In the Spirit of FREE Gabriel & Nan, Nat Turner, Solomon Northup, #VirginiaDefender Madison Washington, The Virginia John Brown, Mary Bowser, Elizabeth Van Lew, John Mitchell Jr., Barbara Johns, Oliver Hill & all who struggle for Justice. A statewide quarterly newspaperEFENDER published by the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality DPublishing since 2005 - Now serving 14 Virginia cities and counties Vol. 16, No. 1, Issue 61 15,000 copies Online at www.DefendersFJE.blogspot.com Winter 2020 Cathy’s Camp exposes Richmond’s housing crisis By Phil Wilayto It started with a few tents, a place for people without homes to get in out of Richmond’s winter weather. At least it was dry, and with some blan- kets and enough clothing, it was bearable. And as the number of tents and homeless people grew, it was safer than trying to find a place to sleep alone outside. At its height, what is called Cathy’s Camp had about 125 tents housing around 130 people. It’s named after Cathy Davis, a volunteer with the Photo by Phil Wilayto nonprofit group Blessing Warriors RVA, which has More than 100 homeless people have found refuge from the elements at Cathy’s Camp, a tent city set up be- been supplying tents, food and other support. hind Richmond’s cold weather shelter, which is only open when the temperature dips below 40 degrees. Ms. Davis played a central role in organizing the camp. Some years ago she had had a stroke, and Way in Shockoe Valley, right across the street from The property the tents are pitched on, an open on Dec. 28 she died of congestive heart failure. Her the city jail. grassy area, belongs to Virginia Commonwealth spirit lives on in the camp. According to rules laid down by Richmond City University, a state institution, which has been let- The ironic thing is that what has grown into a Council, the city shelter can only be opened when ting the people stay there. But in early January, sizable tent city is set up right behind the city’s the weather drops below 40 degrees. It doesn’t mat- Rhonda Sneed, director of Blessing Warriors, re- cold weather shelter, the building once known as ter if it’s raining or if the area, which is in a flood ceived a letter from a city official telling her she the Conrad Center and now called the Annie Giles zone, is flooding. If it’s 40 degrees or warmer, the needed to shut down the camp. Community Resource Center. It’s on Oliver Hill shelter stays closed. See CATHY’S on page 4 Page 2 The Virginia Defender Winter 2020 regional & national news Kaine & Warner sign onto bill Report: High number of youth that could gut Medicare, open to voting socialist Medicaid, food stamps & more According to the fourth annual report “U.S. The data show that 64 percent of Gen Z Attitudes Toward Socialism, Communism, and (the generation born between the mid-1990s Virginia senators Tim Kaine and Mark most profitable corporations in America,” said Collectivism” released last October by the and early to mid-2010s) and 70 percent of Warner, both Democrats, have joined forces Sanders. fiercely anti-socialist organization Victims of millennials (those born from 1981 to 1996) say with Republicans to advance sweeping budget Title IV of S.2765 “would create an Communism Memorial Foundation, young they’re likely to vote for a socialist. legislation that could trigger trillions of dollars automatic process to slash potentially trillions people are increasingly open to socialism, and And, in findings that must have in cuts to Medicare, Medicaid food stamps and of dollars from programs like Medicare, even communism. establishment figures quaking in their wingtips, other social programs - and potentially hobble Medicaid, food stamps, and Obamacare 15 percent of millennials think the world would The vote to advance S.2765 out of the agenda of the next president. subsidies,” according to David Dayen of The be better off if the Soviet Union still existed; 20 the Senate Budget Committee came after The Bipartisan Congressional Budget American Prospect, a liberal quarterly magazine percent think the Communist Manifesto “better House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Reform Act (S.2765), authored by Sens. Sheldon and online daily based in Washington, D.C. guarantees freedom and equality” than the Democrats must commit to so-called “pay-go” Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), According to the bill, a budget resolution Declaration of Independence; 22 percent think rules, which require all new spending to be passed out of the Senate Budget Committee on would pass in the first year of a new Congress. “society would be better if all private property offset with budget cuts or tax increases. Nov. 6. The legislation is co-sponsored by five The next year, on Feb. 15, the Congressional was abolished;” 35 percent view Marxism Progressives have warned that adherence members of the Senate Democratic caucus: Budget Office would compare the debt/GDP favorably; and 36 percent more millennials to conservative pay-go rules would completely Whitehouse, Kaine, Warner, Chris Coons (Del.) ratio projected in the budget resolution to a viewed communism favorably in 2019 as undermine any possibility of Medicare for All, and Angus King (I-Maine). new projection that incorporates the evidence opposed to a year before. a Green New Deal and other ambitious goals. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking of the past year. If the new projection exceeds Meanwhile, according to the report, about “Any left-wing president will have to member of the Senate Budget Committee and a the budget resolution’s, that would trigger a a quarter of U.S. Americans of all ages view deal with the Pelosi problem: the existence of 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, issued special, automatic “reconciliation” process to Donald Trump as a bigger threat to world peace powerful Democrats who are too wedded to a statement opposing the legislation. effectively wipe out that gap. than the leaders of Russia, China, North Korea big money to accept an ambitious program,” “This new proposed process comes less For the most part, cuts would have to or Venezuela. The Nation’s Jeet Heer wrote. than two years after Republicans on this come out of mandatory programs, like health The survey was conducted by YouGov, a Committee showed no hesitation in adding $2 spending and nutrition assistance for the poor. Editor’s note: Information in this story comes British international Internet-based market trillion to the deficit in order to pass the Trump (Social Security is protected from reconciliation from an article published by Common Dreams, as research and data analytics firm, which tax cuts for the wealthiest families and the and could not be cut.) well as our own independent research. surveyed 2,100 U.S. Americans. THE DEFENDERS: WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE BELIEVE We believe that every human being has the a right to collective reparations. And as people The Defenders for Freedom, Justice & right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Equality is an all-volunteer organization of WHAT WE BELIEVE who struggle every day with ongoing inequality, And we believe that these rights are meaningless Virginia residents working for the survival of we have the right to affirmative action. We believe in Freedom unless we also have the right to a job at a living our communities through education and social We believe that for any one of us to be free, wage, to decent housing, to adequate health justice actions. we must all be free. We believe that for any one We believe that all people must be free to care, to a meaningful education. We believe that We started out in June 2002. Many of us of us to have justice, we must all have justice. develop to their full potential as human beings. all people have the right to stand equally before had relatives in the Richmond City Jail or state We believe that equality for anyone is impossible We must be free from hunger, from preventable the law, to equal and fair treatment by the police, prisons and were concerned about the physical without equality for everyone diseases, from homelessness, from ignorance. by the court system and in jails and prisons. And conditions of the institutions. As members of the Defenders, we pledge We must be free to work and to provide for we believe that the death penalty is the ultimate As we worked around these issues, we ourselves and our families. We must be free to exercise in injustice. ourselves to defend our community, its men, its learned more and more about the connections pursue our education and to develop ourselves women and especially its children, from all forms between jails, jobs, poverty, racism, sexism, culturally and spiritually. We must be free from We believe in Equality of oppression. class, war and political representation. We fear of the arbitrary use of police power and We pledge to fight for a world where all began to organize around these issues as well. from the physical and cultural attacks of white- We live in the richest country in the world. people can live in dignity, freedom and peace. We have a statewide quarterly newspaper, supremacist organizations. Women must be free But it’s a country that owes its tremendous The Virginia Defender, that has been publishing from physical, cultural and emotional oppression. wealth to the barbaric oppression of Black since 2005. We are affiliated with the Richmond Children must be free from dangers like lead labor on a historic scale, the theft of American Coalition for Peace, Justice, and Jobs; Virginia poisoning, asthma and sexual exploitation. Our Indian and Mexican lands, the cruel exploitation THE VIRGINIA DEFENDERS Coalition for Human Rights; Virginia Prison youths must be free both from police harassment of Asian labor and the labor of waves of poor Justice Network; and the Virginia People’s for Freedom, Justice & Equality and the mindless violence of the streets. We European immigrants. Assembly for Jobs, Peace & Justice. must all be free from unjust wars fought in the This country does not belong to the wealthy PO Box 23202, Richmond, VA 23223 If you agree with the principles below and interest of the wealthy few at the expense of the few who have claimed it for their own. As human Phone / Text: 804-644-5834 want to work to make these ideals a reality, we struggling many. invite you to join us. beings, we all have an equal right to its resources. Email: [email protected] Together, we can make a real difference in We believe in Justice As descendants of those whose blood, sweat and www.DefendersFJE.blogspot.com the life of our communities. tears paid cruelly for its development, we have www.sacredgroundproject.net Winter 2020 The Virginia Defender Page 3 community news Creighton Court Update

By Phil Wilayto would be no more evictions until after Jan. 1. At the same time that more than 100 That deadline was then extended to the end homeless people are taking shelter in tents of January, and then again until after May 1. outside to the city’s cold weather shelter, Central Virginia Legal Aid, the Legal less than two miles away the Richmond Aid Justice Center and the Virginia Poverty Redevelopment and Housing Authority is Law Center have been working together taking steps to demolish more than 500 on a special project to address evictions public housing apartments in the area. One result, Al-Qadaffi told the On Jan. 15, the RRHA Board of Defender, is an agreement with RRHA to Commissioners, without any discussion work with tenants who are behind in their or public input, unanimously endorsed rent. Under the agreement, tenants, based demolishing the Creighton Court public on their income, would continue to pay their housing complex in Richmond’s East monthly rent, plus up to 10 percent of their End. The board approved CEO Damon E. monthly income to pay off what they owe. Photo by Lyra Bartell Duncan’s request to raze 192 of the 504 “That would bring them into good Despite fierce support from Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, Dominion Energy and its units. standing in terms of applying for vouchers,” corporate partners failed to win City Council support for their $1.5 billion development Al-Qadaffi said. If tenants have any questions, According to the board’s resolution, plan for downtown Richmond. The public evidently favors schools over corporate Duncan can now ask for HUD approval to he said, they should contact Legal Aid, “... to profits. Above, opponents make their presence felt at the Feb. 10 council meeting. demolish the remaining 312 units, without see if they need to start the grievance process needing another board vote. with the housing authority.” At the date of the advisory, the distribution “We’re talking about 500 units of Meanwhile, there are plans for Richmond Gas Works charge of $0.590 per 100 cubic feet and affordable housing being demolished,” said workshops at all of the six major RRHA customers get monthly customer charge of $13.87 were Omari Al-Qadaffi, a housing organizer with housing communities to teach tenants about unchanged. the Legal Aid Justice Center. their legal rights. break on bills “The City offers free information and programs year-round to help customers manage New construction is expected to start “We’ll be doing some ‘Know Your City of Richmond’s natural gas utility their utility bills and seek assistance before bills on the site in 2021 or 2022, but there are no Rights’ forums at each of the sites,” said customers should see savings on monthly bill become unmanageable,” the release stated. guarantees that any of the current residents Daryl Hayott, an attorney with the Virginia Beginning with their January utility bills, “Utility customers are encouraged to enroll will be allowed or could afford to move to Poverty Law Center. “We’ll be doing an Richmond Gas Works customers should have in the Equal Monthly Payment Plan (EMPP), any new housing there. outline of the repayment plan and what legal seen a savings on their monthly natural gas bill. a program designed to spread payments out According to a Jan. 6 City of Richmond Shorty after Duncan took over the remedies tenants have.” evenly each month or to apply for the MetroCare media advisory, the cost for purchased natural housing authority last April, he halted leasing The forums will be held every week Heat Program, a heating bill payment assistance gas was to decrease from its previous $0.50 per at Creighton. And by October, 52 families beginning in March, Hayott said. program for those who qualify.” 100 cubic feet to $0.425 per 100 cubic feet, there were facing eviction, some for being as “As far as the evictions go, [RRHA] Information about EMPP and other an estimated savings of $5.25 monthly for the little as $50 behind in their rent. About one seems to be coming to the table to try and programs is available by emailing dpucustserv@ average natural gas customer. make things right,” Hayott told the Defender. RichmondGov.com, calling (804) 646-4646 or in four of the apartments are now vacant. “By law, we pass along the cost of natural visiting: In response to pressure from legal aid “But this is just a beginning. There’s a lot of gas purchased and delivered to customers, organizations, concerned ministers and work to do, and I’m optimistic we can get dollar for dollar, without any markup,” DPU http://www.richmondgov. others in the city, RRHA announced there something.” Director Calvin D. Farr, Jr. said. com/PublicUtilities/

House of It pays to advertise in Wesley Memorial Consciousness The Virginia Defender! Lectures All Natural Products Drinks United Methodist Church Shows Soaps & Lotions Meditation Rocks 15,000 copies Classes Herbs & Erbs Healing Baths distributed through more than 300 distribution R. M. HUNTER Events Bean Pies & more sites in 16 Virginia cities & counties, plus street Pastor Cyphers Incents distributiions & the most reasonable rates in the Shirts & Hats Oils Elders Council 1720 Mechanicsville Pike Richmond media market! Richmond, VA 23223 Check out the New HOC: 804.644.5834 Church (804) 644-5830 11 am Sunday Worship 633 West 35th St. Norfolk, VA 23508 Bro. Olmec El DefendersFJE.blogspot.com Residence (804) 329-1375 7 pm Wednesday Bible Study facebook.com/consciouscommuntiy (757) 314-1943 Page 4 The Virginia Defender Winter 2020 is there a master plan to remove the poor from richmond?

CATHY’S Continued from page 1 An interview with An interview with Sneed refused. DAVID HENDERSON REGGIE GORDON “Where are the people supposed to go?” David Henderson was staying at Camp Reggie Gordon is Deputy Chief of the she asked. Cathy before there was a Camp Cathy. Administrative Office for Human Services, The city’s news media began covering the “I was parked here before the camp started. which oversees Social Services for the City of situation, and public outrage grew. The camp I was sleeping in my car,” he told the Defender Richmond. is in the city’s 6th District, and on Feb. 5 the on a chilly day in late February. He was He’s also the guy who sent Rhonda Sneed council’s representative, Ellen Robertson, standing in the parking lot of the Annie Giles the letter telling her she had to shut down called a public meeting at the Giles Center. Community Resource Center, formerly known Cathy’s Camp. She said she wanted to present the city’s plan as the Conrad Center, at 1400 Oliver Hill Way. This is an inerview he gave to the Defender to deal with homelessness to people directly “I noticed the guy come by and he brought on Feb. 27. affected by the problem. some tents,” Mr. Henderson said. “So I went More than 200 people showed up, most and helped him put em up, me and another GORDON: Beginning in December, we of them not homeless themselves. They were guy named Al. We started with maybe five, 10 began receiving information from security that members of the public outraged by the news tents. Now we’re up to maybe 100.” a camp was set up, which was interesting, but that the city wanted the camp closed. They Mr. Henderson, 67, a retired HVAC worker, it was on VCU land. When the camp went up, wanted assurances that the camp would be left is one of the people responsible for the day-to- people who were sleeping in front of the shelter alone until its residents could find permanent disappeared. day running of the camp. He’s not originally housing. The mood was serious, and insistent. Then information came from our team and from Richmond, but says he has lived here Over the past year homelessness in Catholic Charities [Editor: which runs the cold about 15 years. Formerly homeless himself, he Richmond has risen 10 percent. It’s been weather shelter for the city] that a man came had found a place to stay a few weeks before, out and exposed himself and the police arrested widely reported that the city has the second but still comes back to the camp every day to him. We heard there was some prostitution and highest eviction rate in the entire country. help out. some drug use. Then on Dec. 29, the team said Meanwhile, Richmond Redevelopment & “So I don’t understand why, y’know, there’s a man had overdosed at the camp and had Housing Authority is planning to demolish all a problem with it, because a lot of people need died. So the letter was to Rhonda, please take 4,000 public housing apartments and replace down the tent city, we’re here to help, we have a this. And the city is constantly trying to come them with ”mixed-income” housing, with no whole system ready to help. with ideas how to remove it. And I cannot agree. Photos by Phil Wilayto guarantee that the present residents will be able When I called Rhonda, she said I was lying. Because I know the whole story, the peoples’ A resident of Cathy’s Camp holds a sign to move into the new units. I called the chief of police, asked for the date story, I know everything they’re talking about, at City Councilwoman Ellen Robertson’s At the end of the one-hour meeting, and name of the person who died. He did, the and these are not bad people. But they are in Feb. 5 meeting on homelessness in time was 10:45 am, he died on the 29th. Councilwoman Robertson was escorted out by trouble and they need help. Richmond. So we said it’s going to be more complicated, security. “The money is here,” he said. “I can feel with all the people gravitating toward the camp, For now, the city says it has no plans to amount of them are still here since they first that the money is here. So why is it that you’re homeless, it would create a dangerous situation. shut down the camp and is trying to work with came up, so it’s necessary for all of the people And people in the shelter were complaining going to disrupt these people, don’t give them the residents to help find them housing and here, you see what I’m saying? about activities in the parking lot. an answer, and yet you feel like you’re doing other services. “And we keep the tent area nice, we keep the right thing? I don’t understand it. You see DEFENDER: Where did you expect people As of Feb. 27, Rhonda said the camp was it clean. We even clean up the parking lot and what I’m saying? So you disrupt all these to go? down to 81 tents. stuff so it doesn’t be an eyesore, it’s just tents. people, what are they supposed to do? Go back “Some people have been housed, some And whoever doesn’t understand that needs on the streets, lay up on the streets all over GORDON: That’s a really good question. In have gone into shelters, some have just moved to come out and spend a couple days with us, Richmond? That’s better?” the letter I sent to Rhonda, I said my mother on,” she said. “More people are asking for y’know, maybe go in a tent and stay a coupl’a was talking to a woman who goes to a church Mr. Henderson said there are other tents, but we tell them to look for the services. days and understand why it’s better than layin’ nearby who was taking care of her grandson. encampments around the city, “but this one I’m giving the City an opportunity.” on the street or going in a building that’s going The grandson said he was going to leave and right here is full of people. It’s stationery. Why She said the city has set up a process to to put you out the next morning. go live in the tent city. She later found out the uproot ‘em? At all? grandmother went down to the camp, she had a provide help and would have people at the Giles “And it’s safe,” he said. “We don’t have “I don’t know what the solution would be picture of her son, and the people said he was Center for the following four Wednesdays, any problems here. There’s no problems. We by moving the tents. The solution would be for there but had left. from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. don’t have any crimes going on. The police are the city to direct more money toward getting I don’t know if the person who had died had “I will be there also, to try and encourage not really coming by for any particular reason, these people homes or places to live so that left their home to go to the tent city. I don’t know the people to get the help, especially the y’know what I’m sayin, we’re not really how many people may have done this. they don’t have to be in the tents, and if they mental health that is needed,” Ms. Sneed said. causing attention to ourselves in that way. So can’t do that they should come with an idea that “They trust me, I can kind of talk with most I don’t understand the problem why it’s such works. They got buildings all over Richmond. want look at the tents and say it’s an eyesore, of them.” a pain in the city’s butt other than you can see They could open buildings. They could make well, there’s people in those tents. We have to So, for now, Cathy’s Camp remains the tents which, hey, tent cities are all over the it more possible for people to have a more understand that each tent represents a person. a community, and a visible reminder that United States, so it’s nothing new? It’s visible. convenient way to get back on their feet.’ You think a person is an eyesore? Because Richmond has a severe housing crisis. And visibility means there’s a lot of people that The first tents went up last August, he that’s what you’re saying. What will happen after the camp is gone need help. said. “Because they need this. They don’t have remains an open question. “And that’s the visible part I see. If you “And the people are still here. A large anywhere they can go.” Winter 2020 The Virginia Defender Page 5 a master plan to remove the poor? in chairs. Behind the ‘Master Plan’ DEFENDER: What about the day, it was a H. Lewis Salomonsky is a dependable donor to the political campaigns Thursday, Jan. 30, I think, when the temperature of many local politicians, including Mayor Levar Stoney. He’s also Shockoe was over 40 degrees, but it was raining, with Bottom’s biggest real estate owner. With his partner David White, he was winds at 56 miles an hour, the camp was behind the plan to build a baseball stadium there, in the heart of the former flooded, tents had been blown down and the slave-trading district. shelter wasn’t opened until 8:45 p.m.? The project actually had nothing to do with baseball. The Bottom is in a flood GORDON: The weather parameters for plain, and Salomonsky wanted the stadium because it would come with a shelter are set by council. There are other concourse, or road, over which emergency vehicles could access the area conditions, they’re not pleasant, but the way it’s in case of a flood. That was a legal requirement for the 500 high-rent apart- been designed is so no one freezes to death. ments he and White wanted to build around the stadium. On that day, since the governor declared a state of emergency, we were able to say it was a Salomonsky is also the guy who in 2003 was convicted of bribing then-City dangerous weather crisis, so we were able to Council member Gwen Hedgepeth on a development-related issue. When he open the shelter. got out of prison, his civil rights were quickly restored by then-Gov. Bob Mc- This has been going for on a long time. Donnell, allowing him to go back to “developing.” He later again became the The city council, it has to do with the budget, subject of controversy when his questionable attempt to qualify for millions here’s how much money there is to deal with the hypothermia shelter. And the city shelter isn’t of dollars in historic tax abatements for one of his Shockoe Bottom projects the only option. There are also shelters run by caused City Council to change the rules for that program. Caritas, the Salvation Army, the Healing Place, Salomonsky has a real passion for building high-rent apartments, and not Home Again. much interest in low-income folks. As for the letter he sent to Ms.Sneed, In fact, he’d really like it if they would leave the city altogether. Mr.Gordon said he felt there was a real danger On May 10, 2013, WRIR’s “Open Source” host Chris Dovi asked the devel- at the camp, that he had been made aware of oper about his views on Richmond’s problems. This is how he answered: two instances that required first responders; that he had asked Ms. Sneed “to cease your “Right now we have a ghetto of people making between program right away,” that the city ahd received 30,000 and 50,000 a year and we have a dearth of people mak- This is one of several “No Trespassing” information about “drug abuse, indecent ing from 50,000 to 100,000 a year. And we need that higher signs the City of Richmond has erected exposure and prostitution” and that “we must level of education and employment to balance the city.” at Cathy’s Camp. The property is actu- work to resolve this chaotic situation.” And how would Richmond get that “balance”? ally owned by Virginia Commonwealth Mr. Gordon said the letter did not give a University, a state institution. date by which the camp had to be shut down, He said it would come with a future “metamorphosis of minorities and said the city had no plans to remove the moving to the counties for better schools, the empty nesters, And a woman there now who is blind, tents by force. both older and younger moving into the city, with no children and her payee [Editor: A person who handles and the decline in the school system, you will eventually see someone else’s finances for them, like receiving GORDON: The letter said, OK, Rhonda, you the city’s tax rate below that of the counties. And on that day a Social Security check] dropped her off at the have to shut down. But no date was ever set.” tent city. That’s criminal to me that people who the city will be, let’s say 25 to 40 years from now, infinitely are getting $1,500 or more are dropping people He said the letter was dated Dec. 30. wealthier than the counties, but we – it’s still a foot race to off. We tried to coax the blind woman to come to That was two days after Blessimg Warriors get there.” the shelter, but she said no. volunteer Cathy Davis, a key organizer of the Get it? Richmond has too many people making less than $50,000 a year. camp, had died of congestive heart failure. DEFENDER: So what’s your solution to the The children of these “minorities” fill the public schools, which keeps property situation? GORDON: What Rhonda has done, to her taxes high. Get rid of the “minorities” and you can shrink the school system GORDON: My suggestion is to go tent by credit, she’s been able to collect them, and and attract a lot more childless homeowners and high-end renters. tent, talk to the people there, ask them do they are visible. … The compassionate thing Now, Salomonsky didn’t say anything about actually forcing poor people they have housing, an income, find out who is to learn what the story is of everyone there, to leave Richmond, he just thinks it would be a great idea. But forcing poor had no resources, people who have jobs, but if they have a family member they can go to, people out is exactly what is happening. don’t want to stay in a shelter. Since the camp who are the people who need medical care? This is why we think the mayor doesn’t want to improve the schools. Why opened, we have offered them 10 shelter beds. What about the people who have SSI? Are they RRHA wants tear down 4,000 units of public housing. Why GTRC cut back Some people, not all, say they choose to stay receiving money for housing? Do they just bus routes in poor neighborhoods. Why the RPD can’t seem to solve the in the tents. have the wrong payee, someone who is just problem of violent street crime. Sooner or later, poor folks just can’t take it The shelter is a hypothermia overflow taking their money? shelter. It opens when the temperature is below You may have 85 individuals, with 85 anymore and leave for the counties. 40 degrees. In a lot of cities it’s 32, in Richmond different situations. Giving food is OK, but this And as long as the misery is invisible, most people don’t have to think about it. requires an in-depth, one-on-one approach. And it’s 40. When the hypothermia shelter was in Which is why Cathy’s Camp is so important and why the City wants to shut it I don’t think Richmond has the determination the city’s old Public Safety building on North down: It has made the misery visible. 9th Street, people would spend the night sitting to go all the way in. Page 6 The Virginia Defender Winter 2020 our working lives Virginia is the Wild, Wild West for predatory lending An Opinion Piece by the Rev. Rodney Hunter

Predatory lending is personal to me. I’ve credit for smaller loans and unlimited interest pastored in the Richmond area for more than on loans above $2,500. And it doesn’t have to 30 years. Many members of my congregations be this way. Lenders charge Virginia residents and surrounding communities have found three times more than the same companies themselves locked into predatory loans that charge people in other states. If lenders are they struggle to repay. They become trapped in regulated, then borrowers could get a loan with a debt cycle that harms them for years. reasonable interest rates and the lender could Although each story is different, the still make a profit. outcome is similar. Usually, a worker earning In the 2020 General Assembly, we must poverty wages has an unexpected expense find ways to curtail this unscrupulous lending – a tire needs replacing, a child goes to the sector. With more than two dozen predatory In Md., D.C., Giant agreement near, but emergency room, the person needs to make an lenders in the Richmond area, legislators who unexpected trip to see family, or some other turn a blind eye to the problem are harming my relatively normal life situation occurs. The congregants and countless others. Safeway workers announce person is living close to the edge financially Thankfully, Sen. Mamie Locke (D-2nd) and they don’t have that extra $300, $500 introduced a comprehensive predatory lending March 5 strike vote or $1,000 in savings, and their credit card is reform bill designed to cap interest rates, place already maxed out. limits on the percentage of one’s paycheck that By Phil Wilayto People are embarrassed that they can’t can be used for repayment and allow borrowers to The union is charging that Safeway is make ends meet. They see the advertisements spread payments out over time. These reasonable In Virginia, the land of almost no refusing to fully fund the pension fund, about car title loans or payday loans and they reforms would put more than $100 million back unions, there’s one supermarket chain even though it says the company is legal- apply – fully expecting to pay the money back in the pockets of Virginia families every year. whose workers are covered by a collec- ly bound to do so under its contract. The quickly. Few of us read the complex and often Because most of Virginia’s payday lenders are tive bargaining contract. The chain is last negotiating session was on Feb. 25, confusing fine print in loan documents and so out-of state companies, the dollars they take Kroger, and the union is United Food & and the union says no progress was made. most folks don’t realize how exorbitant the from Virginians don’t help Virginia. If borrowers Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400. March 5 will also be the day for Safe- interest rates will be. And again, they fully could keep those dollars, they would be spent in The local covers workers in Virginia, way union members to meet and decide expect to pay their loan off quickly. Virginia and would stimulate our economy. Maryland and Washington, D.C. And in to accept or reject the company’s latest But life happens. There are more expenses I join many other faith leaders across Maryland and D.C., there’s been some offer, and whether to vote to strike. and it is hard to keep up with the payments, Virginia who are working with advocates hard contract bargaining. “Given Safeway’s refusal to uphold usually because people are already living close like the Virginia Poverty Law Center and the The union reports that it has reached a its commitments relating to our mem- to the edge. Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy tentative agreement with the Giant super- bers’ pension, we are continuing to pre- If people come to the church before they’ve to support legislation to regulate predatory market chain. A meeting is set for March pare for a strike,” the union stated in a taken out one of these predatory loans, we can lending in the General Assembly. 5 for union members to review the details Feb. 26 press release. “We are continu- usually find ways to assist them or refer them to I call upon the members of the General Assembly to support this important and vote on the proposed contract. ing to distribute letters to neighboring better lending options. But more often, people legislation. But it’s another story over at Safeway. businesses at shopping centers to ask only turn to the church for help once they have fallen victim to terribly abusive predatory loan As a pastor, I am praying that our That company has made an offer, but the for their support and to inform them that companies and they see no other alternatives. Commonwealth will do more to alleviate this union is recommending its members re- picket lines will appear in front of Safe- They are mired in debt and locked in an abusive unending cycle of debt that robs people of ject it and authorize a strike. way stores.” lending system. financial stability. Virginia needs to help my As with most labor contracts, the The union has also held training ses- The typical title loan borrower takes out congregants and all Virginians address the issues include wages, health care and sions for members on how to organize a loan of $1,116, but has to repay more than predatory lending crisis. Now is the time. scheduling, but this time the main stick- the picket lines. $2,700. Sometimes people lose their cars, because ing point is pensions. Virginia has one of the highest vehicle title loan The Rev. Rodney Hunter is repossession rates in the nation. A typical line of pastor, Wesley Memorial United Methodist In the event of a strike at SAFEWAY supermarkets in credit loan of $500, paid back over 12 months, Church, Mechanicsville, and former co- D.C. and Maryland, THE VIRGINIA DEFENDER urges will ultimately cost close to $2,000. director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for all our readers to respect the union picket lines and Virginia is the Wild, Wild West for Public Policy predatory lending. We allow lending companies CONTACT: [email protected] 804- shop elsewhere. “An Injury to One is an Injury to All!” to charge 299 percent, plus fees, on lines of 502-2335. Winter 2020 The Virginia Defender Page 7 no hay fronteras en la lucha de los obreros Trump’s DHS to send ‘SWAT’ teams to sanctuary cities Defying the vicious, anti-immigrant “The issue that we have with sanctuary individual or a set of individuals. Service detention facilities. offensive of the Trump administration, cities,” Wolf said, “ is instead of having one “So, we need more than one or two The teams are also meant to have a a total of 182 U.S. cities, counties and officer going in a jail setting and picking up officers to do that,” he continued. “So, as “global response capability,” including states have declared themselves “sanctuary an illegal alien (sic) who has a final order sanctuary cities continue to pop up, we taking part in “Operation Iraqi Freedom” cities,” refusing to cooperate with federal - the 2003 U.S.invasion of Iraq - and immigration agents. “Operation Enduring Freedom,” the official In response, the Department of U.S. government name for the endless war Homeland Security is now planning to on terrorism. send Border Patrol “SWAT” teams to these Among the “intense training” BORTAC jurisdictions to track down undocumented teams receive are “operational planning, immigrants that benefit from policies advanced weapon skills, defensive tactics forbidding local law enforcement from and airmobile operations.” assisting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Great preparation for knocking on doors Enforcement agency, ICE. in immigrant neighborhoods. That assistance is usually in the form Asked whether the DHS had any safety of a “detainer,” which is a request by concerns about sending tactical teams out ICE for local law enforcement to hold an to do routine law enforcement, the DHS individual who has a deportation order and spokesperson said they had “no concerns.” is already in local custody until ICE can Cities where BORTAC agents are pick them up for deportation. Sanctuary expected to be deployed to include Atlanta, cities obstruct ICE’s efforts by forbidding Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los local police agencies from turning over Angeles, Newark, New Orleans, New undocumented immigrants in their custody York and San Francisco, according to to ICE. The New York Times, which cited two DHS acting Secretary Chad Wolf, unnamed officials who are familiar with the speaking on the online Full Court Press of removal, sanctuary cities don’t allow us continue to need more resources to go into operation. program, said Border Patrol Tactical Unit to do that. They release that alien (sic) into these communities.” Some of the cities are known as (BORTAC) teams would be deployed to the community and now we have to send a BORTAC teams were created in 1984 to sanctuary cities, while others are barred a number of sanctuary cities across the team of agents to go into the community, serve as response units following rebellions from enforcing sanctuary laws because of country. to knock on doors and try to locate an at legacy Immigration and Naturalization state legislation. COMMUNITY CALENDAR

other panelists. 8 am - 5 pm, Inn at Virginia Tech THE VIRGINIA DEFENDER RICHMOND – ONGOING RICHMOND – EVENTS & Skelton Conference Center. Free. Sponsored is published quarterly. Information for RICHMOND BRANCH NAACP MEETING by a wide range of organizations, including the Tues., March 3 - SUPER TUESDAY - Virginia – Membership meetings on the fourth Tuesday Coalition for Justice. Information: [email protected]. the Community Calendar must include and 13 other states and American Samoa hold of each month. 7 pm, Club 533, 700 N. 3rd St. the name of the event, the event spon- primaries to select a Democratic Party candidate Information: 804-505-0083. ROANOKE – EVENTS sor, contact information, time, date, for president. place and any admission charge. RICHMOND CRUSADE FOR VOTERS Sat., April 25 - 2020 TEEN PEACE JAM Sat., March 21 – A FAMILY AFFAIR: TRAC- – Membership meetings on the third Tuesday of each - 9 am - 4 pm, Unitarian Universalist Church. To place a display ad with more informa- ING FAMILY TIES THAT BIND - with Viola month. 7 pm. Information: [email protected] Hosted by the Plowshare Peace & Juatice Cen- tion, or for events with an admission Baskerville. 2 - 4:30 pm, Black History Musem ter. Information: (540) 492-3582. charge of more than $10, please contact RICHMOND FOOD NOT BOMBS – Serving & Cultural Center of Virginia, 122 W. Leigh St. our advertising department at 804-644-5834 free meals to anyone who wants one. Sundays at 4 Information: [email protected] or pm at Monroe Park. Volunteers always needed. For (804) 780-9093. NATIONAL – EVENTS or e-mail [email protected]. more information, see FNB’s Facebook page. Readers: Be sure to call ahead to make Mon.,July 13 - MASS MARCH ON THE WMMT’S CALLS FROM HOME – Every BLACKSBURG – EVENTS DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION sure the information listed is still cur- Monday, 7-9 pm, at WWMT Hot 88.7 FM. This IN MILWAUKEE rent. radio station records messages for prisoners in Fri., April 24 - SYMPOSIUM ON MASS INCARCERATION, COMMUNITIES & Appalachian Kentucky and Virginia state prisons Mon., Aug. 24 - Thurs., Aug. 27 - MASS PRO- Note: Listing of an event does not nec- FAMILIES - Keynote speaker, Kemba Smith, from 7-9 pm and then broadcasts the messages TESTS AROUND THE REPUBLICAN NA- essarily imply an endorsement by this founder of the Kemba Smith Foundation. Also from 9-10 pm. Call 888-396-1208 to leave a TIONAL CONVENTION IN CHARLOTTE newspaper. message. Information: wmmt.org/callsfromhome Kimberly Jenkins-Snodgrass of IAHR, among Page 8 The Virginia Defender Winter 2020 cops, courts & prisons cops, courts & prisons General Assembly tackles prison reform, but much left to do Staff Report Unfortunately, that’s not true. In a com- The 2020 Virginia General Assembly, plicated process, every bill must pass both in which the Democrats hold a majority of the House and Senate and then be signed seats in both the Senate and House of Del- by the governor. Even then, new bills won’t egates, has been promoting a number of take effect until July 1. bills that may bring a measure of justice to There is no bill in the GA promoting pa- some of the state’s 38,000 prisoners - and role for all prisoners. There are a few bills will likely disappoint many others. that would offer the possibility of parole Margaret Breslau, a co-founder of the for certain prisoners, but even those prison- Virginia Prison Justice Network, was quoted ers would still have to go before the Parole in The Washington Post as saying “she was Board and argue their case. And they can Photo by Phil Wilayto accustomed to seeing prison reform bills always be turned down. Lynetta Thompson, a leading member of the Richmond VAPJN chapter, addresses summarily dismissed during years of Re- However, there is some hope for the 3rd Annual Virginia Prison Justice Rally Jan. 20 at Capitol Square. publican control in the state legislature, so change. Several affiliates of the Virginia she had big expectations when Democrats Prison Justice Network (VAPJN) have been Prisoner-led network presses took over. Instead, she’s seen small steps, following bills that deal with geriatric and but not the kind of progress she hoped for, juvenile parole; solitary confinement; -ex she said. ‘You don’t just need reform here pungement of records; and the so-called fight for Prison Justice and there. You need to transform an entire Fishback cases, in which juries were not 200 supporters. There was great diversity in system,’ she said.” told that parole had been abolished and so By Lynetta Thompson the crowd, with ages ranging from young One big issue is parole, which In Vir- imposed long sentences under the mistaken The 3rd Annual Virginia Prison Justice teens to those well into their 70s or more, ginia was abolished back in 1995. We are impression that prisoners would not serve Rally, sponsored by the Virginia Prison with Muslims, Latinx, Blacks and whites hearing that many prisoners were under the the entire sentence. Justice Network, was held Jan. 11, 2020, on showing support. The majority were family mistaken impression that parole would be One of the best sources of information the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol. members of prisoners housed at the various brought back, for all prisoners, as soon as about the status of current bills in the GA is This year’s rally was preceded the day before correctional centers throughout Virginia. the GA opened on Jan. 8. the Virginia Prison Justice Newsletter web- by a press conference, held in the briefing Written statements from 12 different site: https://vapjn.wordpress.com/2018- room of the General Assembly building facilities were mailed to the Prison Justice Justice Network is an all-volunteer, prisoner- bills/ The network has information about and covered by TV stations CBS-6, ABC-8 Network. A total of 10 letters were read, led coalition working for justice in the bills dealing with the following areas: Fish- and NBC-12, as well as several newspaper each with a minute-and-a-half time frame, Virginia prison and criminal justice systems. back, parole, sentencing, solitary confine- outlets. followed by an open mic for persons The VAPJN has a website (https://vapjn. ment, grand larceny threshold, fines/costs, The purpose of the press conference was formerly incarcerated and family members wordpress.com) and a printed newsletter that prisoner health/well-being, juvenile justice, to draw attention to the rally and highlight who wanted to speak or read a letter from reaches virtually all Virginia prison facilities. prison labor and the death penalty the different bills our partnering organization their loved one. These speakers were also The network has sponsored local Speak-Outs Another excellent source is the Virginia are advocating for to bring about prison given a minute and-a-half to speak. for Prison Justice in Hampton, Richmond and Prison Justice Newsletter, published month- justice reform, and to draw attention to the Partnering advocacy organizations were Roanoke; supported prisoner-activists facing ly by the (Blacksburg) Coalition for Justice. many injustices that exist within our prison given one minute each to speak on the bills repression for their activism; and developed a The newsletter is free to prisoners. To get on laws and policies. they are presenting to the General Assembly coordinated plan to address legislation in the their mailing list, write: Coalition for Justice, Addressing the media were to harness support for committee hearings Virginia General Assembly. PO Box 299, Blacksburg, VA 24063. representatives from the ACLU of Virginia; on that proposed bill. In this way, a large We are always looking for volunteers Another great source is Lillie “Ms. K” Resource, Information, Help for the number of people were able to address the to host local Speak-Outs or to help Branch Kennedy at Resource, Information, Disadvantaged & Disenfranchised (RIHD); crowd, with the emphasis on statements by strengthen the network with your media or Help for the Disadvantaged & Disenfran- Rise for Youth; Bridging the Gap Virginia; prisoners, former prisoners and families of administrative skills. chised, or R.I.H.D. at https://rihd.org. Humanization Project; and the Coalition those incarcerated. For more information, contact the We have reason to believe that there to End Solitary Confinement. In addition, After the rally, about 30 people attended VAPJN: Phone/Text: 804-644-5834 - Email: will be some real improvement in Virgin- statements were read from Askari Danso a meeting at Second Baptist Church in the [email protected]. ia’s criminal justice and prison systems, but and Hassan Shabazz, longtime prisoners and nearby Randolph neighborhood to exchange there will also be many disappointments co-founders of the VAPJN and Prisoner of more information and discuss lobbying at Lynetta Thompson is an activist with Conscience. the General Assembly. Community Unity in Action and a leading and much more work to be done. member of the Richmond chapter of VAPJN. The Jan. 11 rally gathered approximately Founded in 2018, the Virginia Prison Fortunately, we have more than begun. Winter 2020 The Virginia Defender Page 9 cops, courts & prisons New DOC rules limit Free Jermaine! number of visitors Regular readers of the Defender should In a new Department of Corrections be familiar with the case of Jermaine Doss of policy, Virginia’s roughly 38,000 state pris- Norfolk, who was sent to prison in 2000 in oners are now allowed no more than 10 connection with the shooting death of Norfolk people on their visitors lists. businessman James Webb. The policy, described as a way to re- Doss was charged with murder-for-hire, duce drugs and other contraband from be- but the jury acquitted him of that charge. Instead, he was convicted of murder, which ing smuggled into correctional facilities, the judge instructed the jury was what is went into effect this past Jan. 15. called a “lesser-included offense.” Doss Further, prisoners will only be able to contends that the judge was mistaken, and change who is on their visitation list twice a makes a good legal argument to back up his year. Under the previous policy, they could position. Photo courtesy the Doss family change their visitation list at any time. Further, the only evidence against Doss Jermaine Doss, in center, with his brother Jabbar and sister Felciia. The photo was As of last September, between 4,000 and was the testimony of the admitted murderer, taken at Sussex II State Prison in Waverly, Va. 5,000 prisoners had a visitor’s list, according Nathaniel McGee. McGee has since stated to secretary of public safety and homeland in a letter to Doss, an affidavit and in court The latest attempt at judicial relief - a constitute a lesser-included offense to the security Brian Moran. Of those, just 363 had testimony that he lied about Jermaine’s habeas corpus brief filed last fall in U.S. jury of my trial has made the jury verdict more than 10 people on their list. involvement because prosecutors had District Court for the Eastern District of of acquittal meaningless. And this major According to the Virginian Pilot news- threatened him with the death penalty if he Virginia by attorney Bryan J. Jones of Constitutional error not only is a black eye to paper. Moran said exceptions to the 10- did not. Charlottesville asking that Jermaine be the Virginia criminal justice system, it violated visitor rule would be made for people with The police officer who arrested McGee released from prison - has yet to receive a my Constitutional rights of due process, notification and a right to even present a large families. Children, reporters and law- and then pursued the case against Jermaine response. defense that ALL American citizens have yers are excluded from the new limit. was the notorious former Norfolk detective For this issue of the Defender, we asked Jermaine to tell us in his own words what he under the Constitution. According to the figures quoted in the Robert Glenn Ford, now serving a sentence of is feeling about what thousands of people now So to be having to wait almost six years above news item, fully 87 percent of all 12.5 years for extorting defendants and then believe is a blatant miscarriage of justice. for having my request for clemency granted Virginia prisoners have no one on their visi- lying about it to the FBI. This is his statement: by the governor for such a great injustice tors list. Jermaine’s working-class parents, Willie corrected sometimes becomes upsetting for Mae and Ray Doss, have spent the last 20 I just want to say it has been kind of my family, the thousands of supporters and years hiring lawyers, attending hearings, frustrating know that I have been wrongfully me to understand. circulating petitions, organizing rallies and Riverside, again convicted of not only a crime I absolutely And the fact that the killer has recanted press conferences and more in an effort to Riverside Regional Jail was in the had nothing to do with, or even having any multiple times, that he had lied and gave help free their son. perjured testimony during my February news again Feb. 21, when Fred Lavigne, knowledge of McGee’s (the killer) intent. But A petition for a governor’s pardon has what is upsetting to my family and me even 2000 jury trial due in part that he had 53, of Chesterfield County, was found languished in the office of the Secretary of the more is the fact that I was acquitted of the been threatened by the Norfolk police unresponsive in his cell. According to jail Commonwealth for nearly six years, without crime (capital murder for hire) I stood charged detectives,and prosecutors. And the fact that spokeswoman Charlene R. Jones, suicide is a response. (On Nov. 28, the Richmond with and was on trial for. the first judge overseeing my first trial had suspected, but the state medical examiner’s Times Dispatch ran a front-page, above-the- But due to a judge overreaching his already ruled that McGee was not credible office will determine the official cause of fold story about this titled “Family’s hopes judicial powers by giving an unlawful, when testifying on behalf of the prosecution. death. for pardon from Virginia governor languish uncharged additional crime (of first degree And then to have the second judge overseeing my The week before, the jail’s for years.”) murder) that under Virginia law does NOT jury trial not believe McGee’s trial testimony, which superintendent, superintendent, Carmen is supported DeSadier, resigned after less than 10 by the judge’s months on the job. Fighting actions to add an additional charge According to a report by Channel 12 of a crime I was news, DeSadier left behind a more-than- Mass not charged with 100-page summary of concerns. speaks volumes “My biggest concern is for the inmates, of itself! because their basic needs are not being Incarceration But no one met,” the report quoted her as saying. can explain why Riverside experienced two prisoner in Virginia I remain in prison deaths in 2017, causing the state to put the unlawfully to this jail on probation for three years. day. Page 10 The Virginia Defender Winter 2020 our sacred ground children from Richmond today. McQueen read a letter written by the woman who owned her four-times-great grandmother, Kitty Cary, to her sister about Mrs. Cary’s last moments before her death, and then stated she was buried in the burial ground most associated with the Medical College of Virginia’s practice of body snatching for anatomical study. This practice was described in a later session as part of the presentation by Rhonda Keyes Pleasants about the East Marshall Street Well Project. The symposium was intended to raise the collective understanding of the history of enslaved and free Black life, struggles, achievements and legacies from the city’s earliest years, centering on the role of Shockoe Bottom. A late addition to the program was Photo by Phil Wilayto Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, who had been More than 250 attendees listen as University of Washington history professor Dr. invited to attend and declare his support for a Midori Takagi speaks by Zoom on industrial slavery in pre-Civil War Richmond. nine-acre Shockoe Bottom Memorial Park, a community-generated proposal that has won overwhelming popular support. The proposed Hundreds attend Shockoe Bottom park would include Richmond’s African Burial Ground; the sites of many auction houses; and at symposium, but Stoney still refuses least four slave jails, including the particularly to endorse Memorial Park notorious Devil’s Half-Acre; as well as several Photo by Phil Wilayto slave trader offices and supporting businesses. This apparent vandalism to the Recon- of “Gabriel’s Rebellion: The Virginia Slave The plan is opposed by local real estate ciliation Statue site went unaddressed Staff Report Conspiracies of 1800 and 1802”; Dr. Gregg developers who want the land for profit-making for more than a week, until the Defend- In the largest event ever held about Shockoe Kimball, director of Public Services and projects, and by corporate leaders who do not ers brought it to the City’s attention. Bottom, and One of the last events in Virginia Outreach at the Library of Virginia; Dr. Midori want Richmond’s public image associated with to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Takagi, author of “Rearing Wolves to Our Own the city’s central role in the domestic slave trade. Statue damage captive Africans, more than 250 people attended Destruction: Slavery in Richmond, Virginia, Unfortunately, Mayor Stoney did not an all-day symposium Dec. 7 at the Library of 1782-1865”; Dr. Shawn O. Utsey, chair of declare his support for the memorial park, ignored by both Virginia that examined the history of Black the Department of African American Studies instead opting to express general support people in the state, with an emphasis on the at Virginia Commonwealth University; and for memorializing the local history. When City & State downtown Richmond district that once was the Phil Wilayto, editor of The Virginia Defender challenged by a member of the audience to By Phil Wilayto epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade. newspaper. (A complete list of participants is take a clear stand on the park proposal, the “Truth & Conciliation in the 400th Year: A posted at www.dec7symposium.org.) mayor first said he would discuss the matter A few days after the massive Jan. 20 gun Shockoe Bottom Public History Symposium” Stirring presentations were made by cultural “after the meeting” and then, when others also rights rally at Capitol Square, I heard there had was co-sponsored by the state library and workers Valerie Davis, Nickey McMullen and spoke out, fell back to asking how the park been some vandalism around the Reconciliation the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Joseph Sharif Hakim Rogers. would be funded. Statue, the anti-slavery memorial at the Project of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, The symposium also received greetings In fact, with support from the Sacred Ground northwest corner of 15th and East Main streets Justice & Equality, which since 2002 has been from Askari Danso and Hassan Shabazz, Project, the nonprofit organization Preservation in downtown Richmond. working to reclaim and properly memorialize incarcerated co-founders of the Virginia Virginia had received a $75,000 grant from See STATUE on Page 11 this sacred ground. Prison Justice Network, who traced the present the National Trust for Historic Preservation to Presenters at the event included 22 scholars system of mass incarceration to the slave jails arrange for an economic study of the economic the ongoing struggle to reclaim and properly and advocates, 13 of whom hold doctorates in of Shockoe Bottom. benefits of a memorial park to the city asa memorialize this sacred ground. their fields, and three very talented cultural Two of the most moving presentations whole and its Black community in particular. Videos of the symposium are workers. came from Dr. Lauranett Lee, professor of The mayor’s office had been sent a copy of the posted at https://www.facebook.com/ Among those who spoke were Elvatrice history at the University of Richmond, and study’s report. (See story on page 11.) watchparty/436702803897186, https://www. Belsches, an author, filmmaker and researcher Lenora McQueen, an independent researcher The overwhelming consensus of those facebook.com/sacredgroundproject/videos/ for the film “Lincoln;” Dr. Michael Blakey, from San Antonio, Texas. attending the symposium was that it had been 2764209483600532/?hc_location=ufi and the anthropologist who led the examination At times weeping, Lee described the a tremendously important, enlightening and www.dec7symposium.org. of human remains found at New York City’s trauma of enslaved children’s lives as victims inspiring event that greatly increased public For more information on the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground; Dr. Christy Coleman, of physical abuse and being torn away from support for the memorial park proposal. struggle, visit www.sacredgroundproject. CEO of the American Civil War Museum in mothers and fathers through sale. From the The Sacred Ground Project and its allies are net or contact the Sacred Ground Historical Richmond; Ana Edwards, chair of the Sacred trafficking of Black children in the 19th now planning a community meeting to discuss Reclamation Project at DefendersFJE@ Ground Project; Dr. Douglas Egerton, author century, she drew a line to the trafficking in several action proposals for the next steps in hotmail.com or call or text 804.644.5834. Winter 2020 The Virginia Defender Page 11 our sacred ground our sacred ground take ‘em down - NOW!

STATUE Continued from page 10 Study: Big This reportedly happened on the day of the economic rally. The damage was to two of the site’s three wooden benches, which look like large railroad benefits from ties. It appeared that someone had repeatedly kicked or struck the benches, spreading debris Memorial Park on the ground. By Ana Edwards A week later, not only had the damage not A study of the economic ramifications of been repaired, but the debris was still lying the community-generated proposal for a nine- next to the benches. acre Shockoe Bottom Memorial Park addresses On Jan. 29, I called the Richmond Police some fundamental questions about the project: Department to ask if an investigation had How much would it cost, and how would been opened. I was told the site was actually it benefit the city, especially its Black commu- state property, and was referred to the Virginia nity? Department of General Services. The study, “Shockoe Bottom Memorializa- When I called the DGS, I was told the site tion: Community and Economic Impacts,” re- leased this past October, was conducted by the belonged to the city. TAKE ‘EM DOWN! - More than 175 people rally Jan. 8 on the steps VCU Center for Urban and Regional Analysis I then called 6th District Councilmember of the State Capitol to support legislation that would allow local governments to (CURA). Ellen Robertson. The site used to be in her take down “war memorials,” including those honoring slavery-defending Confeder- It’s the first part of a two-part study titled ate figures. The rally was sponsored by Monumental Justice Virginia, a statewide district, but the district lines were changed a “A Future for Shockoe: A vision for equitable coalition that includes the Defenders. Photo by Phil Wilayto few years ago and the site is now in the 7th. development,” a joint project between Preser- Ms. Robertson said she was not aware vation Virginia, the National Trust for Historic $72 to $152 million in economic impact to the of the situation, but said she would ask the Preservation and the Sacred Ground Historical Richmond region. If you deduct 20 years of op- New Yorker Department of Public Works to look into it. Reclamation Project. The two-part study was funded by a $75,000 grant from the African erating costs over that same period - $9.7 million I also emailed Delegate Delores McQuinn, - the net gain would be $ 62.3 to $142.3 million. spotlights chair of the city’s Slave Trail Commission, American Cultural Heritage Action Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. And that’s just the memorial park. The which put up the Reconciliation Statue in 2007, Shockoe Bottom The study assumes a landscaped park that study’s models confirm that the addition of a and Sharon North, communications person for includes an interpretive center or museum.The $26.8 million museum or interpretive center The Feb. 3 edition of The New Yorker (circulation 1.3 million) carried a major article the DPW, to alert them to the situation. models used in the study indicate the following would result in a short-term economic impact Neither responded to the emails. of $35.2 million in the region. Once built, fac- titled “The Fight to Preserve African-American economic impact: History” that includes the long struggle to toring in annual operations costs of $3.1 mil- That evening, Ana Edwards and I stopped * For a one-time $8.7 million investment, reclaim Shockoe Bottom. by the site again, about 10 p.m. The damaged memorial park visitor spending in the city lion, the net benefit of total visitor spending an- By Phil Wilayto The piece highlights the work of the National benches were still there, but the debris had would generate between $3.7 and 7.7 million nually would be $25.2 million. Over 20 years: Trust for Historic Preservation, which has played A few days after the massive Jan. 20 gun been cleaned up. in total economic activity in Richmond each $504 million. an important role in focusing national attention The second part of the study deals with mod- rights rally at Capitol Square, I heard there had As of Feb. 28 - five weeks after the initial year, supporting 43 to 85 jobs. on the site of what was once the epicenter of the been some vandalism around the Reconciliation * For a one-time $35.2 million investment, els for equitable economic redevelopment - in U.S. domestic slave trade. damage - the two benches had still not been Statue, the anti-slavery memorial at the museum visitor spending on-site and in the city other words, how the memorial park could be paid After describing other sites where local replaced or repaired. northwest corner of 15th and East Main streets as a whole would generate a total of $28.4 mil- for and how it could benefit the Black community. governments have embraced preservation in downtown Richmond. So one problem is that, at least one week lion in economic activity each year, support- We’ll cover that part in the next Defender. efforts, the article notes that: “Not all sites move from the margins to the after the damage, no city or state department ing a total of 316 jobs. The entire study can be found here: See STATUE on Page 11 mainstream so smoothly. At Shockoe Bottom, the had cleaned up the site, repaired the damage $8.7 million invested in the construction preservationvirginia.org/our-work/shockoe Defenders are still fighting to commemorate the or begun an investigation into the apparent of the memorial park would result in an im- The Community Proposal for a Shockoe legacy of Gabriel’s rebellion and the memory of vandalism. And then another month went by mediate, one-time economic impact of $11.5 Bottom Memorial Park is an economical in- all the other African-Americans who were sold million. Of that, $4.5 million would be labor and buried there. ... with no repairs. vestment in the present and future of our city, But what seems worse is the fact that there costs in the form of 75 jobs and money spent “After the Trust included Shockoe Bottom on supplies, housing, meals, transportation, and a demonstration of the value of making on its most-endangered-places list, the city has been no public outcry over the desecration and entertainment in the Richmond area. visible what has been invisible: the truth of proposed preserving a single small area, the of this site or the failure of city or state However, once built, the Memorial Park Richmond’s history that can at long last put so-called Devil’s Half Acre, on which the slave government to address it. The police told me experience could result in tourism spending into context the mountains climbed in the on- trader Robert Lumpkin ran a jail. they had received just one other call about the ranging from $3.6 to $7.6 million annually - going pursuit of a just society. “The Defenders are advocating for a nine- damage to the benches. spending on accommodations, parking, gas, acre memorial park centered on the burial Ana Edwards chairs the Defenders’ Sacred ground. They point to an economic study If Richmond is going to reclaim and meals, entertainment and retail shopping. Ground Historical Reclamation Project, which commissioned by the Trust, which found that properly memorialize its sacred sites, all of us This means that an $8.7 million investment developed the community proposal for a nine- an $8.7-million investment in that park would will have to start paying a lot more attention. over 20 years could result in anywhere from acre Shockoe Bottom Memorial Park. generate $11.5 million in jobs.” Page 12 The Virginia Defender Winter 2020 In our opinion Letters to Cathy’s Camp the Editor Concerning gun control Back in 1859, a guy named Charles Dickens wrote a book called “A Tale of Two Cities.” That would make Throughout the history of Amer- a good title for a book about RIchmond. ica, gun control laws have always On the one hand, we have RVA: young, hip, vibrant, been used against people of color to artsy and doing pretty well for itself. deny them their rights, as well as their On the other, we have Richmond, where one out of ability to defend themselves and their every five people is poor, where misery swirls around communities from racist terror attacks. people’s ankles like a flooded campground and which, Both political parties have been equal- for the most part, is invisible. ly guilty of this. And then something unusual happens, and what After the Civil War, it was Demo- was invisible bursts into view. cratic politicians that passed Jim Crow The truly courageous women and men who have era laws prohibiting gun ownership by taken up residence in the tent city called Cathy’s Camp Black Americans in Virginia as well as have exposed the ugly truth that deliberate hous- throughout the south. increase in domestic terrorism and the about public safety they’d fix our men- ing policies have resulted in a 10 percent increase in And in 1968 it was Republican pol- rapid growth of White supremacist tal health system and improve security homelessness over the past year. And their refusal to iticians in California who passed what groups, these laws will also put us in at our government buildings especially be cowed by the City’s eviction notice, along with the was known as the Mulford Act which more danger by hindering our ability to our schools. resulting mass outpouring of support from their housed prohibited the legal open carry of fire- protect ourselves if need be. Rather than more unnecessary laws sisters and brothers has created a political crisis for the arms. It was done as a response to the We are at a time in America’s his- what we really need is actual justice. City. Black Panther Party carrying firearms tory where political instability due to The many unresolved issues with our One frightening day in January, a terrible storm hit while they peacefully conducted com- demographic change is increasing. We justice system must be addressed and the Richmond area. Rain was pouring down in sheets, munity patrols in city neighborhoods don’t need any more restrictions on our fixed first. winds were more than 50 miles an hour and tents at to protect people from police harass- civil, constitutional, human rights to Cathy’s Camp were being blown away. ment, brutality and murder. The act was self-defense. Al Misa And yet the city’s “hypothermia” shelter, just yards signed into law by no other than then If these politicians really cared RICHMOND from the tent city, was locked shut. governor Ronald Reagan who went on Why? Because the temperature hadn’t dropped be- to be elected president in 1980. low the magic number of 40 degrees. Now, our state Democratic politi- (The trigger temp for opening the shelter used to be cians are simply following the agenda The Virginia Defender 32, until some years ago when the activist group Rich- of presidential candidate Mike Bloom- A statewide quarterly newspaper published by the mond Food Not Bombs raised hell and embarrassed the berg who donated generously to their VIRGINIA DEFENDERS FOR FREEDOM, JUSTICE & EQUALITY city into raising it to 40.) political campaigns. The same Mike We believe city officials when they say they care Editorial Board: Ana Edwards, Phil Wilayto Editor: Phil Wilayto Staff Writers: Ana Edwards, Bloomberg who funds elections and Kat McNeal, Janet “Queen Nzinga” Taylor, Phil Wilayto Photographers: Ana Edwards, about homeless people. Some of them have spent their gun control organizations throughout Phil Wilayto Production: Ana Edwards, Phil Wilayto Tech Support: Ana Edwards entire lives trying to help. America is the same person who had Community Calendar: Kat McNeal Advertising: Ana Edwards, Phil Wilayto Distributors: But we also believe that the wealthy 1 percent that Black and Brown people targeted with Daniel Breslau, Margaret Breslau, Benjamin Bristoll, Charles Brown, Bill Conkle, Ray Doss, Willie Mae Doss, Weluna Queen Earth, Ana Edwards, Paul Fleisher, Lorenzo Grandison, runs this town would very much like the 21.9 percent the racist, unconstitutional policy of Abdushshahid Luqman, Jacqueline Luqman, Kat McNeal, Twila Jane Sikorsky, Queen Nzinga, Phil Wilayto who live in poverty to just leave. And they’re willing police harassment called “stop and to let the misery increase until it convinces the poor to frisk” while he was the mayor of New Subscription rates: $12/year general, $5 for prisoners, $35 for institutions. do just that. York City. Checks or money orders payable to: DEFENDERS PUBLICATIONS, INC. Please take the time to read all the stories in this is- Virginia has one of the lowest We welcome letters, while reserving the right to edit for sue of the Defender dealing with the question, “Is there crime rates in the country, and now clarity & length. To submit a letter, an item for the a Master Plan to remove the poor from Richmond?” You these politicians want gun control laws Community Calendar or to place an ad, contact: may learn something about how this city really works. passed while claiming that it’s for pub- And whether you are part of Richmond or RVA, a lic safety. The Virginia Defender basic sense of humanity should inspire you to get in- If these laws are passed, it will be PO Box 23202, Richmond, VA 23223 l Ph: 804.644.5834 volved. people and communities of color that Email: [email protected] l Web: www.DefendersFJE.blogspot.com Like the old Union slogan put it, “An Injury to One will be targeted first by law enforce- Unless otherwise noted, all contents of The Virginia Defender are copyright (c) 2020 is an Injury to All!” ment as we’ve always been. With the Winter 2020 The Virginia Defender Page 13

Editor’s Note: On Jan. 20, different political views on other an estimated 22,000 gun issues can still agree that people rights advocates, many of have the right to self-defense. them armed, massed in and Of course, picking Jan. 20th as around Capitol Square. Among a gun rights lobby day is already them were members of white a pretty bad optic. It’s the federal supremacist organizations. holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Gov. Ralph Northam had Luther King Jr., a man of peace declared a State of Emergency brought down a gun. The VCDL and banned all private firearms might have picked a better day. from the Capitol grounds. Most Plus, it means the schools are gun control advocates stayed out, and there may be a lot of kids away. And most Richmnders in the area. seemed to assume that all And with Northam banning those opposing gun control civilians from having guns on were racist extremists. the Capitol grounds, that means The Virginia Defender thousands of armed people circulated this Open Letter roaming the downtown area. And laying out our view of the this includes some openly right- issues. Someone posted it on Photo by Phil Wilayto wing groups that have a whole the internal blog of the Virginia Citizens An estimated 6,000 gun rights supporters rallied Jan. 20 at Virginia’s Capitol Square, other agenda. Defense League, the group that had called while another 16,000 mostly armed advocates milled around outside the grounds. I’d like to point out here that the right for the mobilization. We reprint it again here to self-defense is not a “white” issue. The in hopes that it will reach more of the people old Black Panther Party stood for the right to for whom it was intended. armed self-defense against police brutality. The An Open Letter to Gun Southern-based Deacons for Defense provided My name is Phil Wilayto, and I’m the armed security for many civil rights events. editor of The Virginia Defender, a community Rights Supporters And today people who live in crime-plagued newspaper based here in Richmond. We cover neighborhoods have a legitimate interest in issues of interest to working-class folks from all purposes. And the FBI arrests on Jan. 16 of killings is that this society is addicted to being able to protect themselves and their communities. three neo-Nazis who supposedly put together a violence. families. And if unreasonable gun laws are I’m also a gun owner who’s opposed to homemade machine gun and bought more than It’s true. We promote it in our movies, TV passed, they’re likely to be enforced in the some of the laws being proposed in the 2020 1,500 rounds of ammo as part of their plans shows and video games. Our police departments same racially discriminatory ways as other laws General Assembly. to join the Richmond rally didn’t do much to are armed to the teeth with “surplus” military already are. And I’m a Richmonder who’s concerned calm anyone’s nerves. We’ve heard rumors that equipment. We make violence the basis of our In other words, there are other possible allies about what might happen in my town on white supremacist organizations like the Proud foreign policy. This country was born in violence out there. So there are all kinds of reasons to make Monday. Boys and League of the South are coming to against indigenous and enslaved people, and sure your movement isn’t hijacked by extremist The Virginia Citizens Defense League, the Richmond. These kind of thugs are not your that culture of violence has continued to define groups promoting division and hatred. organization that has called for lobbying and a friends. Far from it. us as a country. Banning guns does nothing to I think most gun owners don’t hold grudges rally on Jan. 20th at Capitol Square, that says I believe that people have a right to own address that. against other people because of their race, creed as many as 50,000 people may show up. They guns: for sport, for hunting, for self-defense. What I’m really worried about is that, with or color. They just want to be able to protect wanted to come armed - Virginia is an open- I agree that guns don’t kill people, people kill the liberal Democrats acting like anyone who themselves and their families, and they have a carry state, but Gov. Ralph Northam has declared people - although they often do it with guns. owns a gun is suspect, the average person who right to do this without unreasonable interference a state of emergency and banned civilians from And that’s what scares non-gun owners. has a gun for legitimate reasons will be more from the government. carrying firearms on the Capitol grounds. In 2017, the most recent year for which there open to right-wing arguments and possible But if this movement is going to be Nobody knows just what to expect, and are figures, nearly 40,000 people died from gun- recruitment. That would be a disaster for all successful, it needs to consciously exclude tensions are running high. Some normally related injuries in this country. More than half working people. those right-wing elements that would attempt to open downtown businesses plan to close on the deaths were actually suicides, which raises You have to understand that, while you might infiltrate this movement and subvert it for their Monday. Some non-gun lobbying groups have the question if those people would have killed see your movement as just against government own twisted agendas. canceled their plans to come to Richmond. themselves if they didn’t have a gun at hand. overreach, it can come across as something else People who respect Adolf Hitler will never Virginia Commonwealth University is advising Then there are the senseless killings by altogether. The idea that thousands - maybe tens of respect democracy. They’re not our friends. In its more than 31,000 students to stay away from mostly young men in poor city communities. thousands - of armed, mostly white men are coming fact, they’re our enemies. And they should have the downtown area. The VCU Health System’s We lost 66 people to homicides last year here to Richmond on Monday is not a good “optic,” as no place in a real gun-ownership movement. emergency room has tripled its staff to be in Richmond. So there are good reasons why they say. It sets off deep historical memories. So welcome to Richmond. Be safe, watch each prepared for possible mass casualties. And the some people think there are too many guns in I know the VCDL states on its website that, others’ backs and be sensitive to the people who live cops are gearing up for trouble. too many hands. ”We are not there to push any other agenda. Our here. They’ll be here long after you’re gone. Some liberals view all gun rights activists as But it’s also true that you could ban all the total focus is on protecting our right to keep and racist, right-wing yahoos, lumping them in with guns in this country and we would still have bear (sic) arms. Period. This is not about flags, Phil Wilayto the extremist organizations that try to infiltrate people killing people. The real reason for the statues, history, etc. Just guns.” the gun rights movement for recruitment mass shootings and the endless fatal individual We appreciate that. People with very Editor, The Virginia Defender Page 14 The Virginia Defender Winter 2020 international & antiwar news United States goes back much farther than the to the point of mass inflation. On Relations Between Iran 1979 Islamic Revolution. Under sanctions, Iran was not allowed to Walk in the streets of Iran and ask the receive any humanitarian aid when it suffered people living there of the legacy of the United two earthquakes in 2017 in Kermanshah. Iran & the United States States in Iran, and they will likely begin with also cannot import lifesaving chemotherapy impose 40 years of sanctions that have severely By Sanaz Ghodsi Operation Ajax in 1953. That was the CIA- drugs to treat cancer patients. And since Iran affected the livelihood of the Iranian people. coordinated military coup that overthrew cannot enrich its own oil under sanctions, the Western media outlets sell a very particular As an Iranian-American, I have been democratically elected Prime Minister Dr. country has resorted to purchasing low-quality narrative to the American people about Iran, following the politics and the history of Iran Mohammad Mossadegh. fuel from the black market. The resulting and I’m sure that there are many people in the for 10 years now, and have gone to Iran many Why? Because he had just nationalized exhaust fills the air, causing increased rates of United States who truly believe that Iran is the times. I have studied the religious and political the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, taking back lung cancer. Iran cannot have technologies to rogue nation that it is painted to be. philosophies that contributed to the creation of Iran’s own oil resurces from Great Britain, a purify the pollution produced by its factories, By pushing this depiction of Iran, American the Islamic Republic and have gone to many close U.S. ally. contributing to the pollution. politicians seek to convince the American lectures by Iranian academics. With this, I can As a result. the brutal Mohammad Reza I encourage the American people to people and the rest of the international say one thing for certain: Pahlavi was reinstalled as Shah. educate themselves, not only on the legacy community that the United States is right to The Iranian people have an excellent A long 26 years later, the Shah was of the United States in Iran and the rest of the threaten military intervention with Iran and to memory. The animosity between Iran and the overthrown and was granted asylum in the region, but in the rest of the world. Regime- United States, where his son and family change wars and imperialism by the United continue to live a life of luxury with money States have also affected Latin American, stolen from Iran. This provoked Iranian African, South Asian and East Asian nations students to take over the U.S. embassy in as well. Tehran, which was referred to as “a den of Anytime a nation wants to rid itself of the espionage,” and compile and publish all the imperialism of the United States, it conveniently documents containing evidence of U.S. deceit needs a regime-change war headed by Western and manipulation of Iran. powers that will install a puppet dictator who Not long after the 1979 Revolution, Iraq’s will appease Western corporations and oil Saddam Hussein attacked Iran, beginning executives. an eight-year war that resulted in the deaths Iran is one of many countries that have of hundreds of thousands on both sides. The suffered severely due to Western greed. chemical weapons Saddam used on Iran were However, not all have successfully resisted sold to him by the United States, as the U.S. is attempts of foreign infiltration like Iran has. notorious for profiting off of weapons sales to I’m sure further escalations will occur in the anyone who will buy them. future, and Iran will continue to stand strong. The war is deeply felt in Iran even to this Iran was one of the world’s first countries day. Visiting my father’s high school in Iran, I and contains a civilization and history that was able to see a mural of his classmates who goes back millennia. Decades of hostility by were martyred during the war. the United States are but a thorn on the bottom Iranians also remember the United States of the shoe of Iran and I know that Iran will shooting down an Iranian airplane, Iran Air prevail, no matter what. Flight 655 in 1988, killing all 290 passengers, Photo by Phil Wilayto Sanaz Ghodsi is a local Iranian American who were mostly women and children. Then- Organizers of the “Al Helm: Martin Luther Kng in Palestine” film showing, from left: who follows the interests of her people and Dr. Neal Holmes, Imam Michael Abdul- Hakim, Myra Salaam, Nancy Wein, Adeeb Abed Vice President George H.W. Bush responded to family in Iran. and Tangles Raoof. The event was held at Masjid Bilal in Richmond’s East End. the downing of the aircraft by saying, “I will never apologize for the United States - I don’t Plowshare Peace Center Solidarity with Palestine care what the facts are ... I’m The oldest peace group in Virginia not an apologize-for-America It was a packed house Feb. 9 for a film The film showing was co-sponsored Silent peace vigils; Workshops & speakers; Death kind of guy.” showing of “Al Helm: Martin Luther King in by Masjid Bilal, Wesley Memorial United penalty vigils; Darfur; New River Voice & Richmond Palestine” at the Masjid Bilal in Richmond’s Methodist Church, Richmonders for Peace I also want to explain to Defender distribution; Lobbying; Truth-In-Recruiting East End. in Israel and Palestine, the Arab American readers the significance of Mail: PO Box 4367, Roanoke VA 24015 The film, released in 2013, tells of the Association of Central Virginia and Voices economic sanctions. Iran has experiences of a U.S. Black gospel choir that from the Holy Land. been heavily sanctioned by Office:505 1719 Day Grandin Avenue, Road,Roanoke Roanoke VA 24016 VA 24015 provided the chorus for a Palestinian play on The film can be viewed nline at: the United States for more (540)(540) 492-3582 989-0393 [email protected] the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on tour in https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ than 40 years. Sanctions have www.plowshareva.org the West Bank. alhelm crippled the Iranian economy Winter 2020 The Virginia Defender Page 15 international & antiwar news

Photo by Phil Wilayto Photo courtesy At the Iranian Interests Section, from Dozens of mostly young people take to the streets in Richmond as Activists in downtown Norfolk hold lightboards spelling out left: Virginia Defender Editor Phil Wilay- part of an “Global Day of Action: No War on Iran!” “#NO WAR” and PEACE.” to, Interests Section Director Mehdi Atefat and Section staff member Ma- Threat of war on Iran sparks protests, nouchehr Jafarzadeh. new coalitions across Virginia At an Iranian celebration rally outside the federal courthouse on East process; and political independence from both Staff Report Broad Street, the overwhelmingly young crowd the Democratic and Republican parties. of its Revolution On Jan. 3, a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad The coalition is now developing its marched a mile to Monroe Park, a traditional By Phil Wilayto International Airport ordered by President site of protests, where an open-mic Speak-Out leadership and decision-making structure and Donald Trump targeted and killed Iranian was held. is planning to hold a public forum on antiwar On Feb. 7, I had the privilege of attending a Gen. Qasem Soleimani of Iran’s Islamic The Richmond action was organized by and domestic issues in late March. reception at the Interests Section of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Soleimani local chapters of the Democratic Socialists of In Norfolk, the Hampton Roads Peace Republic of Iran in Washington, D.C. an event was commander of the elite Quds Force and was America, Food Not Bombs and the Industrial & Planet Coalition includes the Hampton held to celebrate the 41st anniversary of the 1979 revolution. The U.S. and Iran do not have considered the second most powerful person in Workers of the World and the Virginia Roads Green Party, Norfolk Catholic Worker, diplomatic relations, so the Interests Section Iran next to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality. Tidewater DSA and Young DSA at Old serves some of the functions of an embassy for Gen. Soleimani reportedly was in Iraq to bring Earlier in the month, Food Not Bombs Dominion University. Iran in this country. the government a proposal to reduce tensions held a march of about 50 people near the That coalition’s unifying principles are with U.S.-backed Saudi Arabia. similar to those of Richmond’s: opposition to I have attended several such events in the State Capitol. Another action was held by past, but this was the first time there was a hostile The reaction across the world was all U.S. wars and interventions; respect for unaffiliated activists on Jan. 11. protest outside, creating a gauntlet that guests immediate. Protests broke out in many the right to self-determination of oppressed In Norfolk, a heavily militarized area and had to walk through to get into the building. countries, especially in Iraq and Iran. The world peoples; and political independence from home to the largest Naval base in the world, Although the placards spoke of “freedom” held its breath to see how Iran would react, and “parties of war and fossil fuels.” The Hampton protesters gathered at Town Point Park and and “democracy,” the protest was organized if the confrontation would escalate into all-out Roads coalition has a specific position opposing marched through downtown. That action was by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of war. Antiwar organizations called for a Global called by Disrupt The Elite Virginia, Mothers “environmental destruction” and endorses a Iran, or Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK). This is Day of Action on Jan. 25 to demand “No War strategy of “nonviolent opposition.” a reactionary paramilitary organization that on Iran!” Activists responded in more than 200 Out Front Hampton Roads, Tidewater DSA, The Virginia coalitions and antiwar allied with Iraq during that country’s eight- U.S. cities and in 20 other countries. Tidewater Food Not Bombs and the Tidewater organizations can be reached through their year war against Iran and still carries out armed Here in Virginia, protests were held Solidarity Collective. pages on Facebook: attacks within Iran. in Blacksburg, Harrisonburg, Norfolk and In both cities, organizers decided to form new coalitions to continue antiwar work in It was only recently removed from the Richmond. Members of the Plowshare Peace Richmond Coalition for Peace, Justice, their areas. U.S. State Department’s list of terrorist Center in Roanoke travelled to Washington, and Jobs The Richmond Coalition for Peace, organizations, due in part to the MEK’s practice D.C., to join a regional march and rally. At of giving hefty “honorariums” for speaking at Justice, and Jobs, which includes the four Hampton Roads Peace & Planet the Defenders’ suggestion, solidarity greetings Coalition its events to influential U.S. figures including were exchanged among the organizers and read groups that protested on Jan. 25, is based on Plowshare Peace Center Rudolph Giuliani, John Bolton, Joe Lieberman at the protests. five principles: opposition to all U.S. wars and Howard Dean. Shenandoah Valley Antiwar Coalition In Richmond, more than 50 people turned and interventions; respect for the right of self- The highlight of the evening was an address out to demand “No War on Iran,” “Stop the determination for oppressed peoples; drawing Blacksburg: (This action was organized by the section’s director, Mehdi Atefat. While Endless Wars” and “Money for Jobs, Education the connections between international and by individuals; we have not yet received he spoke, you could hear the protesters yelling & People’s Needs, not War!” Starting with a domestic issues; a democratic decision-making permission to publicize their names.) outside. Arab & Greek products Call ahead & THERE IS Halal meat available pick up for Great deli selection lunch! MEDITERRANEAN BAKERY and DELI 9004 Quioccasin Road, Richmond 804-754-8895 POWER www.MediterraneanBakeryandDeli.net It pays to advertise in The Virginia Defender! IN A Low rates! 15,000 distribution! Proven reader credibility! For a copy of our Ad Rate Sheet: 804-644-5834 or [email protected] AL MISA REALTOR®

UNION 6301 HARBOURSIDE DRIVE MIDLOTHIAN, VA 23112

OFFICE 804-622-3948 CELL 804-767-9711

[email protected] Local WWW.EXITREALTYPARADE.COM 400 United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 UFCW president Mark P. Federici  secretary-treasurer Christopher Hoffmann www.ufcw400.org Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

Meet the people who developed the Richmond-Ségou Sister

Cities relationship, and 328 pages, $19.95 (ebook $4.99)

explore 400 years of Available from brandylanepublishers.com shared history between amazon.com Virginia and Mali. bn.com and your favorite bookseller.