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Date: 7/5/2022
AMHERST – At its June 27 meeting, the Town Council voted 10-2 and approved the establishment of a stabilization fund that will ultimately provide the African Heritage Reparations Assembly (AHRA) with $2 million to disperse for reparative justice.
According to the motion, which was drafted in response to a request from the AHRA, the money will be deposited into the account on an annual basis “upon certification of free cash by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and upon review and recommendation by the town’s Finance Committee based on the town’s overall financial health at that time, that the Town Council add an amount equal to the certified cannabis tax revenue for the previous year.” The motion was amended to include that amount will not exceed $205,000 each year to provide the town with additional safeguards in the event of a budget deficit.
“The AHRA asked for an earmark of cannabis tax revenue and the Finance Committee motion does not designate cannabis tax revenue, rather uses it as a model to determine an annual contribution to the reparations fund,” said District 1 Councilor Michele Miller. “The original motion safeguards the overall financial health of the town by requiring an annual review by the Finance Committee and gives flexibility to the council to pause the program if necessary. With this amendment, the maximum annual appropriation to the reparations fund is capped at $205,000 regardless of how much cannabis tax revenue is collected in excess.”
Councilors At-Large Mandi Jo Hanneke, Andy Steinberg and Cathy Schoen raised concerns including the town committing to future money in the face of rising inflation and construction costs and saying that it would be easier for a future council to add to the total of the reparations fund rather than reduce it. Steinberg and Schoen voted against amending the motion to match the AHRA request of $2 million, saying $1 million would be a safer place to start with the hope of raising to $2 million at a later date.
“Both numbers, $1 and $2 million, are arbitrary,” Miller said. “How can we place a price tag on 400 years of anti-Black racism and violence? Only a national reparations plan can pay the debt that is owed to African-heritage people. Additionally, and a critical point, is that we want to use this fund to make meaningful repair long into the future. If established as an endowment of $2 million, once fully developed, we’re looking at [$80,000] per year for reparatory initiatives as opposed to [$40,000].”
Miller continued, “The annual request represents one-quarter of one percent of the budget. The difference of $1 million over a 10-year period is insignificant to the town’s budget and hugely impactful to the harmed community. Given we are limiting the annual appropriation, in my mind, there’s no justifiable reason not to honor the African Heritage Reparation Assembly’s request of $2 million.”
Another general concern brought up over the council’s past month of deliberation at various meetings revolved around the AHRA not including a plan on how the money would be dispersed. District 2 Councilor Pat DeAngelis admitted that she has shared some of these concerns but concluded that she realizes the ultimate goal is to address white supremacy by honoring the Black community in several ways. She said she wants to ensure the fund totals at least $2 million, saying that she hopes Amherst residents and future grants will contribute to add to that total.
“I don’t know how it’s directly going to be used but I trust the Black community in Amherst to make those decisions and that was part of what we said we wanted when we created the African Heritage Reparations Assembly,” DeAngelis said. “[…] So you know what, Amherst, you waste money on a dog park. You didn’t need a dog park, that’s my personal opinion. I want money to repair the harm that we have done to Black Americans. We need to do this, and we need to do it now.”
A majority of the council agreed with DeAngelis and voted to approve the motion with Hanneke and Schoen voting against it. Previously, numerous residents spoke in support of the allocation and shared DeAngelis’ urgency. Kamm Howard serves with Reparations United, an organization that seeks to synchronize local reparations efforts nationally.
“I am very excited about tonight’s vote here in Amherst,” Howard said. “I’m excited because of its potential for national implications. Some people think that local reparations are non-reparations, but they are in fact the purest forms of reparations. […] So will Amherst, like Topeka, KS, set a stage for national reparations, national redress, national justice for the African American community like the [Brown v.] Board of Education decision that desegregated all schools across America? Amherst has the ability to do so tonight with your vote and I wish that you submit a positive vote for the resources that are targeted.”
Resident Evan Naismith reaffirmed his support for the motion, something he has done multiple times at prior Town Council meetings. At the last meeting on June 13, Naismith centered his comments around the race provision that the reparations review board will be forced to consider under the current setup. That provision ensures the money will go to Black residents.
“The race provision only affects minorities with legitimate claims of past discrimination who were then denied a seat at the table, and it discriminates against them again based on their race,” Naismith said. “I will grant that the race provision reaffirms our commitment to the Black community, but it does so through textbook discrimination and that dilutes our commitment to annihilating all forms of racism. Hispanics and Native Americans suffer the worst poverty rates in Massachusetts. Same with educational attainment. Native American outcomes are entirely the result of racism. There is no neutral stance on this question. You either have to choose inclusion or exclusion.”
North Common revitalization project
Earlier in the meeting, Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek and Planning Director Chris Brestrup gave a presentation for the public forum on the North Common revitalization project. Amherst was recently selected to receive up to $827,000 in federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant money and the council unanimously voted to accept the funding.
“The overall project budget is about $1.8 million dollars,” Ziomek said. “[The plan from the Department of Public Works had] input from the planning staff, Historical Commission and many, many public forums over the last three to five years. The idea behind this project is really to activate the space. We know it’s in dire need of attention, it hasn’t really received any funding or significant attention for years, but the idea is to activate the space, to make it beautiful, to make it inviting, to make it accessible, places for people to relax and eat and dine and gather.”
The presentation highlighted the project having ADA walkways, new plantings while retaining as many trees as possible, a large space for gatherings in front of the Town Hall, spaces for public art and more.
The remaining $1 million for the project is funded using CPA (Community Preservation Act) money allocated in three phases. With the town’s approval to enter the contract for LWCF funding, the next steps are to finalize design plans and bid specifications by this fall and begin construction in April or May 2023.