Dallas County commissioners unwittingly back slavery reparations
Dallas County commissioners unwittingly back slavery reparations
John Wiley Price's Prices resolution went beyond taking note of Juneteenth; it included a long list of injustices endured by blacks, from slavery to Jim Crow to predatory lending practices.
By MATTHEW WATKINS Staff Writer
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Published: 17 June 2014 10:30 PM
Updated: 18 June 2014 08:59 AM
The Dallas County Commissioners Court declared Tuesday that African-Americans deserve reparations for slavery, even though most commissioners didnt seem to know that they were doing so.
The issue arose in a resolution written by John Wiley Price, the countys only black commissioner. Described only as a Juneteenth Resolution, it was approved unanimously.
Other commissioners admitted after their meeting Tuesday that they hadnt read the document before voting for it.
Commissioner Mike Cantrell, the courts lone Republican, later changed his vote to an abstention.
The reason why I didnt abstain this morning is that I had not received a copy of the resolution, he said.
None of the other commissioners changed their votes, meaning the resolution remains the countys official position. It is, however, a nonbinding resolution, and no tax money will change hands as a result of its passage.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20140617-dallas-county-commissioners-unwittingly-back-slavery-reparations.ece