Activist group calls for property tax reparations for Black Chicagoans

CHICAGO - An activist group is demanding that the City of Chicago and Cook County cease property tax charges to Black Chicagoans as part of reparations.

Howard Ray, founder of Reconstruction Era Reparation Act Now (RERAN), emphasized that escalating municipal and county taxes are leading to the displacement of Black residents from their homes.

"People lost their homes because of property taxes. Because everybody's been overcharged. So what we want to do especially for the Black community because we're very fragile, we want to keep them and preserve them here and by doing that, we can hold onto our culture in Chicago," said Ray.

Ray asserted that Reconstruction, initiated by Republicans after the Civil War, was prematurely halted by Democrats and remains incomplete.

The group is advocating for an ordinance aimed at rectifying tax inequity.