John,

Throughout our history, Black Americans have faced egregious injustices at the hands of the federal government. These injustices, rooted in racism and discrimination, have left scars on our communities and have had a compounding impact in black communities today.

• 1. Jim Crow Era Discrimination: Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation and discrimination, denying Black Americans access to public facilities, education, and employment opportunities. These laws perpetuated a system of oppression and inequality that endured for generations.
  • Our Solution: The source of the issue remains in the vast amount of wealth that is stolen from our communities and allocated to those who are politically connected. It’s time to return those tax dollars back to the people. Community services, based in local charity, allow us to unchain ourselves from reliance on government services that can be used as a cudgel against us.
    

• 2. Tuskegee Syphilis Study: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study represents a betrayal of trust and a gross violation of human rights. For four decades, the U.S. Public Health Service conducted unethical experiments on hundreds of Black men, denying them treatment for syphilis and allowing them to suffer and die needlessly.
  • Our Solution: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study epitomizes the dangers of unchecked government power and the violation of individual rights. Libertarians advocate for strict transparency of government agencies. Additionally, libertarians emphasize the importance of informed consent and voluntary participation in medical research, ensuring that individuals are treated with dignity and respect.
    

• 3. Redlining and Housing Discrimination: Redlining policies implemented by the federal government systematically denied Black communities access to housing loans and opportunities, perpetuating segregation and economic disparities. This discrimination continues to impact wealth accumulation and homeownership rates in Black communities.
  • Our Solution: Libertarians oppose government intervention in the housing market for this exact reason. We advocate for deregulation in the housing market, specifically in allowing for construction of more housing and for eliminating zoning laws the prevent people from building homes on affordable land.

• 4. Mass Incarceration: The federal government's War on Drugs, initiated in the 1970s, disproportionately targeted Black communities, resulting in the mass incarceration of Black individuals for nonviolent drug offenses and contributing to racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
  • Our Solution: Immediately pardon all non-violent drug offenders, reverse their sentencing, provide restitution for their pain and suffering, and decriminalize drug use so that it can’t be used as an excuse to overpolice our communities.

• 5. COINTELPRO: The FBI's Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO) targeted Black civil rights leaders and organizations, including Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Panther Party, through surveillance, infiltration, and covert operations aimed at disrupting their activities and undermining their influence.
  • Our Solution: The FBI has largely been used AGAINST Americans, in large part thanks to the passing of the Patriot Act. Libertarians would eliminate the organization, repeal the Patriot Act, and provide strong protections for whistleblowers who expose the illegal and corrupt practices such as those listed above.

• 6. Tulsa Race Massacre (1921): The bombing of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921 stands as one of the most horrific acts of racial violence in U.S. history. The federal government's failure to intervene and hold perpetrators accountable underscores its complicity in perpetuating racial violence and systemic oppression.
  • Our Solution: Without strong laws in place to protect people’s right to bear arms and defend their homes from those who would seek to do them harm, we will forever be subject to the whims of whomever runs our police and government. WE are our best defense against these kinds of violent actions, and Libertarians would enshrine the right to self defense and protection of one's property more strongly across the nation.

By coming together under the banner of freedom, government accountability, and strong communities, we can ensure that atrocities like these never happen to any of us ever again.