Common Council votes to establish Reparatory Justice Commission

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The South Bend Common Council gave the green light towards a Reparatory Justice Commission Monday night.

It comes after months of on and off discussion about addressing inequalities facing the city's black and minority populations.

“This promise today is coming to fruition,” says South Bend Common Council President, Sharon McBride.

It’s a promise President McBride says has been months in the making; that’s the establishment of the Reparatory Justice Commission, a 14-person group that will study the needs of South Bend’s black community and report back to the council with recommendations.

“A lot of people mistake it to think that it’s just monetary; but it can be from health equity, talking about infant mortality right now, lead based paint, redlining,” McBride explains.

“For the South Bend Common Council to pass something like this, it’s truly historic,” comments Jorden Giger, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter South Bend.

It follows a bill that Councilman Henry Davis Jr. tried to pass earlier this year, part of that would have established a Truth and Reconciliation Committee. However, the bill was tabled indefinitely, and McBride acknowledges in the resolution that it opened a door for broader discussion on the need for the commission.

It’s a big step for South Bend, which some believe could pave the way for many more cities and even national legislation to follow suit.

“As more of these bills and commissions are passed and established across the country, it just gives more strength to federal legislation,” Giger says.

The 14 members of the new commission, including local leaders in housing, education, and civil rights, will soon begin their boots on the ground work to study ways to improve the quality of life for South Bend residents.

“This gives an opportunity for people to have better housing, better healthcare, better education, and make it just equal for everybody,” explains President McBride.