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Reparations expert says San Francisco's apology to Black residents 'doesn’t mean anything' without action

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Reparations expert says San Francisco's apology to Black residents 'doesn’t mean anything' without action

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A reparations expert says that San Francisco’s apology to Black residents won’t mean anything if it is not backed with actions.

“Reparations are the redemptive act that makes the rhetoric of an apology meaningful,” Reparations scholar Roy Brooks, a law professor at the University of San Diego, told USA Today. 

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“You can’t just say you’re sorry and walk away,” Brooks added, telling USA Today that “an apology alone was not sufficient.”

Brooks edited the 1999 book “When Sorry Isn’t Enough: The Controversy Over Apologies and Reparations for Human Injustice.”

San Francisco voted Tuesday to formally apologize to Black residents after decades of “institutional racism.”

SAN FRANCISCO’S PROPOSED REPARATIONS PLAN COULD COST CITY $100 BILLION: REPORT

All 11 of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors signed on as sponsors of the resolution to apologize for the city’s complicity in “systemic and structural discrimination.”

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Reparations scholar Roy Brooks, a professor of law at the University of San Diego, said that San Francisco’s apology to Black residents won’t mean anything if it is not backed with actions. (YouTube screenshot)

When the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee published its final recommendations last July, it said that “the City and County of San Francisco and its agencies must issue a formal apology for the past harms, and commit to making substantial ongoing, systemic, and programmatic investments in Black communities to address historical harms.”

CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY ARGUES CASH PAYMENTS TO DESCENDANTS OF SLAVES ‘RECOGNIZE THE HARM DONE’ FROM SLAVERY

The resolution comes after the committee argued the city owed millions of dollars in compensation to Black residents for decades of discrimination. The committee proposed that eligible Black adult residents receive $5 million in cash payments and a guaranteed income of nearly $100,000 a year to address the racial wealth gap in the city.

According to the L.A. Times, the city’s mayor, London Breed, said that $5 million payments could amount to $100 billion, far more than the city’s $14 billion annual budget. The Times added that Breed is not committed to cash reparations.

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According to USA Today, Brooks said implementing financial reparations could be a challenge for municipalities due to budget constraints, so, they are “leaning on rehabilitative reparations that are less costly.”

San Francisco Mayor London Breed. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Brooks commented on Evanston, Illinois’ form of reparations that offered housing assistance to Black residents as recourse for generations of past property undervaluation by “White appraisers that slowed Black families’ efforts to accumulate generational wealth.”

“These are not cash payments, which is what most people think about,” Brooks said. 

He added, “But they’ve actually done something.”

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Evanston’s city council was the first in the nation to pass a reparations plan, pledging $10 million over 10 years to Black residents.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss said that his city showed how reparations could be a “tangible” reality.

The San Francisco supervisors stated that the apology was just the start of reparations for Black residents in the city. 

DESCENDANTS OF ENSLAVED WHO BUILT MISSOURI UNIVERSITY WANT OVER $70 BILLION FOR UNPAID SLAVE LABOR

Although the city officials voted unanimously to formalize an apology, some slammed the measure before it passed as insufficient due to other reparations being put on hold due to budget issues. 

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A person wears a Reparations Rally hat during a rally for reparations at the African Burial Ground National Monument on July 23, 2021 in New York City.  (Getty Images)

While recognizing that the apology is an important step, Supervisor Shamann Walton reportedly said more work needs to be done.

“This historic resolution apologizes on behalf of San Francisco to the African American community and their descendants for decades of systemic and structural discrimination, targeted acts of violence, atrocities,” Walton said to CBS News. “We have much more work to do but this apology most certainly is an important step.”

Rev. Amos C. Brown, a member of the San Francisco reparations advisory committee and the official who proposed for the city to formally pass the apology, also said it’s not enough.

“An apology is just cotton candy rhetoric,” Brown said. “What we need is concrete actions.”

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“People want an apology,” supervisor Dean Preston said. “But they also want a commitment not to repeat harms.”

Preston said that while city officials support issuing the apology, they still want to build “unaffordable housing for mostly wealthy, White people” on public land.

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San Francisco, CA

How to watch San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies

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How to watch San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies


The San Francisco Giants conclude this four-game series against the Colorado Rockies this afternoon from Oracle Park.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Trevor McDonald, who enters today’s game with a 5.46 ERA, 3.99 FIP, with 50 strikeouts to 20 walks in 59.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 9-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, in which he allowed eight runs on 11 hits and one walk in two and a third innings.

He’ll be facing off against Rockies right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who enters today’s game with a 6.46 ERA, 4.83 FIP, with 72 strikeouts to 35 walks in 92 innings pitched. His last start was in the Rockies’ 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, in which he allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in six innings.

Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies

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Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM



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Denver, CO

Nuggets sign former Denver West basketball player Alpha Diallo out of EuroLeague

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Nuggets sign former Denver West basketball player Alpha Diallo out of EuroLeague


The Nuggets have made a habit of signing bench players with Colorado ties.

The latest homecoming they’ve arranged is for Alpha Diallo, who played a season of high school basketball at Denver West and is now signing a one-year, $1.4 million minimum contract with Denver in NBA free agency, a league source told The Denver Post on Sunday.

Diallo, 29, was named Defensive Player of the Year in the EuroLeague last season. This will be his first foray into the NBA after a five-year stint with AS Monaco. He recently committed to join Dubai Basketball on a multiyear deal, according to a report by the European media outlet BasketNews, but his contract included a clause granting his release if he left for the NBA by July 15.

The Nuggets have signed Diallo, Reggie Jackson (Palmer High School), David Roddy (Colorado State) and KJ Simpson (CU) to various deals in the last three years.

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Born in New York, Diallo helped lead Denver West to the Colorado Class 4A Sweet 16 as a sophomore. He transferred to Lincoln High before his junior season, but he was ruled ineligible to compete for the entire school year due to what CHSAA deemed an implicit recruiting violation; Lincoln’s coach at the time had just coached Diallo in a summer tournament.

The eligibility fight with CHSAA eventually led Diallo to leave the state. He returned to the East Coast and played four years of college basketball at Providence, where he earned Second Team All-Big East honors twice.



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Seattle, WA

Portland aims to top Seattle’s 405 e-bikes with 2-mile Guinness record ride and party

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Portland aims to top Seattle’s 405 e-bikes with 2-mile Guinness record ride and party


Portlanders are being invited to help BIKETOWN mark its 10th birthday with what organizers hope will become a new world record: the largest electric bicycle party and ride.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is organizing a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt on Sunday, July 19, aiming to beat the current record set in Seattle in 2018 with 405 e-bikes. PBOT is seeking the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Largest Electric Bicycle Party and Ride.

Riders will gather at Salmon Springs, the fountain in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, starting at 8:30 a.m.

Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m., and the ride is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. from Southwest Naito Parkway and Southwest Salmon Street. PBOT said the date is “10-years-to-the-day since BIKETOWN service started with a maiden voyage group ride across the Willamette River.”

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“I can’t wait to see all of Portland come out to celebrate the ways BIKETOWN has transformed our community,” PBOT Director Millicent Williams said. “Since 2016, BIKETOWN has introduced thousands of Portlanders to biking, and e-bikes in particular, and made biking more accessible for more people. By breaking this GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title, we will remind everyone of Portland’s place at the front of the pack of leading bike cities across the nation.”

PBOT said the event is designed for massive participation and will follow a 2-mile loop that includes Tilikum Crossing, the Eastbank Esplanade and the Hawthorne Bridge, taking place mostly on the Waterfront and Eastbank Esplanade. Organizers said participants should expect a slow ride with some stops and are asked to stay on the route to be counted, while watching for pedestrians and other riders.

People riding personal e-bikes and pedal bikes are welcome, though PBOT said only e-bikes will be counted toward the record attempt. PBOT said registration is strongly encouraged to ensure riders are counted and that participants will need to provide their e-bike make and model. Riders are also encouraged to arrive early to check in and get a bib.

For people without an e-bike, PBOT said BIKETOWN will have bikes available to reserve on a first-come, first-served basis, with early registration recommended. Riders must be 16 or older to use BIKETOWN.

After the ride, PBOT said the event will conclude with a celebration featuring vendors, refreshments and remarks from City of Portland and BIKETOWN partners. PBOT said an official judge from Guinness World Records is expected to verify the attempt and confirm whether Portland set a new record.

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PBOT also encouraged participants to head to the Portland Pride Parade and Festival afterward. The first 1,000 people who register for the ride will receive free entry to the Pride Festival, supported by BIKETOWN founding partner and title sponsor Nike.

PBOT said the event is possible with financial support from Nike, with additional support from Lyft and the City of Portland.

BIKETOWN launched July 19, 2016, with 1,000 bikes. PBOT said the system has deployed 3,000 electric pedal-assist bicycles serving a 50.5-square-mile service area, including portions of East Portland. BIKETOWN is a partnership between the City of Portland’s PBOT and Nike, and is operated by Lyft.



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