Listen Live

South Bend sign

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — It’s a resolution that has spent months under consideration by city councilors in South Bend.

The resolution would roll out reparations from the city of South Bend to African-American residents for practices of racial inequality by the city in the past. It was discussed in a committee meeting by a handful of councilors on Monday in a special meeting called by Mayor James Mueller.

In a 4-to-1 vote among councilors on the committee, they voted to table the resolution indefinitely. The only no vote was the resolution’s author Henry Davis, Jr. (D), who said he is growing tired of all the roadblocks.

“The worst thing were are having is delay, delay, delay, until nothing happens,” said Davis. “As we know in politics, that’s what happens when people don’t want to deal with an issue.”

South Bend city council president Sharon McBride was another in on the discussions and said that more needs to be considered when it comes to figuring out where the money to fund reparations would come from and who would be impacted by it.

Davis Jr. sees the latest vote as yet another unnecessary hold-up.

“It’s been hijacked,” said Davis. “I’ve been on this council, this is my third term serving, where a president has taken this legislation and inserted their own feelings into it.”

The resolution would form a committee to advise the city on how to make financial reparations to impacted areas of South Bend. For now, the resolution’s future is uncertain.