“I want you to give $10 to one African-American person from this autonomous zone,” a speaker was filmed telling the crowd inside CHAZ, a police-free area in downtown Seattle created a week ago by those protesting over the death of African American man, George Floyd, during his arrest.

The orator argued that payment is a challenge for the white people to prove their willingness to support the movement.   “If you have a hard time giving up $10 dollars, you got to think about are you really down with this struggle? Are you really down with the movement? Because if this is a challenge for you, I’m not sure you’re in the right place,” he said.

 “White people, I see every single one of you and I remember your faces,” the speaker added in a manner that made it hard to distinguish if it was a joke or a threat. The idea was met with rather weak applause, mainly coming from the black protesters, while their while the counterparts seemed rather confused.

The idea suggested in CHAZ is not a complete novelty. Reparations for the slavery have been discussed in the media and academic circles and called on by activists for decades, yet no one figured out a way to implement the idea that would be acceptable for many. A 2016 Marist poll found out that 58 percent of African Americans and 15 percent of whites believed reparations should be paid. Е issue returned to the headlines with the protests over Floyd’s killing. Robert L. Johnson, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television put the amount due at $14 trillion.

There have also been reports about white people giving cash to African –Americans out of blue on social media and in the news.