The issue of reparations for African Americans and other minorities targeted by the War on Drugs has reached a boiling point following Cynthia Nixon's comments at the NYC Cannabis Parade & Rally on May 5. Nixon is challenging Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the state's Democratic primary in September. She's called for marijuana legalization, a policy reform Cuomo has yet to embrace.
On the May 11 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the host made the following statment (cue to 45:40):
"Cynthia Nixon is runining for the governorship of New York and she has a plan for black folks to have the pot trade just the way we gave casinos to the Indians as a form of reparations."
Rapper Killer Mike replied:
"Brilliant idea and I'll tell you why. Bad word usage in reparations because reparations is a sensitive word. I feel that African Americans deserve real reparations from the United States. We need land. We don't just need education and health care.
"In terms of drug war reparations, we deserve all the drug war reparations because we have shouldered the burden of the drug war. I want physical ownership of an industry that's going to boom like alcohol. We deserve it for the time we're serving alone. We deserve to own 50% of the marijuana market. We'll partner with you."
More on the NYC Cannabis Parade & Rally here.
