Hi there, welcome to
The show, we're back, still from
This blank void.
On that point, I have a bit of
an update.
Looks like, all being well, we
Are set to be back in our studio
In september, meaning that the
Next five shows are actually
Going to be the last that we do
There in the void.
Holy sh*t, thank god.
Excuse me?
You heard me.
I'm sorry, you can talk?
Of course I can talk, john.
I can also cry, which, you know,
I'm not afraid to cry.
I can sing pretty well,
Actually.
Nice.
Also, I can laugh.
Void loves to laugh.
I'm sorry, you can
Laugh?
Really?
I've been stuck here
For nearly a year and a half
Telling jokes and I haven't
Heard you laugh once.
Not one time.
Well, that's because you
Haven't really given me a reason
To, and I didn't consider any of
Those jokes.
That is a mean thing to
Say.
I'm going to get this off my
Chest.
I don't mean to be rude.
But you know what?
What?
It's going to be really good
To be just a void again without
You in it, which is a pretty
Shocking declaration when you
Say that a void would rather be
Just a void with nothing in it
Because of you.
Look, can I just start
My show now please?
Go ahead, I mean, if you
Want.
Or don't.
It really doesn't matter to me
Either way.
Has it been a busy week, john?
Yes, it has.
It has, actually.
So aggravating.
All right.
Just pretend I'm not here.
I will.
I will remain silent.
Because I won't be laughing.
That is understood.
It has been a busy week.
Very busy.
I'm ready, the olympics opening
Ceremony finally took place in
Tokyo.
A year late and still under
Significant cloud.
This morning, officials in
Tokyo revealing that covid cases
Have increased 155% in the past
Seven days.
Tonight, covid-19 defeating
Some olympic athletes before
They've even had a chance to
Compete.
According to the ioc, more than
Have tested positive for the
Virus.
And the truth is, it's
Gotten even worse, because as of
Saturday the current total of
Olympics-related covid cases is
Up to 127.
Which really shouldn't be
Surprising.
The event whose central premise
Is basically, "what if a bunch
Of hot people traveled from all
Over the world to sweat,
Breathe, and f*ck on each other"
Turns out to be going exactly as
You'd expect it to during a
Pandemic.
And I will say, tokyo is by no
Means alone in making a very
Bold move in the face of the
Spread of the delta variant.
In the u.k., Monday marked
So-called freedom day, with the
Lifting of almost all
Virus-related restrictions, even
Though covid cases have recently
Spiked to the highest levels
There since january.
Boris johnson has faced
Significant criticism about this
Decision and has chosen to
Justify it like this:
If we don't do it now, we've
Got to ask ourselves, when will
We ever do it?
Oh, I can answer that
Later.
Just, a later time.
It's so brazenly disingenuous to
Frame this as a choice between
Lifting covid restrictions now
Or never doing it.
It's the equivalent of someone
Saying, "if I don't take a sh*t
Now in the middle of this apple
Store, when will I ever take a
sh*t?"
I don't know exactly, but I feel
Like there are a lot of other
Options available that you're
Choosing not to consider.
And if you're wondering, "why
Does boris johnson look like
He's hired an impersonator of
Himself to deliver this message
Via cameo?"
Well, it's because he was
Self-isolating after being
Exposed to someone who caught
Covid.
Specifically, his health
Minister.
Which is not an ideal way to
Reassure people that "now is the
Right time to open up."
And even some of the british
People celebrating "freedom day"
Seemed to understand they were
Dancing on a Kn*fe's edge.
I want to dance, I want to
Hear live music.
Yes!
It feels like freedom day, it
Really, really does.
It's nice to be out, but like
At the end of the day, it's all
Going to result in some sort of
Impending doom.
You know what?
I have to agree with cvs-brand
Noel gallagher there.
Because that sentiment
Fundamentally speaks to the
British character.
Screw "keep calm and carry on."
"It's all going to result in
Some sort of impending doom"
Should be britain's new
Motivational poster, because
That is exactly how I feel about
Everything all the time.
Even here in the united states,
There is cause for real concern
Amid all the optimism.
The delta variant now accounts
For 83% of known u.s. Cases and
Is causing a rise in hospital
Admissions, particularly among
The unvaccinated.
And yet despite the fact that
Vaccines are widely available
Here, some... Even those
Hospitalized... Are still
Hesitant.
Here I am, recovering,
Getting out of here finally
Tomorrow.
Am I going to get a vaccine?
No.
Don't shove it down my throat.
That's what's local, state,
Federal administration is trying
To do, is shove it down your
Throat.
What are they shoving, the
Science?
No, they're shoving the fact
That that's their agenda.
The agenda is to get you
Vaccinated.
Uh...
Yeah.
Yeah, acturaly, nailed it in
One.
Public health officials' agenda
Is to get you vaccinated.
And you know what covid's agenda
Is?
To f*cking k*ll you.
To burrow into your body through
Your hot little mouth, f*ck
Around with your lungs, flip
Your nostrils off, make soup
Taste more like nothing than it
Already does, and then k*ll you.
So frankly, if the choice is
Death or
sh*t that comes with
Free krispy kreme donut, I think
You should take the
Jizz-covered dough hoop
With a side of antibodies.
And while that's clearly
Infuriating, individuals like
That man are pretty much
Unreachable at this point, which
Is why it's so important to
Convince everyone who might be
Persuadable to get vaccinated.
Because if this week's taught us
Anything, it's that covid is
Nowhere near being eradicated
And the best defense against it
Is being f*cking vaccinated.
Yes, there are breakthrough
Cases, but the vaccine is doing
Its job.
More than 97% of those
Hospitalized for covid in the
U.s. Are unvaccinated.
So right here we need to be
Encouraging as many as possible
To get their sh*ts, and,
Crucially, to then share our
Surplus supply with countries
Around the world that
Desperately need them.
Because... If I may quote the
Words of geoffrey rush after a
Bad bleach job... "If we don't
Do it now, when will we ever do
It?"
And now this.
And now, people on
Tv mean "f*cking,"
Olympics edition.
The olympic village was
Full of cardboard beds, and
The idea behind it, supposedly,
Was to make sure that these
Athletes weren't going down
There doing the do.
If you know anything about
The olympic village, you know
It's a hotbed for...
You know what I mean?
Athletes will be pursuing
Their dreams, and perhaps each
Other, if you know what I mean.
Some even speculating
They were meant to prevent
Certain extracurricular
Activities, you would say.
Does it have a box spring?
No, exactly, they're going to
Be walking around with sore
Backs?
I would imagine.
Too busy looking at the
Gymnast jumping up and down
Without a shirt on.
I see where you're going.
You said your husband is out
Of town this week.
This is how rumors get
Started.
Moving on.
Our main story tonight concerns
Land.
Specifically, the history of
Race and land ownership in
America.
A history that has many
Horrifying chapters... Pretty
Much from chapter one, when
America was "discovered" from
Under other people's feet.
So many, in fact, that some have
Nearly been forgotten, like this
Piece of local history that
Recently made the news.
In manhattan beach,
California, a house on the sand
Can cost up to $20 million, and
Anthony bruce's family used to
Own two oceanfront lots.
I should be a millionaire
Standing here t... Talking to
You today.
More than 100 years ago, his
Great-great-grandparents, willa
And charles bruce, bought the
Land for about $1,200.
They built a resort called
"Bruce's lodge."
The ku klux klan was involved
In harassing them.
They b*rned a cross right out
Here.
And when that didn't drive
Them away, the city government
Decided to take the property
Under the guise of eminent
Domain.
Wow.
So when the cross burning didn't
Drive the bruces out of town,
The city called in a lawyer to
Finish the job.
And that tells you a lot about
How racism in america works.
Sure, the vigilante racists are
Spooky.
But you've really gotta worry
When the m*therf*ckers with
Advanced degrees show up.
What manhattan beach did to the
Bruce family was clearly
Unforgivable.
And to its credit, the city
Seems to be trying to reckon
With how to deal with what
Happened.
Although it's also placing some
Pretty hard limits on that
Reckoning.
The council did authorize
Spending $350,000 on art to
Commemorate the family, and this
Week, voted to acknowledge and
Condemn what happened... But
Chose not to offer an official
Apology.
It's awful.
It's wrong.
We're not that community now.
I wouldn't live here if we were
A r*cist community, and my
Friends and neighbors would not
Live here as well.
Okay, couple of things.
Manhattan beach's
Population is only 0.5% black,
So even if you are not that
Community now, you don't look
Un-like it.
If you took
Something worth $20 million,
$350,000 Doesn't cover it.
Especially when none of that
Money went toward the family
You stole it from.
There's pretty obviously only
Two ways of making this right:
Give the bruces $20 million or
Give them their land back.
And incredibly, the latter might
Actually happen.
Because l.a. County, which owns
The land, recently released a
Plan for returning it to the
Bruces.
Which is, to put it mildly,
About time!
It's literally been called
Bruce's beach since 2006.
Is the apostrophe s a f*cking
Joke to you people?
It indicates possession.
So the story of bruce's beach
Might actually end with
Something approaching justice.
Land was taken away.
Land is given back.
And I want you to keep the
Elegance of that solution in
Mind as we talk about a far more
Insidious and widespread form of
Wealth appropriation, and that
Is housing discrimination.
There is a long history of it in
America... And we will get to
That in a minute... But before
We do, let's just start with its
Effects.
Currently, only 45% of black
Householders own their homes,
Compared with nearly 74% of
Whites.
And since home ownership is a
Key component of wealth, it's no
Surprise that the wealth gap
Between white and black families
Is so huge, many literally don't
Comprehend it.
One recent survey found most
People think that, for every
$100 In wealth held by a white
Family, a black family has $90,
When the truth is, it's actually
Closer to $13, with the median
White family having a net worth
Of around $188,000 and the
Median black family having just
Over $24,000.
But the effects of housing
Discrimination go well beyond
Wealth, because questions about
Where your house is and how much
It's worth impact so many things
About your quality of life.
For instance, because a key way
Americans pay for public schools
Is through property taxes,
Better homes lead to better
Schools, better teachers, and
More resources, which in turns
Leads back to better
Neighborhoods in general,
Including cleaner streets,
Cleaner air, and, crucially,
Only the most exclusive and
Fuckable trees.
Is that tree a bakery?
Because it's.
Got.
Cakes.
That tree... Don't just let the
Audio of this play in the
Background while you're working,
Click back on the youtube tab
And look at me...
That tree can get it.
So if it's led to a wealth gap
This massive and consequences
This wide-ranging, tonight,
Let's take a look at housing
Discrimination, the damage it's
Done, and more importantly, what
We can do about it.
Some of you may already
Know what the last part is going
To be and might even be
Shouting it at your screens, but
Please, don't spoil it for
Everyone else...
Let's let it be a surprise.
And let's start in the early
When the real estate industry
Really began to grow, and as it
Did, white people moved quickly
To codify the distance between
Them and black people.
One major way this happened was
Through "racial covenants"...
Essentially bylaws written into
Deeds or neighborhood
Regulations forbidding the sale
Of a house to a non-white
Person.
And incredibly, these covenants
Were so widespread that many are
Still technically on the books.
A texas news station recently
Unearthed one in a local suburb
And showed it to unsuspecting
Residents there.
Section two, page three
Reads, "none of the lots shall
Be conveyed, leased, or occupied
By any person other than of the
Caucasian race.
It provides an exception for
Those employed as servants.
"...the person other than the
Caucasian race."
Whew.
Okay.
Well, quite!
The tone of that "whew, okay" is
Usually reserved for a few
Finding out your grandma
Is still sending nudes, that
Jeremy piven launched a podcast
Called "how you livin',
J piven," and that your
Neighborhood technically still
Has bylaws prohibiting black
People from living there.
And while racial covenants were
Done at the local level, what
Really turbocharged segregation
Was when the federal government
Got involved.
In the 1930s, the new deal
Established the federal housing
Administration and the home
Owners loan corporation or
"Holc"... Which is,
Incidentally, also french for
"Hulk."
Eh, holc... How you say, er...
Le smuush.
The idea of these two agencies
Was to make it easier for people
To buy and retain houses during
The great depression, and they
Were promoted at the time
Through newsreels like this:
This couple is going through
A model house now... Suppose we
Follow them.
The husband apparently isn't
Very keen about it all, but you
Know how wives are.
This cheerful room with its many
Handy cabinets impresses even
This skeptic, and his wife is
Entranced by the modern flat top
Stove.
Too bad they can't afford it...
Ah, but maybe they can.
Well, according to this sign,
They can buy this house with
Monthly payments that are less
Than they now spend for rent.
Wow.
That is a very affordable house
For two people that clearly do
Not get along.
They
Hate their wives and anything
That would make her happy.
Every moment with them is
t*rture.
And maybe a new house would
Help, as neither of them will
Leave this wretched marriage
Because it's the 1930s.
It's up to the baby to save
Them!"
The pitch was that the
Government would insure your
Loan so that banks would accept
A significantly smaller down
Payment than was standard at the
Time, with much lower interest
Rates, and give you decades to
Pay it off.
The federal government
Essentially invented the modern
Home mortgage, and it worked
Incredibly well.
Millions bought homes who could
Never otherwise have afforded
Them, beginning a cycle of
Stable, generational wealth that
Continues to this day.
It was a great idea.
I cannot stress that enough.
Which is why it is so tragic
That built directly into that
Plan was the intentional
Exclusion of black people.
For instance, holc developed
Maps that color-coded areas
Green, yellow, blue, or red
Based on their
Credit-worthiness.
A neighborhood earned a red
Color... Or be "redlined"... If
Any african americans lived in
It at all, at which point, the
Area was essentially ineligible
For any mortgages.
Meanwhile, when it came to new
Developments, the fha's
Underwriting manual essentially
Mandated that communities have
Racially restrictive covenants
As a prerequisite to receive
Mortgage insurance.
These policies alone had a
Devastating effect on black
Communities, significantly
Expanding and locking in
Segregation.
And some developers ensured
They would continue to qualify
For loans by going to some
Ridiculous lengths.
Here in detroit, there was a
Developer that wanted to build a
Development for whites, and they
Wanted to get fha loans.
And the federal government said,
"You know what?
There's a black community kind
Of close by, you don't get the
Good loans."
And so the developer, in an
Effort to try to fix that, built
A 6-foot-tall wall, a foot deep,
To separate the black community
From the emerging white
Community.
And then the federal government
Gave the loan.
That's terrible.
And what makes it somehow worse
Is that that wall was only six
Feet tall.
That's just not that tall.
That's like the height of a
Fridge.
Or a mattress.
Or snoop dogg.
Snoop's 6'4."
He could very easily see over
It.
Is that what you want?
Snoop making direct eye contact
With you over your stupid,
r*cist wall?
How is that helping anyone?
And all of this is obviously
White people
Basically wrote "black people
Can't live here" on pieces of
Paper and the federal government
Said "if you white people don't
Have one of those pieces of
Paper, you can't get a loan."
If everything had just stopped
There, the damage would already
Have been immense.
But it very much did not stop
There.
After world w*r ii, the gi bill
Gave returning service members
Access to home loans with as
Little as no down payment, which
Is great!
But the vast majority of
Financial institutions still
Refused to approve loans for
African americans, meaning that
Black service members returned
Home only to be shut out of
Homeownership in the rapidly
Expanding suburbs, one of the
Most famous examples of which
Was levittown, a development on
Long island of over 17,000
Homes.
And to ensure government support
To build them, the developer had
The contracts state that "the
Home could not be used or
Occupied by any person other
Than members of the caucasian
Race."
And when black people did try to
Buy homes there, they were told
In no uncertain terms just how
Unwelcome they were, as this
Woman remembers.
We went to the office where
The gentleman was showing the
Houses.
So my husband said to him, my
Wife and I are interested in,
You know, purchasing a home here
In levittown.
He said, get your out of
Here.
Wow.
That is a sweet lady
Recounting an appalling story in
Just the most matter-of-fact
Way.
But I guess for black people in
America, you ask your grandma to
Tell you a wholesome story about
Something like the first school
Dance she went to or how she
And grandpa bought a house, and
It's not long before you're
Suddenly in the middle of an
August wilson play.
And crucially, white people who
Were able to buy homes in
Levittown could accumulate
Massive wealth.
In 1948, homes there sold for
Around $8,000, or about $75,000
In today's money, and they
Currently sell for $350,000 or
More, meaning families who
Bought homes back in 1948 gained
More than $200,000 in wealth.
That's a lot!
So, quick side note: if you're
Young, white, and looking for a
Real return on investment,
Forget about your amc and
Gamestop stonks.
What you really want to do is
Get a time machine, travel back
To the 1940s, and buy a house
In a segregated suburb.
It's the safest investment
You'll ever make.
And levittown and detroit were
By no means alone.
This happened again and again,
So much so that the exclusion of
Black people from these federal
Programs was nearly absolute.
For instance, a survey of 13
Cities in mississippi in 1947
Found that... Of the more than
Veterans under the gi bill...
Only two went to
African americans.
And nationwide, in just the
First quarter century of the
Federal housing administration,
The government insured over
$40 Billion in loans.
That's the equivalent of nearly
$400 Billion today.
But some estimates indicate that
Americans.
If you ate 98% of someone's
Cannoli, you ate all their
Cannoli.
Pointing out the fact they've
Still technically got 2%
Somehow makes it worse.
And the implications of all of
This can be hard for some to
Think about.
Earlier this year, cbs'
Tony dokoupil did a story about
His grandparents' hometown of
Lyndhurst, new jersey, and in
Doing so, broke some difficult
News to the town's unofficial
Historian.
Wait a minute.
You're telling me they were only
Going to mortgage white people?
Yeah, yeah.
For you to say that lyndhurst
Is the way it is because it
Almost implies that lyndhurst
Was r*cist.
No, this is my family too.
I'm not saying that.
I'm saying that we... I'm saying
We had no idea.
You're right.
Most people would not have known
That the federal government had
This program in place.
Okay, first, I get that
This is uncomfortable, but I
Will say, if a white person says
"That almost implies blank was
r*cist" and another one says
"No, no, this is my family too,"
That doesn't mean the matter's
closed.
If two white people are trying
to figure out if something's
r*cist, nine times out of ten,
it probably is.
As for that man's claim "most
People would not have known
This program was in place," hold
on.
None of this was a secret at the
Time.
The link between the racial
Makeup of your neighborhood and
The value of your home was so
Well-established, some
Speculators took advantage of it
To buy homes on the cheap
Through a practice called
"Blockbusting."
That's where they'd go to a
White neighborhood and make it
Seem like black people were
Moving in.
They would hire a black woman to
Walk up and down the street with
A stroller, or call homes and
Ask to speak to someone with a
Stereotypically black name.
The idea was that simply by
Doing this, the speculators
Could panic white homeowners
Into selling their homes at a
Loss.
This tactic was incredibly
Effective.
But I will say, some white
Homeowners did stand firm...
Like this amazing woman in
Well, I happened to be
Sitting on the steps with a
Friend of mine, and the man that
Had gotten the house from the
Woman next door, he came up and
He said to me, "would you like
To sell?"
And I said, "no, I couldn't
Afford to sell, because I can't
Afford to go anywhere else."
And he said, "you won't sell?"
I said, "no."
He says, "well"...
Pardon me, angie, these are not
My words.
He said, "what are you going to
Do when these move in
Here, and they get out on the
Porch in the summer and they
Drink beer?"
I said, "hell, I'm going to join
Them."
Look, I know this story
Is full of terrible people and
Unmitigated racism, so we should
Probably take a moment to
Celebrate a lady who just wanted
To get drunk on her porch with
Her neighbors regardless of
Their color.
I love so many things about
I love rose's don't-give-a-f*ck
Energy, but also angie's "rose
Is gonna rose" response.
Because when rose said, "pardon
Me, angie, these are not my
Words," that was for us.
Angie knew.
She knows who rose is and she's
Made peace with it.
These women have talked.
There's a history in that
Relationship.
Bless you, rose.
And bless angie too.
Just because rose was an ally
Doesn't mean she was always an
Easy person to be around.
And when you put all of this
Together, it is no wonder that
By the late '60s, fair housing
Had become a core issue for the
Civil rights movement.
Martin luther king's efforts to
Combat housing discrimination in
Chicago were met with fierce
Resistance, and uprisings
Began to break out across the
Country... Unrest that reached a
Fever pitch in the wake of
King's assassination.
Lbj and congressional leaders
Tried to settle things down with
The civil rights act of 1968,
With sections 8 and 9 being the
Fair housing act, and section
An anti-riot act... Which is a
Pretty effective way of saying
"That's our final offer, we've
Gone about as far as we're going
With this whole 'civil rights'
Thing."
The fair housing act made
Housing discrimination illegal
And also required the government
To "affirmatively further" fair
Housing... In other words, take
An active role in integration.
And to his credit, nixon's
Housing secretary,
George romney, mitt's dad,
Actually tried
To do that and developed a
Program to withhold federal
Grants from communities that
Refused to integrate.
But nixon then quickly stepped
In, calling it off, and publicly
Repudiating the whole plan.
Concerning governor romney's
Plan, to what extent should the
Federal government use its
Leverage to promote racial
Integration in suburban housing?
It is not the policy of this
Government to use the power of
The federal government or
Federal funds in any other way,
In ways not required by the law,
For forced integration of the
Suburbs.
I believe that forced
Integration of the suburbs is
Not in the national interest.
Yeah, not great.
And it is worth reminding
Yourself once in a while just
How deeply weird nixon was.
He's been rendered so silly by a
Lifetime of cartoonish
Impressions, it's genuinely
Unsettling to watch him make
Unyielding eye contact while
Saying "I believe that forced
Integration of the suburbs is
Not in the national interest"
Like a cold robot powered by
Racism.
All I'm saying is, it really
Says something that
The most human version of nixon
Is the one where he's a cartoon
Head in a jar.
And what nixon made very clear
There is that the federal
Government would not step in to
Integrate neighborhoods, meaning
Neighborhoods weren't going to
Integrate.
Prices in white neighborhoods
Were now too high, and the
Racial wealth gap was firmly
Entrenched.
And even though overt
Discrimination was now illegal,
There were, and still are, many,
Many ways for neighborhoods to
Keep themselves white.
Sometimes it's through zoning...
Like banning multi-family homes
And sometimes it comes in the
Form of realtors steering buyers
Away from certain neighborhoods
On a racial basis.
They are not supposed to do
That, but it still happens all
The time.
A few years ago, "newsday" had
Testers of multiple races pose
As homebuyers on long island,
And the black testers
Experienced disparate treatment
Nearly half the time.
In some cases, they were sent to
Vastly different neighborhoods.
But even a realtor who "newsday"
Said gave out similar listings
To black and white buyers...
Thereby staying outside
The legal definition of
"Steering"... Accompanied them
With some not-so-subtle tips
That she only gave to the white
Tester.
And then there's pockets of
Port jeff too, that, you know,
Down by the train there's an
Area there.
What I say is always, to women,
Follow the school bus, see the
Moms that are hanging out on the
Corners.
There was one fella who, like,
Insisted on this house and the
Wife was pregnant, had a little
One.
And I said to him, I can't say
Anything, but I encourage you...
I want you to go there at 10:00
At night with your wife to buy
Diapers.
Go to that 7-eleven.
They didn't buy there.
No, that's great.
I have to say it without
Saying it, you know.
You have the knowledge of the
Areas, you know.
Yes.
I don't want to use the word
"Steer," but I try to... I use
Another word.
I educate in the area, you know.
Oh, well, that's all
Right then.
As long as you don't say the
Word "steer," it's okay.
It's like taboo.
As long as you don't say one of
The five words on the card,
You're completely in the clear.
At every step of the process,
Black homebuyers are faced with
Discrimination.
A few years ago, reporters
Crunched through 31 million loan
Applications and found that
African americans continue to be
Routinely denied conventional
Mortgage loans at much higher
Rates, even controlling for
Income, loan amount, and
Neighborhood.
And even if you own your home,
The simple act of having it
Appraised can be tainted by
Discrimination.
This woman had had her home
Appraised twice, but the values
Seemed low to her, so she did a
Little experiment.
I met with two of my
Girlfriends.
Both of them are married to
White men, and I was like, okay,
I need to borrow one of your
Husbands.
When the third appraiser
Came, duffy was gone.
Her friend's husband posed as
Her brother.
The result?
Duffy's home was appraised for
$259,000, More than double that
Of her previous two appraisals.
I screamed with joy.
I just was... I was so elated.
And then it just... It quickly
Dissipated.
And then I just cried.
Because this is an actual
"There it is" in that
I'm the thing
That's the devaluing my house.
Look, that's just
Awful.
We all know the only time the
Addition of a white man should
Increase value to anything is if
That thing is a movie and that
White man is stanley tucci.
Otherwise, it's just not okay.
And when you take all this
Together... The redlining, the
Blockbusting, the steering, and
Not least, the federal
Government's involvement... It
All becomes clear that the myth
Of white americans' post-w*r
Prosperity, powered by ingenuity
And self-reliance, leaves a lot
Out.
And the problem is, there are
Many white people who are
Unwilling to acknowledge this...
Or, even if they do, are unsure
What to do with the information.
Remember tony dikoupil's story
About lyndhurst?
The mayor there, and the
Historian, had very different
Reactions to what they were
Learning.
The one thing that I'm
Struggling with, and this is
As... As somebody whose family
Came through here, is when I
Looked at the old maps, just
Over the river, the areas were
Redlined by the federal
Government, meaning they weren't
Worthy of mortgages.
And lyndhurst wasn't redlined.
What do you do with that
Knowledge?
You move on.
Come on, it's all god's people.
Now that we do know...
Right.
What do we do about it?
You know, that's a good
Question.
I don't have the answer to that,
Tony.
I wish I did.
Okay, we'll get to the
Content of what they're saying
In a second, but first, I gotta
Know everything about that mayor
And how he came into office.
If I had to guess, a couple
Of candidates disappeared.
You can't have a run-off if only
One candidate is on the ballot,
Can you?
But as nice as it sounds to just
Move on, that's not dealing with
The underlying injury here.
Because even if you had a magic
Wand and were able to stop every
Facet of housing discrimination
Going forward, you still
Wouldn't be undoing the damage
That has been done.
Home prices have risen much more
Than wages in the last 50 years,
So buying a home today doesn't
Carry the same economic promise
As it did when the fha started.
In fact, by one estimate, if we
Do "do nothing and move on," it
Would take 200 years for the
Wealth gap to disappear on its
Own.
And yet, so often, efforts to
Address the legacy of housing
Discrimination have been
Resolutely color-blind.
Here is joe biden on the
Campaign trail just last year:
My plan for african americans
To close the wealth gap is to
Invest in african american
Home ownership.
That includes my insisting that
There will be a $15,000
First-time home buyer tax credit
For everyone.
Well, hold on there,
Joe.
"For everyone"?
That might sound great, but it
Also fundamentaly dilutes what
You're actually trying to do
Here.
Because we've immediately gone
From targeted investment in
Black home ownership to a broad
Tax credit for everybody.
And we sure seem to become a
Rainbow coalition as soon as the
Federal government starts
Handing out cash, don't we?
And our failure to effectively
Target solutions based on race
Has doomed potential fixes in
The past.
In the '70s, we passed the
Community reinvestment act
Requiring banks to approve loans
In low-income neighborhoods.
But we didn't specify who the
Loans had to go to, with one
Analysis in philadelphia showing
That banks and lenders favored
White borrowers, even in
Majority-black neighborhoods,
Making this well-meaning act
Basically a gentrification
Machine.
Although not a literal
Gentrification machine, of
Course, as we all know, those
Are obviously e-scooters.
So that approach of "move on,
We're all god's people" hasn't
Fixed the problem.
But what about that second guy,
Who said he doesn't know what we
Should do about it, but wishes
He had the answer?
If that is true, if he honestly
Wants to know what a major
Component of the answer should
Probably be, I've got some good
News for him, because it exists,
It's pretty straightforward, and
It's the same answer that many
Black viewers have been shouting
At their screen for the last 20
Minutes.
Because it's reparations.
And the first thing to say about
This is that it is by no means a
New argument.
People have been making the case
For reparations for generations,
And the history of housing
Discrimination specifically made
Up a large part of ta-nehisi
Coates' award-winning essay "the
Case for reparations" seven
Years ago.
And yet, even though reparations
Are clearly necessary,
Practical, and the right thing
To do, a poll recently found
Only one in ten white people
Favor them.
And some dismiss the subject
Right out of hand.
Yeah, I don't think
Reparations for something that
Happened 150 years ago for whom
None of us currently living are
Responsible is a good idea.
We've, you know, tried to deal
With our original sin of sl*very
By fighting a civil w*r, by
Passing a landmark civil rights
Legislation.
We've elected an
African american president.
I think we're always a work in
Progress in this country.
But no one currently alive was
Responsible for that.
Wow.
Reparations aren't a good idea
Because "we've elected an
African american president"?
Who exactly is the "we" in that
Sentence, mitch?
Because as I remember it,
Electing that president was
Basically your least favorite
Thing america ever did, and you
Vowed to devote every waking
Moment to making sure it didn't
Happen again.
"We tried to deal with our
Original sin of sl*very by
Fighting a civil w*r... Which I
Didn't have to take a side in...
By passing civil rights
Legislation... Which I didn't
Have to take a position on...
And by electing an
African american president...
Who I've always been against.
This country has come a long
Way, and, with god as my
Witness, it will not go any
Further."
But the thing is, we're not
Actually talking about
Reparations for sl*very here...
We should, but that's a
Different conversation.
We're talking about housing
Discrimination.
Mitch mcconnell was born in
The fair housing act wasn't
Passed until 1968.
This is quantifiable harm done
In our lifetimes to people who
Are still alive.
As for what reparations could
Look like, there has been a bill
Introduced in the house for
John conyers to form a
Commission to study this, and
This year the house judiciary
Committee voted to advance it.
So if we really want to know
What reparations could look
Like, we can pass that bill and
Find out.
We don't really
Need to study the "whether," we
Just need to study the "how."
Because we know what the
Government did, and we know the
Effect it had.
And there are potential models
For us to learn from... From
Germany paying reparations to
Holocaust survivors to the u.s.
Paying japanese americans who
Were interned in world w*r ii.
And if you're looking for more
Recent examples, evanston,
Illinois, recently voted to use
Revenue from legal weed to
Provide grants to assist black
People who lived there from 1919
To 1969 and their descendants.
Now, does that program fix
Everything?
No, of course not.
Its first phase makes available
Up to $25,000 for each
Participant, who can only spend
That money on buying or
Renovating a house or paying
Down their mortgage.
And the initial budget for the
Program is only $400,000, so it
Might well be limited to 16
People.
But it is at least a real
Attempt to both acknowledge and
Redress harm.
And ultimately, this isn't
Something cities, or even
States, can do on their own.
It took the power and resources
Of the federal government to
Enforce racism on this scale,
And only the federal government
Can truly grapple with the
Consequences.
And there are some... Like
Nikole hannah-jones... Who have
Some pretty specific ideas on
What that grappling could look
Like.
So, to me, reparations has to
Be three-pronged.
Recommitment to strong
Enforcement of civil rights
Laws, because you can get this
Economic payment, but we know
That black people still face
Discrimination in every aspect
Of american society.
And I think there needs to be a
Really large investment of
Resources into the black
Community that have had that
Wealth extracted and have been
Denied the ability to live like
Other americans.
And I think anyone who is
Reparations that is not going
For a cash payment is basically
As r*cist.
Because it's like, it's only
When it comes to black folks
That we are so concerned with
How people are going to spend.
Don't know if they know how
To spend that money responsibly.
I say this jokingly but half
Jokingly.
If I want to spend my
Reparations on all gucci, that
Is my right.
Yeah, black people
Should get to
Decide how to spend the money
The federal government gives
Them, in the same way white
People got to decide how to
Spend all the billions of
Dollars in wealth it created for
Them.
I promise you not all that money
Has been spent responsibly.
Just think how much of it has
Gone towards thomas kinkade
Paintings.
There is one, and only one, good
Reason to buy a thomas kinkade
Painting, and that's to help
Convince the appraiser that your
Friend's white husband really
Does live in this house.
That is it.
And I'm not saying money alone
Is what's called for here.
As nikole hannah-jones pointed
Out, simply handing out cash
Without changing any of the
Underlying structural conditions
That produced inequality in the
First place would be a big
Mistake.
This is a both/and situation.
But ultimately, the only real
Strange thing about paying
Reparations to black people is
That we haven't done it yet.
Just like it's strange that it
Has taken so long to give
Bruce's beach back to the
Bruces.
In both cases, the right thing
To do couldn't be clearer.
When you deprive somebody of
Something, you make it right by
Paying what you owe.
Now, figuring out exactly how to
Pay might get complicated, but
Realizing that you have to
Should be pretty simple.
Because this is a wound that we
Are actively choosing not to
Heal, and it is hurting real
People every day.
And also try and think of the
Positives here.
Because if we do choose to do
The right thing, and after all
These years, redress this wrong,
We might finally live up to this
Country's highest potential, and
That is to become a nation of
Rose and angies getting
Absolutely day-wasted on
Our porches.
That's our show.
Thank you so much for watching.
See you next week, good night!
08x18 - Housing discrimination in the United States
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American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by comedian John Oliver.
American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by comedian John Oliver.