Fox News contributor Leo Terrell on Monday lashed out at reparations advocates, saying the payment offer was illegal and counterproductive.
Terrell joined America Report when host John Roberts was asked for his opinion on a potential reparations plan in California, which is expected to cost millions of dollars. His eligibility grounds include those who can prove that their lineage traces back to slaves or blacks who lived in the United States before 1900, he said. NBC News.
“Reparations are illegal and should not be made,” Terrell said. “In this state that was never a slave state, there is no legal justification for it. And this compensation commission, John, they are seeking compensation for deficits and inadequate policing. It is slavery. This was a political ploy on Gavin Newsom’s part and an attempt to retain black voters within the Democratic Party.”
“You say it has nothing to do with slavery, but slavery laid the foundation for decades of racism that continues in this country today,” Roberts said. “Couldn’t it be said that reparations for racism are essentially out of slavery?” (Related: Lyman: Here’s Why Your “We Need Reparations” Claim Fails)
“John, I tell you, it would be very difficult for anyone living in this country today to show that he is an individual directly affected by slavery. John, you have the 13th Amendment and you have the Civil Rights Act and what’s going on while black Americans thrive in every aspect of our society I think, by the way, we have a black president, we have black billionaires, we have black billionaires, and this was the summer of 2020 when it was politically advantageous to push this reparations argument. It’s nothing but a political maneuver on Gavin Newsom’s part that actually developed out of the riots.”
“There are black people in this country who are thriving, no doubt about it, but there are also many black people who are stuck in a cycle of poverty with no way out,” Roberts argued.
“Great point. In my opinion there is no such racism, they control the institutions Chicago, Los Angeles, New York…they are ruled by blacks, You have the biggest problems with crime, lawlessness and poor schools.Explain it to me.”
The California reparations task force plans to submit its report to the California legislature on June 29, according to NBC News. In early May, the task force voted in favor of approving the $800 billion recommendation.
