Laserfiche WebLink
WHEREAS,the South Bend Common Council acknowledges that in Westside <br />communities where African Americans and other disadvantaged groups are concentrated, there <br />exists hazardous lead contamination in a neglected and aged housing stock; <br />and <br />WHEREAS,the South Bend Common Council acknowledges that the history of racist <br />redlining practices and divestment from Black communities has led to the loss of roughly a <br />billion dollars in property value from South Bend relative to what existed in 1930, according to a <br />financial analysis by Urban3—a private consulting firm specializing in land value economics, <br />property tax analysis and community design—conducted at the request of the City of South <br />Bend; <br />and <br />WHEREAS,the South Bend Common Council acknowledges that the COVID-19 <br />Pandemic further unearthed significant racial disparities in the City that are rooted in a history of <br />racism; <br />and <br />WHEREAS,the South Bend Common Council recognizes that this history of racist <br />torture,physical, mental, economic and environmental abuse and coercion was tolerated by local, <br />state, and federal law; <br />and <br />WHEREAS,the trauma and damage caused by these heinous acts continue to <br />deleteriously affect African Americans and other people of color in the City of South Bend; <br />and <br />WHEREAS, the trauma and damage caused by these heinous acts will continue to cause <br />egregious harm to those affected unless the City of South Bend and other municipal bodies enact <br />reparatory justice to mitigate the harm; <br />and <br />WHEREAS,the South Bend Common Council acknowledges that the City has a history <br />of complicity in racist practices; and <br />WHEREAS,the South Bend Common Council recognizes that today it faces an <br />opportunity to make historic and"once-in-a-generation"investments in affected communities as <br />unprecedented levels of federal funding have come to the City; <br />and <br />WHEREAS,the City of South Bend must officially acknowledge the harm that occurred <br />in the City and resolve to never allow such acts to go undeterred,unpunished, and unaddressed <br />ever again. <br />NOW, THEREFORE,BE IS RESOLVED, by the Common Council of the City of <br />South Bend, Indiana, as follows: <br />Section I.The Common Council hereby issues a formal apology to the LaSalle Park <br />Neighborhood, African Americans, and other affected individuals and communities on behalf of <br />the City of South Bend for the violations and harm incurred by these practices. <br />Section II. The Common Council hereby recommends a Truth and Reconciliation <br />Commission made up of representatives and members of affected communities be