A dozen Black residents of Louisiana are receiving a guaranteed monthly sum of $1,000, funded by a $1 million donation from Deacon Leroy “Buck” Close and Gracie Close of South Carolina. The Closes are descendants of a family that built much of its generational wealth on the labor of enslaved people.
This unique program, launched in December last year, aims to address the ongoing impacts of America’s racist history and current inequalities in the criminal justice system. While other similar initiatives exist, this one stands out for blending the concepts of universal basic income with reparations.
Known as the Louisiana ACLU’s Truth and Reconciliation Project Guaranteed Monthly Income, the program includes participants like 40-year-old Janell Landry, who lives near New Orleans. In 2021, Landry was imprisoned on dubious obstruction of justice charges after protesting a warrantless search of her home by the Kenner Police Department, who were investigating a nearby shooting.
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Landry recounted the incident, which began on September 11, 2020, when a shooting victim collapsed outside her home. After police arrived and discovered that a bullet had struck her car and entered her house, they began questioning her. When she went to retrieve paperwork for legally owned firearms, officers barged into her bedroom and searched her belongings without a warrant.
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Landry, aware of the mistreatment of people in her predominantly Black neighborhood, often recorded interactions with police. She recalled how her experience echoed Louisiana’s troubling history of police misconduct, including the high-profile fatal shooting of Alton Sterling in 2016, which sparked national protests.
“I never felt like I could trust them, just knowing the things they’re doing, the things you see on the regular,” Landry told The Independent. “I’ll just start recording. They’re cursing people out. They’re threatening people. It’s horrible.”
When Landry insisted officers obtain a warrant before searching her home, they became angry. After eventually leaving to secure a warrant, she was forced to stand outside in her pajamas for hours. She also recalled a detective making racist comments during the search, asking, “What is wrong with you people?” and “How are you people living?”
The police repeatedly called Landry into the station after the incident, and she later discovered they had no warrant for her arrest. In January 2021, she was imprisoned for four days while pregnant, charged with obstruction of justice. During her time in custody, Landry said she was denied medication for heart and thyroid conditions. Tragically, she later suffered a miscarriage due to the stress of her ordeal.
Following her release, the charges made it difficult for Landry to find work and secure a liquor license for the events business she was starting. She eventually paid to have the charges expunged but still struggles to understand why she was charged. “What was obstructed?” she asked. “I never found out.”
In the wake of her experiences, the $1,000 monthly support from the ACLU program has been a lifeline for Landry, enabling her to successfully run her events business. Beyond the financial help, she emphasized the validation of her experiences. “They gave you that voice,” she said. “Your voice is heard. That’s what is major for me.”
Louisiana, one of the poorest states in the U.S., has the highest incarceration rate in the country and low success rates for civilian complaints against the police. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, Black people in Louisiana were incarcerated in 2021 at twice the rate of their population share, while white people were underrepresented by nearly the same proportion.
Survey data from the ACLU shows that participants in the income program have seen significant improvements, including double-digit percentage increases in their ability to cover unexpected expenses, eat sufficient food, and buy healthy groceries.
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Slavery and racism have left a deep mark on the criminal justice system, especially in the South. The historical connections between slave patrols and modern police departments, as well as the overlap between lynch mobs and legal executions, continue to resonate painfully for many.
“We really want people to understand this as something that is owed. It’s not a handout,” Maggy Baccinelli, senior director for philanthropy and community investment at the Louisiana ACLU, told The Independent. “It’s what is owed to Black people for the history of this country and the vestiges of slavery.”
Buck and Gracie Close were motivated to fund the program after learning about their family’s wealth, which had roots in slavery. One of their ancestors, John Springs III, profited from land worked by enslaved people, and this wealth has supported the family ever since. As the Closes became more aware of this legacy, they sought to use some of their resources to support those impacted by the legacy of slavery.
In addition to the $1,000 monthly payments, the Closes’ donation funds counseling services, financial literacy courses, career support, and expungement assistance. In a Newsweek op-ed, the family wrote, “For us, the benefits of slavery have not ended. They are a very real part of our day-to-day lives. The institution of slavery allows us to have high incomes without having to work.”
While the ACLU’s guaranteed income program is scheduled to run through December, participant Sandra Carr believes there is still much work to be done. After fighting a false accusation and enduring a long legal battle, Carr thinks of others who are still imprisoned due to racist policing or unjust courts. “This whole judicial system needs an overhaul,” she said. “What happens to me still impacts me, but at the same time, I’m thinking about the people that are in the system.”
