Asheville’s Reparations Effort Exposed as Political Stunt After Failing to Engage Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust

The Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust (FRFT) has confirmed that the City of Asheville and Buncombe County failed to respond to multiple formal communications—including a final extension through October 6, 2025—regarding the urgent need to adopt a Verified Freedmen framework to protect reparations funding from federal challenge.

Despite national attention and a direct warning from the U.S. Department of Justice about potential violations of civil rights law, Asheville’s leadership chose silence. The Trust now considers the city’s reparations plan to be a political stunt, not a legitimate act of repair.

“You cannot claim to stand for reparations while ignoring the very structure that makes it lawful,” said Arthur Watkins, Jr., Primary Trustee of the Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust. “Asheville’s failure to respond shows this was never about justice for Freedmen—it was about politics, optics, and votes.”

The Trust notes that it had representation at the September 9th City Council meeting, where Thessa Pickett delivered a public address urging the city to work with FRFT to implement constitutional verification safeguards. Her remarks echoed the DOJ’s concerns—calling for precision, accountability, and lawful reparative design.

FRFT’s Verified Freedmen framework provides the only proven system for confirming eligibility and preventing dilution, ensuring funds reach the rightful class of people—the descendants of those enslaved in the United States.

A short video explaining the verification system is available here:

▶️ https://youtu.be/n3UNK_xID7A?feature=shared

The Trust, which holds formal FOIA acknowledgment from the U.S. Treasury (Case No. 2025-FO-00112) for its authority in reparations and verification, will now escalate outreach nationally to demonstrate how lawful frameworks must replace symbolic or politically motivated efforts.

“Our message is simple,” Watkins said. “If reparations aren’t built on verification, they’re not reparations—they’re rhetoric.”

This statement and accompanying video are being distributed publicly via TikTok, YouTube, and FreedmenNation.org, with further outreach to local and national press outlets.