The Chicago suburb Evanston is about to do something no other city has done in the country: pay reparations to some of its Black residents. EVANSTON, Ill. -- Evanston is a Chicago suburb of 75,000 people, and it's about to do something no other city has done in the country: pay reparations to some of its Black residents. "Our goal here in Evanston is to repair the egregious acts against the Black community, specifically by the Evanston municipal government," said Robin Rue Simmons, a former Evanston alderman who led the push for reparations while in office.