INDY Week
By Thomasi Mcdonald
January 7, 2020
The idea of a universal basic income gained significant national traction in recent years thanks toĀ presidential candidate Andrew YangĀ (who is now running for mayor of New York City), among other supporters.
Schewel asked the two council members to review other citiesā pilot programs to determine which best practices could be adapted by Durham.
āItās been one of the holiday gifts that we share with the public, and Iām glad that today we are letting folks know that this is coming,ā FreelonĀ said.
Freelon said the possibility of city residents receiving a basic guaranteed income āis a really important part of a broad scope of programs to address a variety of issues that relate back to poverty, including violence.ā
āEvery two weeks reminds us that the shooting hasnāt stopped, the violence has continued,ā Freelon added, referring to last year’sĀ dismal plateau of more than 800 shootings and nearly 40 homicides in the city.
Freelon said that heĀ had met with officials from Charleston, South Carolina and Richmond, Virginia, āto hear how they have deployed those resources,” along with reviewing programs in Stockton and Compton, CaliforniaĀ to develop a pilot thatās āstill Durham, uniquely Durham.ā
Freelon added that he intends to meet with officials at Duke Universityās Samuel Dubois Cook Center for Social Equity thatās headed by economicĀ scholar William āSandyā Darity, who previously called for federal reparations for Black Americans in his latest book,Ā From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century,Ā that he co-wrote with his partner Kirsten Mullen.
Middleton called the chance for residents to receive a guaranteed universal income, āa huge opportunity for the city that will allow leaders to focus on the root causes instead of traditional approachesā to issues like crime.
