THE
Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.
DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM APRIL 7, 2021 VOL. 104, ISSUE 12
Cook County city to provide housing reparations for Black residents Courtney Alexander | ___courtney_alex23____ Ore Ojewuyi | @odojewuyi
Parade of Flags
Please see page 12.
Executive Director of International Affairs Andrew Carver, left, hands a flag to SIU chancellor Austin Lane during the International Parade of Flags Monday, April 5, 2021 outside Anthony Hall at SIU in Carbondale, Ill. Jared Treece | @bisalo
Missouri senator introduces “minutemen” bill Senator Bill White (R) reacts to proposed federal gun control laws
George Wiebe | gwiebe@dailyegyptian.com Following the mass shootings in Boulder, Colo. and Atlanta, Ga. last month, national attention focused once again around new gun legislation. In response, Missouri state representatives proposed sweeping legislation to oppose moves by the federal government to expand gun control laws. The Second Amendment Preservation Act passed through the Missouri House of Representatives in February. “This isn’t a new bill. In 2013-2014 [...] they passed it through the House and Senate, [and it] went to the governor, that was Democrat [Jay] Nixon, [and he] vetoed the bill. We missed the override by one vote,” Jered Taylor (R), of the Missouri House of Representatives said. The proposed act declares that any law passed by the federal government which infringe on the Second Amendment rights of its citizens, “must be invalid in this state.” Under the act, state police departments could be sued for a minimum of $50,000 for enforcing those federal laws. “The best way to get the department’s attention and to make sure that they follow this law to protect our citizens’ Second Amendment rights, is to hit them in the pocketbook,” Taylor said. A more controversial piece of legislature, proposed by Bill White (R) of the Missouri State Senate, is S.B. 528, the bill would establish the “Missouri Minutemen.” On paper, the “minutemen” are not a state militia but a force that could be called upon by the Governor to react during a “state of emergency.” The bill requires all volunteers to “secure firearms, firearm accessories,
ammunition, uniforms, equipment and supplies necessary to perform any duties as assigned by the governor.” The reality of the bill is more complicated however. Firearms and equipment would not be taxable, but it would become property of the state of Missouri. “While you are minutemen, your firearms will, for sovereignty and jurisdiction purposes, be considered to be state property,” White said. White argues that this would remove regulation and taxation by the U.S. government. Missouri already has two volunteer forces, the Missouri National Guard and the Missouri Defence force. The bill has not been voted on by the state House or Senate and was likely a reaction to recent legislation going through Congress. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed two Bills in 2021 aimed at reforming background checks. H.R.8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, would prohibit the transfer of firearms between private parties without first having a licenced dealer/manufacturer performing background checks. “I firmly believe in the right to keep and bear arms, legally. I’m also a strong advocate for conceal carry, and have permits myself to do so. But we have a violence problem in this country and it cannot be ignored,” Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said, following his support for H.R.8. H.R.1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, was written by James Clyburn (D-S.C.) who called it “an important step Congress must take to address the epidemic of gun violence in this country.” Staff reporter George Wiebe can be reached at gwiebe@dailyegyptian.com
Evanston, Ill. approved a historic reparations plan for Black residents affected by housing discrimination. The housing plan has sparked debate about whether the resolution is adequate enough to address the harm done to the Black community. Over the next decade, $10 million will be paid to qualifying residents.To qualify for the Restorative Housing program, residents must be a direct descendent of an African American or a Black resident who resided in the city between 1919 and 1969. The city also has additional guidelines for program eligibility. Alderwoman Robin Rue Simmons, a representative of the fifth ward for Evanston, said the city council passed the reparation initiative in 2019 and recreational cannabis sales tax will fund the reparations. “In 2019, we passed our reparations initiative that’s funded by our recreational cannabis sales tax. On March 22, we passed our first proposal to implement and disburse reparation benefits, and it’s the Restorative Housing Initiative,” Simmons said. Reparations will primarily be used to help Black residents build generational wealth through homeownership, Simmons said. “Residents are going to receive a $25,000 direct benefit for housing, which will immediately build wealth through new homeownership, or sustaining homeownership, or even paying down a mortgage balance of an existing home,” Simmons said. In response to negative feedback from the Black community that the resolution is not actually reparations, Simmons said the legislation is very emotional. “It is in fact reparations because it is a direct response to the egregious acts of the Black community and it is reparations in the form of compensation. I do agree that it alone is not enough to satisfy the debt owed to black residents,” Simmons said. Continued on page 4.