South Bend Mayor, Common Councilmembers hold press conference following the Reparatory Justice Commission's presentation

The commission was first assembled back on September 28, 2023. The members gathered all kinds of information on the history of racial discrimination in the city, its lasting impacts and then released dozens of recommendations on May 4.

From the 1930s to the 1950s, the Beck's Lake site in LaSalle Park was an industrial dumping ground and left behind toxic soil still impacting residents today.

"I am sorry for it," Mayor James Mueller apologized for the injustices the LaSalle Park community endured for decades, checking off one of the Reparatory Justice Commission's recommendations.

"I acknowledge what it documents, a history of racial discrimination in South Bend, in housing, in employment, in education, in health, in the basic fairness of services, it's real and sustained for more than a century," he continued.

"Last night the Reparatory Justice Commission presented their findings to the common council," said Common Council President, Canneth Lee.

Mayor Mueller, Councilman Canneth Lee, City Clerk Bianca Tirado and Common Councilwoman Sheila Niezgodski held a press conference Tuesday acknowledging they've been presented the report. The final report was shared with the public before the meeting was even scheduled, which is why the city would not comment on it until now.

"We wanted to give this commission the opportunity to present their findings like we started. We wanted to give them the time to do as much research as they needed and we wanted them to be able to bring it before the council, because that's what was in the ordinance and so we had to stick to that," explained Lee.

Trina Robinson, Chair of the Reparatory Justice Commission, says systemic change is the only way forward.

"You don't have to be one of those that just verbalize or be one on the front runners, but we just need those that can help push the cause and so we're just asking for young and old, black, white, doesn't matter, because when one suffers, all suffers, and we cannot flourish as a community when one segment of the community has not flourished or not being able to sit at the table," said Robinson.

The report was filed in the Clerk's office on May 4. The report was then shared publicly by Common Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis. Prior to that, it was on the Reparatory Justice Commission website but was then removed. You can view the report below.

Robinson says the report was never supposed to be published prior to the presentation; it was accidentally posted by Notre Dame students.

"They were working with us on our website, they were working on some other things for us, some links, and so they had a copy of the final report, and so to their defense, they probably thought that that was to be uploaded, as well as the other documentations that we had provided. It wasn't something that was maliciously done, it was just by accident, not knowing what exactly we wanted posted," Robinson explained.

Mayor Mueller says this is a priority for the city of South Bend.

"In coordination with the council, the administration will operationalize the report's most immediate recommendations in the coming weeks... The city has been working on lead remediation in our neighborhoods. The financial empowerment center recently opened and has already served and counseled 170 clients. The rental safety verification program continues to address housing conditions and fights to hold landlords accountable as strictly as state law allows. We have a street rating system that prioritizes the worst conditions first citywide, regardless of which neighborhood they are in," said Mueller.

"Over $215 million has been invested in affordable housing for those in our city who can least afford housing. Over 600 potential WMBE small businesses have received training and start up support from the City's business development suite. These are not new commitments made in response to the report. They are existing commitments that the report helps us see more clearly and pursue more seriously. The report also asks the city to do new work in response to documented harm inflicted along racial lines. These remedies will be measured by whether they actually close gaps the report identified, narrowed inequities, expanded opportunity, repaired neighborhoods. The administration's job is to deliver remedies that reach the people to report names designed in ways that hold up to the Constitution and state law where the law permits race-conscious design; the city will use it. Where the law does not, the city will use structures that serve our black residents through programs open to all. What matters is whether the gaps close. That is the standard we will be held to," he continued.

Mueller also says the city will stay within the bounds of the law when it comes to resources for housing, business owners and more being accessed fairly by black people, who were the main victims impacted by the toxic Beck's Lake site.

"There are narrow cases where you can use race-specific measures, but generally speaking, most programs are going to not be tailored in that manner. For example, it was brought into the report recommendations, the revolving loan fund and the opportunity fund, those are open to all, but yet a high percentage of those funds go to underrepresented groups."

A concern raised by Dr. Davis and members of the community was how long Council President, Canneth Lee, had the report before the presentation was scheduled.

"We received the report in the later part of March, but then we weren't able to meet with the Reparatory Justice Commission until probably May. We wanted to figure out how do we want to present this? Well, how do we roll this out? Once we were able to meet with them, then they wanted to make sure that they did it as soon as possible. June 8 was the first date that was available," said Lee.

The report is final; however, one of the five subcommittees did not present their report to the City on Monday. Commission Chair Trina Robinson says that is because the policing, legal, criminal system committee did not finish their report on time.

"That's something that's going to be added later, but there were reports from the education, housing, economic wealth, and health, mental health committees," Robinson shared.

She also said there will be a public meeting held at the public library on June 29 and 6 p.m. to review the recommendations and find ways to bring them to life in the LaSalle Park Community.