Wayne County takes up slave reparations

• Originally published in Detroit News.com [here]

 Wayne County has thrust itself into the center of the emotiona lnationwide debate about slave reparations. Following the lead of Chicago, the Wayne County Board of Commissioners voted Thursday to require companies founded before 1866 to submit forms showing whether they profited from slavery before bidding on county contracts of$20,000 or more.
    In a sense, the measure is largely symbolic, since firms with slave ties aren't penalized in the bidding process. But it would collect information that could be used by reparations activists nationwide in lawsuits against those companies.
    And if the ordinance doesn't play well in Wayne County's white suburbs, well, so be it, said Commissioner Kwame Kenyatta, D-Detroit, the measure's sponsor. "They should be sensitive, just as we're sensitive about Jews and Israelis who bring issues" to the commission, Kenyatta said. "This issue won't go away unless we deal with it. It's not meant to be divisive, but it is meant to deal with an issue that has never been confronted."
    The measure was approved 10-0 with five abstentions: Lyn Bankes, Philip Cavanagh, Christopher Cavanagh, Joseph Palamara and John Sullivan. County Executive Robert Ficano hasn't indicated whether he'll sign or veto the ordinance.
    No one knows how many businesses would be affected. The ordinance includes no cash for enforcement, nor does it address what to do if companies lie about their pasts. "I don't know why Wayne County should get involved or act as an agent for (reparations activists), and that's what commissioners are doing," said Neil Karl, 61, of Livonia. "We're getting bludgeoned into doing something for minorities."