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Stop the violence
Community leaders, residents march in Mosby Court for peace
Community leaders, residents march in Mosby Court for peace
Get serious
We listened with interest and some amusement this week as retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Silicon Valley technology executive Carly Fiorina announced they are seeking the Republican nomination for president. Without a doubt, both Dr. Carson and Ms. Fiorina have excelled in their fields.
Let there be justice
Let there be justice The Freddie Gray case has put a spotlight on police practices in Baltimore. His death in police custody seems to have been the last straw for many residents. An indication of why residents are so distressed can be found in the investigations the city’s daily newspaper, The Baltimore Sun, has conducted on police brutality.
Michael Brown family files lawsuit against Ferguson
The family of Michael Brown has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Ferguson, Mo., seeking unspecified damages and police reforms after the black teen’s killing by a white policeman prompted a national debate on law enforcement and race. The civil lawsuit filed April 23 in St. Louis County, Mo., names the city of Ferguson, former Police Chief Thomas Jackson and former police officer Darren Wilson as defendants.
Justice Dept. opens investigation into Gray’s death; officers charged
There’s an uneasy quiet in Baltimore after six police officers were charged last week in the mysterious death of Freddie Gray while he was in their custody. Underneath the calm simmers apprehension and anger in the African-American community — ready to erupt again at any moment — if there’s another incident of police brutality against a black man in the town known as “Charm City.” That grim reality was clear Monday afternoon when angry community members and officers in riot gear quickly converged in West Baltimore after an erroneous TV report stated police had shot and perhaps fatally injured a young African-American man who was seen running away from pursuing officers.
Services sacrificed in council’s $ plan
Richmond Public Schools is on track to gain an extra $9 million to help meet critical needs in the coming year. Police officers and firefighters also are on track to gain bigger raises of roughly 2.5 percent to help reduce turnover in public safety.
VSU, NSU still facing cutbacks
Cutbacks. That’s what Norfolk State and Virginia State universities are facing because of surprisingly steep enrollment drops. Enrollment at both of the state-funded, historically black institutions peaked in 2012 and then began a sharp decline. Based on current projections, both schools expect to enroll at least 25 percent fewer students in the fall than in 2012. That means less income and more need to reduce spending on staff and programs.
Saint Paul’s Baptist hosts community forums
Saint Paul’s Baptist Church in Henrico County is hosting a series of forums in May designed to bring citizens, law enforcement officials and faith leaders together. The theme: “Everybody Matters: A Community Discussion about Race, Justice and the Church.” The purpose: “For all persons and leaders to understand the criminal justice system and better engage with one another,” according to event organizer and church member Antoinette Irving, president of the AVI Foundation Inc., a Richmond-based nonprofit whose mission is to provide programs for youths in disadvantaged communities.
An unexpected partnership
When Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake stepped before a bank of microphones last Saturday for a hastily called news conference, she was surrounded by people she credited with helping keep this city calm during a weeklong protest over the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died after suffering a spinal injury while in police custody.
Foundation honors 8 Richmond schools alumni
Eight outstanding alumni of Richmond Public Schools were honored at the fourth annual Pride of RPS: Living Legacies Breakfast. The event, sponsored by the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation and held April 24 at a Downtown hotel, recognizes former Richmond schools students who have made significant accomplishments in their professional and personal lives and correlate their success to their formative years in public schools.
Personality: Dr. Phillip B. Duncan
Spotlight on cardiologist, leader of ‘Spirit of the Heart’
Dr. Phillip Benteley Duncan will go to any lengths — or to be more specific, any heights — to raise awareness about heart failure. The Chester cardiologist plans to climb the 19,340-foot Uhuru Peak on Mt. Kilimanjaro — the highest point on the African continent — in August. He’s undertaking the heart-pumping ascent in Tanzania with his daughter, Erica, and two other people to raise funds for the Association of Black Cardiologists’ (ABC) Heart Failure Awareness Project. Dr. Duncan plans to begin the climb at Mt. Kilimanjaro on Aug. 23 with guides and other support team members and hopes to complete it by Aug. 29.
Schools chief calls for $ to change students’ futures
In his first “State of the Schools” address, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden told an audience of about 300 people Tuesday night that education was “my ticket out of poverty.” “Part of my childhood was spent growing up in the low-income housing of Jordan Park in St. Petersburg, Florida,” he said in an address delivered at the Claude G. Perkins Living and Learning Center on the Virginia Union University campus.
Crusade for Voters to hold candidates forum Sunday
The Richmond Crusade for Voters is hosting a public forum for candidates vying for the Democratic Party nomination in four area state House and Senate districts. The forum will be held 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at Hobson Lodge, 801 Prince Hall Drive.
Short-term fix restores power to Fay Towers residents
Elderly and disabled residents of Fay Towers can once again turn on the lights and enjoy a hot shower in their units. A big generator is temporarily providing electricity to the 200 units in the 11-story high rise in Gilpin Court while permanent repairs are made. Squirrels are being blamed for knocking out power to most of the building Sunday. The pesky rodents chewed up a main line into the building, according to Carol Jones-Gilbert, acting chief operating officer for the building’s landlord, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
Enough is enough
Freddie Gray’s spine nearly severed, larynx crushed while in police custody
What happened to Freddie Gray? People across the nation are demanding to know after the 25-year-old black man suffered a fatal spinal cord injury under mysterious circumstances after being arrested by Baltimore police and put into the back of a police van.
‘Created Equal’ film series begins April 23
A new edition of “Created Equal,” a documentary movie series focusing on civil rights and social justice, is ready to launch at the Virginia Historical Society, it has been announced.
City’s new CAO
In her seven years of managing the City of Suffolk, Selena Cuffee-Glenn has garnered serious attention for turning the once nearly bankrupt city into a job magnet with a triple A bond rating. Mayor Dwight C. Jones hopes that she will be equally successful in Richmond.
A war hero comes home
After 64 years, Cpl. Lindsey C. Lockett laid to rest with full military honors
Sixty-four years after Army Cpl. Lindsey Clayton Lockett died from insufferable conditions in a prisoner of war camp in North Korea, his remains were brought home and laid to rest in an emotional ceremony Saturday in Richmond, surrounded by tearful but proud family members.
Video of police a game changer
Feidin Santana is a hero. He is the young Dominican immigrant who videotaped former North Charleston, S.C., police officer Michael Slager firing his gun eight times, killing an unarmed Walter Scott. Mr. Santana’s quick decision to videotape the unfolding action on his telephone led to the arrest of Mr. Slager for murder.
Personality: Arlette J. Teele
Spotlight on Queen of Purple Pumps Chapter of The Red Hat Society
Arlette J. Teele founded the Purple Pumps Chapter of the Red Hat Society with the goal of bringing women in the Richmond area together “to greet middle age with verve, humor and élan.” At chapter gatherings, members are colorfully attired in red hats and wear purple shoes, whether they are cowgirl boots, purple heels or purple flip flops as the occasion dictates.
