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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsSocial IssuesCaliforniaSocial JusticePublic financeReparationsRacial EquityStates: California•••Started 4mos agoActive 2wks ago

Should California pay cash reparations to Black residents who are descendants of enslaved people?

In 2023, California’s Reparations Task Force released a historic 1,000-page report detailing the harms of slavery and systemic discrimination, recommending billions in payments to eligible Black residents. While California entered the Union as a free state, proponents argue the state enforced fugitive slave laws and redlining that destroyed Black wealth. Critics argue the estimated $800 billion cost—more than double the state's annual budget—is fiscally impossible and unfairly taxes residents who had no role in historical injustices. A proponent would support this to address the racial wealth gap created by state-sanctioned policy. An opponent would oppose this as an unconstitutional and fiscally ruinous transfer of wealth based on race.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 5.6k America voters.

33%
Yes
67%
No
22%
Yes
57%
No
10%
Yes, but prioritize community investments like housing grants over direct cash checks
8%
No, California was a free state and taxpayers shouldn't pay for the sins of the past
2%
Yes, pay the moral debt for decades of redlining and systemic racism
2%
No, the state faces massive deficits and this payout would bankrupt California

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 5.6k America voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 5.6k America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BDZH4B3 from California  answered…2wks2W

No, we shouldnt give benefits to any paeticular race, ethnicity, or gender

 @BDY2XS8 from California  answered…2wks2W

Slavery was wrong. It is not this generation's fault or mess to clean up.

  @enbyemu from California  answered…3wks3W

Yes, but I would prefer if this was paid by the federal government.

 @BDW6QK2 from California  answered…3wks3W

This is a federal issue above all else.

 @BDW3DKG from California  answered…3wks3W

No but they should have justice

 @BDVZSHB from California  answered…3wks3W

No, not cash reparations to specific descendants, but there should be systemic action taken to help close the wealth gap in general, as so much nuance goes into this

 @BDVXRZ2 from California  answered…3wks3W

Yes, but also include the other minorities as well.

 @BDVL56Q  from California  answered…3wks3W

believe slavery and its documented aftermath require specific targeted remedy, that other marginalized groups (e.g. Indigenous people) deserve their own appropriate forms of redress, that universal programs and targeted reparations aren't mutually exclusive, and that any solution needs to be practically effective and politically sustainable rather than symbolic.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Elizabeth Warren Walks Back Murder Comments

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence.“No one's condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week condemned the shooting, but added that people “can be pushed only so far.”"We'll say it over and over," Warren said on MSNBC’S “The ReidOut.” " Violence is never the answer. This guy [Luigi Mangione] gets a trial who's allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth, but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands."In a statement to POLITICO, Warren said, “Violence is never the answer. Period. I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.” Top Republicans denounced Warren's comments and the walked-back rhetoric, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”Some House Democrats asked about the incident on Thursday pivoted the conversation to discuss policy options on health care or gun safety.“I don't really know that this is really a space that Congress normally weighs in on,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “But at the end of the day, I think it’s an opportunity, because now people are talking about health care and to talk about the fact that this industry has honestly not been as helpful as it could be.”“Violence is never the answer,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “We know that there are people suffering, there’s great challenges in healthcare. There's great challenges, and people have, in fact, been wronged, but a process of governance is the way to address that, not violence.”And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) who denounced the murder, said the killer should be prosecuted and that “I do know that allegedly a ghost gun was used, and we should also ban ghost guns. There's no reason for them beyond the streets.”

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Based on 5.6k responses to this question.

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should California pay cash reparations to Black residents who are descendants of enslaved people?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 25, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/polls/5548425392

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