Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality

RICHMOND, VA, May 29 -- Militant and at times violent protests have erupted across the United States over the incredibly depraved, racist and brutal murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American security officer, by a white policeman in Minneapolis, Minn. Fueling the anger are the Feb. 23 murder near Brunswick, Ga., of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery by two white men while he was jogging through “their” neighborhood, and the March 13 fatal police shooting in Louisville, Ky., of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, killed when officers broke into her apartment under a “no-knock” warrant, without announcing themselves as police. George Floyd was arrested May 25 on suspicion of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill, a minor, nonviolent crime. When he allegedly resisted arrest, Office Derek Chauvin, one of four officers on the scene, placed his knee on the prone, handcuffed man’s neck and, according to a probable cause affidavit released today, left it there for m...

ALL FOUR RICHMOND MAYORAL CANDIDATES HAVE NOW ENDORSED  THE COMMUNITY PROPOSAL FOR A  9-ACRE SHOCKOE BOTTOM MEMORIAL PARK All four announced candidates for the November 2020 election for mayor of Richmond have now declared their support for the community-generated proposal for a nine-acre Shockoe Bottom Memorial Park.  With his statement today, Mayor Levar Stoney joins longtime memorial park supporter Richmond City Councilwoman Kimberly Gray and more recent supporters attorney Justin Griffin and entertainment promoter Tracey McLean in endorsing the community proposal designed to properly memorialize the downtown district that once was the epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade. Significantly, Mayor Stoney’s statement includes support for incorporating into the memorial park the three physical elements that make up the proposal: the 3.1-acre African Burial Ground; the 1.7-acre site of Robert Lumpkin’s slave jail, known as the Devil’s Half-Acre; and the two blocks east ...

Virginia Department of Corrections COVID-19/Coronavirus Updates or call VDOC information line, 804-887-8484  If you have questions or concerns, please contact us via email at COVID19Inquiries@vadoc.virginia.gov.

Click here  to see the latest Updates & Announcements from The Virginia Defender IN THIS ISSUE: A Message from the Defenders Editorial - Richmond’s mayor needs to start acting like this really is a crisis The Coronavirus Crisis - Facts, Resources & How You Can Help Community Work - Massad House; Cathy’s Camp Follow-up; RRHA Prison Work - Advocates pressure state to release more prisoners; more Shockoe Bottom - New initiatives in the fight for a Memorial Park Antiwar Work - New Richmond coalition sponsors online forum; End the sanctions; more Confederate Memorials - New Virginia law sets stage for local struggles Some April Dates in History

By Phil Wilayto For THE VIRGINIA DEFENDER RICHMOND, VA, March 19 -- Cathy’s Camp, the tent city located outside Richmond’s cold weather shelter where scores of homeless people have lived since last August, is coming down. The camp began with just a few tents. It grew, and at its height sheltered around 130 people in about 125 tents, assisted by the all-volunteer nonprofit organization Blessing Warriors RVA. The irony of a tent city existing outside a closed homeless shelter was stunning. (The city shelter is only opened when the temperature drops below 40 degrees, even if it’s raining, snowing or flooding.) On Dec. 29, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services Reggie Gordon sent a letter to the camp saying they must leave, without setting an eviction date, but also without offering any alternative shelter. A meeting hosted Feb. 5 at the cold weather shelter by City Councilmember Ellen Robertson to discuss city homelessness policies drew more than 200 people...

The Virginia Defender, Winter 2020 Issue, Vol. 16, No. 1 Click here or the link above the image to view and download this issue.