist program.”

The city contends that the plaintiffs never applied to the program and that applications closed in 2021. They argue any disqualifications were not exclusively related to race, citing factors such as wealth ties.

Judicial Watch represents five plaintiffs who assert that the program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. They argue against the use of race as an eligibility requirement for reparations.

So far, Evanston has distributed $25,000 payments to 44 residents, totaling about $3.47 million, with expectations that 171 individuals will ultimately receive compensation amounting to around $4 million, which could benefit lineal descendants as well.

In response to the ruling, a spokesperson for the city stated, “The city will continue to vigorously defend this lawsuit.” Nearby, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is set to host a forum called “Repair Chicago” aimed at collecting the experiences of Black residents as part of potential reparations plans.