Oakland mayor excludes white people from a UBI program

[Supersonic 49,376]

Also quick reminder: This programm is specific to the neighborhood of East Oakland, an almost exclusively Black and Latinx neighborhood of the city. Only people who live there are able to apply. Yet somehow the "racist against whites" programm alots up to 50% of the spots to white people, who potentially don't even live there. 

You can't make that sh*t up. 

[gothicdream 39,660]

Obviously there are people of all races living in poverty. But this program was inspired by the data that says white households earned, on average, up to 3x more per year in Oakland. As such, we can see the effects of systemic racism. So this privately-funded initiative was born specifically to help address the racial wealth gap in the area. That doesn't happen if it isn't targeted toward those communities. The point of this program is not to solve poverty. That would obviously take much more than a $7M initiative. It's also not saying that there aren't white people living in poverty. But it is specifically trying to address the racial wealth gap.

[President Biden 5,898]

5 hours ago, bionic said:

This seems ripe for a Supreme Court challenge.

I hope they can make this project a success otherwise it will blow up in their faces 

[bionic 50,111]

22 minutes ago, Healed My Heart said:

Obviously there are people of all races living in poverty. But this program was inspired by the data that says white households earned, on average, up to 3x more per year in Oakland. As such, we can see the effects of systemic racism. So this privately-funded initiative was born specifically to help address the racial wealth gap in the area. That doesn't happen if it isn't targeted toward those communities. The point of this program is not to solve poverty. That would obviously take much more than a $7M initiative. It's also not saying that there aren't white people living in poverty. But it is specifically trying to address the racial wealth gap.

Vice President Harris (who is from Oakland) gives a good summary of it in her book. A really informative read

[Zeth 948]

20 minutes ago, Healed My Heart said:

Obviously there are people of all races living in poverty. But this program was inspired by the data that says white households earned, on average, up to 3x more per year in Oakland. As such, we can see the effects of systemic racism. So this privately-funded initiative was born specifically to help address the racial wealth gap in the area. That doesn't happen if it isn't targeted toward those communities. The point of this program is not to solve poverty. That would obviously take much more than a $7M initiative. It's also not saying that there aren't white people living in poverty. But it is specifically trying to address the racial wealth gap.

So it’s looking to fix a statistic instead of help families because their skin’s pigment is light?

Really, it’s just awful. I would feel absolutely terrible knowing that a family could not get access to food for their children because politicians are worried of a statistic more than their welfare. 

[gothicdream 39,660]

Just now, Zeth said:

So it’s looking to fix a statistic instead of help families because their skin’s pigment is light?

Really, it’s just awful. I would feel absolutely terrible knowing that a family could not get access to food for their children because politicians are worried of a statistic more than their welfare. 

Again, this program is not intended to solve poverty. How could you with $7M? It's addressing a specific issue - the racial wealth gap in one geographic area.

This is not the government; it's a privately-funded initiative. It's not taking away any existing services from white people in poverty, it's adding a new one for those in poverty who face the added challenge of systemic racism in their struggle to survive.

The government is supposed to help everyone in poverty, but (mostly republican) politicians have dedicated themselves to decimating our social safety nets, refusing to consider M4A (medical bills are a top cause of bankruptcy in America), and cutting taxes for the rich. You shouldn't be mad at this program. You should be mad at the government.

[HuffsAhoy 7,433]

27 minutes ago, Zeth said:

So it’s looking to fix a statistic instead of help families because their skin’s pigment is light?

Really, it’s just awful. I would feel absolutely terrible knowing that a family could not get access to food for their children because politicians are worried of a statistic more than their welfare. 

Statistics prove that minority children do not get the proper access to welfare in comparison to their white counterparts  Poor whites have been handed assistance on silver platters for centuries, how dare the another program be created that focuses on economically disadvantaged BIPOC. MY GOD somebody please grab the torches and pitchforks, a minority child is about to be helped.

[Bling 31,683]

Sounds like some affirmative action bs 

[HuffsAhoy 7,433]

7 minutes ago, Delaytica said:

Sounds like some affirmative action bs 

If this were a publicly funded initiative, you might have an argument there. However since it's not, you've got no leg to stand on  

[Zeth 948]

35 minutes ago, Healed My Heart said:

Again, this program is not intended to solve poverty. How could you with $7M? It's addressing a specific issue - the racial wealth gap in one geographic area.

This is not the government; it's a privately-funded initiative. It's not taking away any existing services from white people in poverty, it's adding a new one for those in poverty who face the added challenge of systemic racism in their struggle to survive.

The government is supposed to help everyone in poverty, but (mostly republican) politicians have dedicated themselves to decimating our social safety nets, refusing to consider M4A (medical bills are a top cause of bankruptcy in America), and cutting taxes for the rich. You shouldn't be mad at this program. You should be mad at the government.

Thanks for clarifying. Since it’s private, I agree they cannot be held to the same standard as the government.

I still hold my initial feelings though — if I had that money on my finger tips, it would go to anyone, regardless of background, that needed it urgently. 

[PartySick 173,102]

Thanks for the explanation @Supersonic