It’s been almost a month since Community Reparations Commission (CRC) Chair Dr. Dwight Mullen and Vice-Chair Ms. Dewana Little made a compelling case before the Asheville City Council for an eight-month extension to the timeline for our local reparations process. City and County staff recommended that this extension be denied, and referred to a not-yet-disclosed “workable plan” they had for wrapping up the work of the CRC by June (which would necessitate only a two-month extension). It was up to the elected bodies – City Council and the Buncombe County Commission – to decide which vision to endorse. As of today, there has been no official response from either body. From the conversations we’ve had with folks inside both governments, it seems likely that the City and County both plan to reject the CRC’s extension request and endorse their staff’s plan instead. It’s unclear when this decision will become “official,” or when staff will share any details on their plan for wrapping up the work of reparations so rapidly.

Over the past six weeks or so, RJC supporters generated over 6,000 emails to members of the Asheville City Council, the Buncombe County Commission, and the City and County Managers. We deeply appreciate this effort, and at this point we don’t think it makes sense to continue reaching out to officials until we know more. We think there is a good chance that the CRC meeting on January 22, 2024 will bring some answers – perhaps a conclusive answer on the extension question and some articulation of the staff plan for wrapping the process up.

You can attend that meeting at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center from 6-8 pm (free parking through a validation ticket in the adjacent lot at 68 Rankin Street) or watch it (live or a recording afterwards) online here. We’ll be sure to send out another update once we have new information.

You can scroll down to read our earlier updates and background on the CRC extension situation.

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