Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Gov. McDonnell wants state to purchase site of Richmond's African Burial
Gov. McDonnell wants state to purchase site of Richmond's African Burial Ground; but parking lot will remain open, and memorialization would be controlled by those who neglected it
Special Report from The Virginia Defender
RICHMOND, Dec. 22 – Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell held a press conference today to announce what he described as a solution to the controversy surrounding Virginia Commonwealth University's continued use of the site of a historic Black cemetery for a parking lot.
Flanked by city and state officials, McDonnell announced that he is including in his proposed budget to the 2011 General Assembly a request for $3.3 million to be used to purchase the 2.5-acre site of Richmond's African Burial Ground from VCU, its present owner, with the intention of then turning the land over to the City of Richmond for memorialization.
A bill requesting the purchase and transfer is to be sponsored by Del. Delores McQuinn, the former Richmond City Councilwoman who still chairs council's Slave Trail Commission. Once the transfer is completed, the Commission would be in charge of its development. At the press conference, Del. McQuinn stated plans include a slavery museum and genealogy center.
The fact that this press conference took place at all is a victory for the community, however limited. As late as July 2009, most of those present were insisting the Burial Ground lay almost entirely under Interstate I-95, with only a 50-x-110-foot section extending under the parking lot. VCU set aside that small section of land for memorialization, an action immediately accepted by then-mayoral candidate Dwight Jones and Slave Trail Commission Chair Delores McQuinn. At that point, VCU and the city considered the matter closed. It has only been continuing community organizing and protest that has forced the city and state to acknowledge that the parking lot does in fact sit on the Burial Ground.
However, despite the plans announced today, cars will continue to be parked on the Burial Ground. Assuming Del. McQuinn's bill is successful, it won't take effect until July 1. This is unacceptable. The governor, the VCU Board of Visitors and VCU President Rao all have the authority right now to immediately order the closing of the Burial Ground parking lot, and yet they refuse to take this action. If it's wrong to park cars on a cemetery, then that practice must end immediately, not when it is physically or financially convenient.
Secondly, according to the governor's plan, the site's development would be left to public officials and agencies that have failed dismally in their responsibility to defend this historic site. Anything less than the full participation of the Black community in the planning and execution of the memorialization of the Burial Ground must be seen as unacceptable.
According to the governor, the responsibility for examining the site would fall to the Department of Historic Resources, while the authority to develop the site will belong to the Slave Trail Commission. It was the DHR that in 2008 issued a report claiming that all but a small section of the Burial Ground lies under present-day Interstate 95. That report was uncritically accepted by the Slave Trail Commission which has almost totally ignored the issue of the Burial Ground. In fact, the commission has yet to even issue a statement declaring its position on whether the site should be reclaimed and memorialized.
The site in question was used from approximately 1750 to 1816 as the only municipal cemetery for Black people in the Richmond area. Most of the hundreds if not thousands of people buried there were enslaved Africans or enslaved people of African descent. Because of Richmond's central role in the internal U.S. slave trade, it is likely that millions of Black Americans could be descended from the ancestors buried there. The cemetery was abandoned and forgotten until the early 1990s, when a local historian found a reference to a “Burial Ground for Negroes” on an old city map. Since then, many community organizations and activists have been demanding the land be reclaimed and properly memorialized.
On Dec. 16, 2010, community advocates held a press conference at the Burial Ground and read a list of actions that will unfold over the next few months. (See “An Open Letter to the VCU Board of Directors Concerning Richmond's African Burial Ground” in the latest issue of The Virginia Defender, posted at www.DefendersFJE.org.)
During today's press conference, Gov. McDonnell several times referred to the fact that, this April, Virginia will be in the national spotlight as the country begins its five-year commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the start of the U.S. Civil War. Because of this political pressure, it is very likely that the parking lot will eventually be closed and that some kind of memorialization will take place.
However, this in no way mitigates the fact that, for the foreseeable future, cars will continue to be parked on the final resting place of the ancestors. The responsibility lies with the government of Virginia, the state that spawned the system of chattel slavery, financially benefited from it more than any other, provided a home for the capital of the slavery-defending Confederacy and continues today to disrespect the African-American community.
The action plan announced on Dec. 16, including marches, rallies and civil disobedience, remains in place. The campaign to reclaim and properly memorialize Richmond's African Burial Ground goes on. The struggle continues.
###
Special Report from The Virginia Defender
RICHMOND, Dec. 22 – Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell held a press conference today to announce what he described as a solution to the controversy surrounding Virginia Commonwealth University's continued use of the site of a historic Black cemetery for a parking lot.
Flanked by city and state officials, McDonnell announced that he is including in his proposed budget to the 2011 General Assembly a request for $3.3 million to be used to purchase the 2.5-acre site of Richmond's African Burial Ground from VCU, its present owner, with the intention of then turning the land over to the City of Richmond for memorialization.
A bill requesting the purchase and transfer is to be sponsored by Del. Delores McQuinn, the former Richmond City Councilwoman who still chairs council's Slave Trail Commission. Once the transfer is completed, the Commission would be in charge of its development. At the press conference, Del. McQuinn stated plans include a slavery museum and genealogy center.
The fact that this press conference took place at all is a victory for the community, however limited. As late as July 2009, most of those present were insisting the Burial Ground lay almost entirely under Interstate I-95, with only a 50-x-110-foot section extending under the parking lot. VCU set aside that small section of land for memorialization, an action immediately accepted by then-mayoral candidate Dwight Jones and Slave Trail Commission Chair Delores McQuinn. At that point, VCU and the city considered the matter closed. It has only been continuing community organizing and protest that has forced the city and state to acknowledge that the parking lot does in fact sit on the Burial Ground.
However, despite the plans announced today, cars will continue to be parked on the Burial Ground. Assuming Del. McQuinn's bill is successful, it won't take effect until July 1. This is unacceptable. The governor, the VCU Board of Visitors and VCU President Rao all have the authority right now to immediately order the closing of the Burial Ground parking lot, and yet they refuse to take this action. If it's wrong to park cars on a cemetery, then that practice must end immediately, not when it is physically or financially convenient.
Secondly, according to the governor's plan, the site's development would be left to public officials and agencies that have failed dismally in their responsibility to defend this historic site. Anything less than the full participation of the Black community in the planning and execution of the memorialization of the Burial Ground must be seen as unacceptable.
According to the governor, the responsibility for examining the site would fall to the Department of Historic Resources, while the authority to develop the site will belong to the Slave Trail Commission. It was the DHR that in 2008 issued a report claiming that all but a small section of the Burial Ground lies under present-day Interstate 95. That report was uncritically accepted by the Slave Trail Commission which has almost totally ignored the issue of the Burial Ground. In fact, the commission has yet to even issue a statement declaring its position on whether the site should be reclaimed and memorialized.
The site in question was used from approximately 1750 to 1816 as the only municipal cemetery for Black people in the Richmond area. Most of the hundreds if not thousands of people buried there were enslaved Africans or enslaved people of African descent. Because of Richmond's central role in the internal U.S. slave trade, it is likely that millions of Black Americans could be descended from the ancestors buried there. The cemetery was abandoned and forgotten until the early 1990s, when a local historian found a reference to a “Burial Ground for Negroes” on an old city map. Since then, many community organizations and activists have been demanding the land be reclaimed and properly memorialized.
On Dec. 16, 2010, community advocates held a press conference at the Burial Ground and read a list of actions that will unfold over the next few months. (See “An Open Letter to the VCU Board of Directors Concerning Richmond's African Burial Ground” in the latest issue of The Virginia Defender, posted at www.DefendersFJE.org.)
During today's press conference, Gov. McDonnell several times referred to the fact that, this April, Virginia will be in the national spotlight as the country begins its five-year commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the start of the U.S. Civil War. Because of this political pressure, it is very likely that the parking lot will eventually be closed and that some kind of memorialization will take place.
However, this in no way mitigates the fact that, for the foreseeable future, cars will continue to be parked on the final resting place of the ancestors. The responsibility lies with the government of Virginia, the state that spawned the system of chattel slavery, financially benefited from it more than any other, provided a home for the capital of the slavery-defending Confederacy and continues today to disrespect the African-American community.
The action plan announced on Dec. 16, including marches, rallies and civil disobedience, remains in place. The campaign to reclaim and properly memorialize Richmond's African Burial Ground goes on. The struggle continues.
###
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Emergency Action! Protest To Show Solidarity With Striking Georgia State Inmates!
Emergency Action! Protest To Show Solidarity With Striking Georgia State Inmates!
Friday December 17, 2010
11:30am - 1:00pm
Richmond, Virginia Courthouse
701 E. Broad St.
Friday December 17, 2010
11:30am - 1:00pm
Richmond, Virginia Courthouse
701 E. Broad St.
To endorse this action please visit:
[ https://spreadsheets.google.
[ https://spreadsheets.google.
“A threat to justice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.” - Martin Luther King Jr
Not unlike the prisoners in the United States, the working class, without an organized Union, lose their rights granted to them by the U.S. Constitution. The moment you clock in, you are subject to the will of the employer, losing your individuality and status as a free human being. We immediately enter the realm of second class citizens, which should not be tolerated by any moral human being. Understanding that our second class status as a worker isn't far removed from that of the prisoner, the Richmond Industrial Workers of the World feel it is within our responsibility as fellow workers, to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Georgia state prison system, and echo their demands to retain their dignity and status as human beings:
“These conditions can be changed and the interest of the working class upheld only by an organization formed in such a way that all its members in any one industry (or in this case 'industrial complex'), or in all industries if necessary, cease work whenever a strike or lockout is on in any department thereof, thus making an injury to one, an injury to all.” - Industrial Workers of the World Preamble
The hereby undersigned stand in solidarity with the striking inmates in the Georgia State prison system. We urge the Georgia Department of Corrections (DOC) to recognize and respect the rights and demands set forth in the press release by the organized prisoners, and cease the brutal repression of their collective voice.
To endorse this action please follow this link!
[ https://spreadsheets.google.
[ https://spreadsheets.google.
Support The Largest Prison Strike in U.S. History!
On Thursday morning, December 9, 2010, thousands of Georgia prisoners refused to work, stopped all other activities and locked themselves down in their cells in a peaceful protest for their human rights. The 'December 9 Strike' became the biggest prisoner protest in the history of the United States.
Thousands of men, from Augusta, Baldwin, Hancock, Hays, Macon, Smith and Telfair State Prisons, among others, initiated this strike to press the Georgia Department of Corrections (“DOC”) to stop treating them like animals and slaves and institute programs that address their basic human rights. They set forth the following demands:
Thousands of men, from Augusta, Baldwin, Hancock, Hays, Macon, Smith and Telfair State Prisons, among others, initiated this strike to press the Georgia Department of Corrections (“DOC”) to stop treating them like animals and slaves and institute programs that address their basic human rights. They set forth the following demands:
·A LIVING WAGE FOR WORK: In violation of the 13thAmendment to the Constitution prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude, the DOC demands prisoners work for free.
·EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: For the great majority of prisoners, the DOC denies all opportunities for education beyond the GED, despite the benefit to both prisoners and society.
·DECENT HEALTH CARE: In violation of the 8thAmendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments, the DOC denies adequate medical care to prisoners, charges excessive fees for the most minimal care and is responsible for extraordinary pain and suffering.
·AN END TO CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS: In further violation of the 8thAmendment, the DOC is responsible for cruel prisoner punishments for minor infractions of rules.
·DECENT LIVING CONDITIONS: Georgia prisoners are confined in over-crowded, substandard conditions, with little heat in winter and oppressive heat in summer.
·NUTRITIONAL MEALS: Vegetables and fruit are in short supply in DOC facilities while starches and fatty foods are plentiful.
·VOCATIONAL AND SELF-IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: The DOC has stripped its facilities of all opportunities for skills training, self-improvement and proper exercise.
·ACCESS TO FAMILIES: The DOC has disconnected thousands of prisoners from their families by imposing excessive telephone charges and innumerable barriers to visitation.
·JUST PAROLE DECISIONS: The Parole Board capriciously and regularly denies parole to the majority of prisoners despite evidence of eligibility.
Despite that the prisoners’ protest remained non-violent, the Department of Corrections (DOC) violently attempted to force the men back to work—claiming it was “lawful” to order prisoners to work without pay, in defiance of the 13th Amendment’s abolition of slavery. In Augusta State Prison, six or seven inmates were brutally ripped from their cells by CERT Team guards and beaten, resulting in broken ribs for several men, one man beaten beyond recognition. This brutality continues there. At Telfair, the Tactical Squad trashed all the property in inmate cells. At Macon State, the Tactical Squad has menaced the men for two days, removing some to the “hole,” and the warden ordered the heat and hot water turned off. Still, today, men at Macon, Smith, Augusta, Hays and Telfair State Prisons say they are committed to continuing the strike. Inmate leaders, representing blacks, Hispanics, whites, Muslims, Rastafarians, Christians, have stated the men will stay down until their demands are addressed. One issuing this statement:
“…Brothers, we have accomplished a major step in our struggle…We must continue what we have started…The only way to achieve our goals is to continue with our peaceful sit-down…I ask each and every one of my Brothers in this struggle to continue the fight. ON MONDAY MORNING, WHEN THE DOORS OPEN, CLOSE THEM.DO NOT GO TO WORK. They cannot do anything to us that they haven’t already done at one time or another. Brothers, DON’T GIVE UP NOW. Make them come to the table. Be strong. DO NOT MAKE MONEY FOR THE STATE THAT THEY IN TURN USE TO KEEP US AS SLAVES….”
When the strike began, prisoner leaders issued the following call: “No more slavery. Injustice in one place is injustice to all. Inform your family to support our cause. Lock down for liberty!”
Please take a moment and call the following prison systems and declare your support for the striking inmates!
Georgia Department of Corrections (478) 992-5246
Macon State Prison (978) 472-3900
Hays State Prison (706) 857-0400
Telfair State Prison (229) 868-7721
Baldwin State Prison (478) 445-5218
Valdosta State Prison (229) 333-7900
Smith State Prison (912) 654-5000
Macon State Prison (978) 472-3900
Hays State Prison (706) 857-0400
Telfair State Prison (229) 868-7721
Baldwin State Prison (478) 445-5218
Valdosta State Prison (229) 333-7900
Smith State Prison (912) 654-5000
For more information on the 'December 9 Strike' please contact the following designated representatives:
Elaine Brown, 404-542-1211, sistaelaine@gmail.com;
Valerie Porter, 229-931-5348, lashan123@att.net;
Faye Sanders, 478-550-7046, reshelias@yahoo.com
For more information please contact:
Richmond Industrial Workers of the World • 804.496.1568 • richmondiww@gmail.com
Richmond Industrial Workers of the World • 804.496.1568 • richmondiww@gmail.com
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Buy Nothing Day!
Buy Nothing Day! Consumption Based Recovery?
How Does That Work?
For years, “Black Friday” has been viewed as a signifier for how the consumer interprets economic strength. The more you buy, the better off we must be in the grand scheme of a pending economic collapse. More or less, in this one day consumers will send a clear message to the corporations, banks, creditors, financiers, political leaders, etc... that we as a collective body, still believe in the capitalist system and a consumption-led recovery. That if they produce it, we will buy it. Even if we can't really afford it.
How will the economy strengthen from the point of consumption, when NOTHING is changing at the point of production?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment has increased from 5% in 2008 to 9% as of November 19, 2010. It's important to note that this statistic doesn't include those who haven't filed for unemployment benefits. And, the majority of working class Americans who do have a job, struggle with stagnant or poverty wages, no healthcare, sick pay, or job security, while employers continue to enjoy soaring profits.
There is enough wealth held by the richest 5% to pay the debts for all the working class who actually produce that wealth.
The truth of the matter is... we have become a service based economy, with a declining base of consumers in which to sustain it. In order for there to be any real economic recovery, we will need to strengthen the working class consciousness and begin closing the gap between those with, and those with out, eventually putting control of production into the hands of the workers.
Richmond Industrial Workers of World • 804.496.1568 • richmondiww@gmail.com • www.iww.org
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
TRUTH: Condominium Residents Around Monroe Park Care More About Their Financial Investments Than Humanity.
This morning the Richmond IWW shared an article written by Michael Paul Williams about the situation plaguing Richmond's homeless population if Monroe Park were to be closed. Below is a response from Paul Hammond who believes that "Almost no one in Richmond feels welcome or safe there now." and that "It should be a place were [sp] students lounge, play football and Frisbee, the community gathers for concerts and picnics and families bring their children to play." He thinks that, "It is none of those things now."
Where are the homeless in Paul Hammond's Monroe Park? He doesn't seem to think they belong there. He says, "Monroe Park and its neighbors have born the burden of misuse long enough. Creative plans are underway to provide alternate and improved service to the homeless."
As Michael Paul Williams article points out, the Conrad Center is hardly a solution, and there have not been any other brick and mortar solutions proposed that would be central public areas for the homeless to congregate between meal, shelter, and other services.
The bottom line is that, Monroe Park is a public space that belongs to everyone. The homeless should not be discriminated because a handful of powerful condominium invested residents find them to be an eyesore. There are other ways the issue of homelessness can be dealt with that does not require a direct attack on their rights as human beings.
PLEASE consider writing a letter to the editor of Times-Dispatch [ letters@timesdispatch.com ] in support of Michael Paul Williams great article to help offset letters like this one below.
Where are the homeless in Paul Hammond's Monroe Park? He doesn't seem to think they belong there. He says, "Monroe Park and its neighbors have born the burden of misuse long enough. Creative plans are underway to provide alternate and improved service to the homeless."
As Michael Paul Williams article points out, the Conrad Center is hardly a solution, and there have not been any other brick and mortar solutions proposed that would be central public areas for the homeless to congregate between meal, shelter, and other services.
The bottom line is that, Monroe Park is a public space that belongs to everyone. The homeless should not be discriminated because a handful of powerful condominium invested residents find them to be an eyesore. There are other ways the issue of homelessness can be dealt with that does not require a direct attack on their rights as human beings.
PLEASE consider writing a letter to the editor of Times-Dispatch [ letters@timesdispatch.com ] in support of Michael Paul Williams great article to help offset letters like this one below.
[ http://downtownrichmond.blogspot.com/2010/11/open- letter-to-michael-paul- williams.html ]
An Open Letter to Michael Paul Williams
Michael Paul William published his take on plans for Monroe Park in today's RTD. This letter was written in this context. You might want to read it before or after reading this.
Dear Mr. Williams,
It is very disappointing to read your article this morning regarding the homeless in Monroe Park. You in no way addressed the feelings of many people in this city that this is a misuse of one of Richmond’s great parks. You painted Mo Karn as a sympathetic reasonable character that she is not rather than the shrill, uncompromising activist that she is. You failed to mention the many resources and alternatives that are currently available to groups like Food Not Bombs. At the very least you have misinformed your readers by taking this simplistic approach to a complex problem. It is the easy and the low road which paints those who are working for a better future for the park and for the city as heartless and selfish. In this matter I take personal offense.
Did you even seek alternative points of view? Did you speak to Charles Samuels, the Daily Planet or Homeward? Did you mention the dozen or so churches and social service agencies downtown that serve the poor? Did you mention that Monroe Park is almost exclusively the province of the “homeless” and those whose mission it is to minister to them? Did you mention the significant part a renewed Monroe Park could play in the resurrection of the city? Almost no one in Richmond feels welcome or safe there now. It should be a place were students lounge, play football and Frisbee, the community gathers for concerts and picnics and families bring their children to play. It is none of those things now.
Monroe Park and its neighbors have born the burden of misuse long enough. Creative plans are underway to provide alternate and improved service to the homeless. Agencies for the first time may start working together to provide a holistic approach to getting people the help they need. I need to stop now before I say something unpleasant that misrepresents what I believe. Leave it to say I am very disappointed with your treatment of this issue.
Paul Hammond
Richmond, VA
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Keep Monroe Park Public: An Open Letter from the Richmond IWW
For more information and a complete back story refer to: http://monroecampaign.wordpress.com/
Dear City & Monroe Park Advisory Councils,
“There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people,” states the beginning of our labor union’s preamble. We, the Richmond members of the Industrial Workers of the World, feel that the renovation plans for Monroe Park, as they currently stand, will serve to exacerbate hunger and want in Richmond. We, as concerned citizens of the Richmond area and hardened activists and organizers, will not let this issue slip by without a struggle.
These renovation plans include fencing off the entire park for several months, and up to a year, denying access to all who depend on it, including the services provided there. This translates to the homeless being forced out of the park and dispersed into the VCU and Greater Richmond community, without concern for where they might await refuge in otherwise nearby shelters or sustenance via various meal programs that congregate there.
Where will the homeless find refuge? Those suffering from mental illnesses and other disabilities, in all likelihood will become increasingly vulnerable to arrests for trespassing because less empathetic campus residents and police do not want the homeless in public view.
With the incarceration rate for Richmond being well above the national average, there is cause for alarm when considering the risks that await Richmond's homeless population. The VCU police, according to their own reports, have made multiple arrests monthly for trespassing. We are willing to chance that many of the arrested individuals are in fact homeless and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and nothing more.
Once arrested, they will be taken to the Richmond City Jail, which witnessed controversy over the summer when an inmate, Grant R. Sleeper, died of heat exposure. It would also be worth mentioning that the jail is filled well past its maximum capacity. Do we really want to risk the lives of anyone else over such petty charges?
The church and community groups that serve Monroe Park patrons, homeless, unemployed, and financially stable alike, will have to relocate to other parks less central to needed services. Although many of the homeless will likely adjust to alternative locations, those with both physical and mental dissabilities will be at a disadvantage.
It has been proposed that meal programs relocate to the Conrad Center. However, the Conrad Center is geographically isolated and located in a valley involving steep hills, several miles away from temporary employment agencies, reliable public transportation, and other resources. How will those with physical disabilities get to and from the Conrad Center? How can they afford the transportation if they, as is often the case with the homeless, haven't any money?
Furthermore, the Conrad Center has anti-loitering policies, and lacks the capacity to serve the number of homeless that frequent the services provided in Monroe Park. The center, overlooked by two jails, can also be quite disconcerting for those who feel they are constantly being discriminated against due to their economic and social disposition. This proposal only serves to criminalize the homeless and place them out of sight, and out of mind.
Once renovations are complete, will the park return to normal? Will the homeless continue to be welcome in the park? The city’s master plan for the park includes the hiring of a private security firm to regulate, per the master plan, a ratio of 75:1, being the number of “non-homeless appearing” people to those who are “homeless appearing” in the park at any given time. This is a direct assault on the homeless, perpetuating a hostile and exclusive atmosphere that allows the systematic repression of the homeless, or those who “appear” homeless in our community.
Lastly, we would like to draw attention to the fact that the funds being used to renovate the park could be used more effectively towards ventures that would help create and sustain jobs and/or fill a $1.5 million dollar deficit that has plagued the public transit-dependent in the form of fare increases for GRTC services. The ability of the working poor to reach the places they need to be, at a minimal personal expense is more important than the ephemeral and aesthetic renovations of a public park.
The Richmond IWW asks, in solidarity with Food Not Bombs and the The Campaign to Keep Monroe Open and Public, that shall there be any renovation of Monroe Park, that at least two acres or 25 percent of Monroe Park (whichever is greater) be left open for the public during renovations. We also ask that charitable feeding programs be allowed during this time and post-renovation, and finally, that no private security firm be hired.
Sincerely,
Richmond Industrial Workers of the World
cc: Mayor Dwight C. Jones, Charles Samuels, Kathy Graziano, Ellen Robertson, Bruce Tyler, Chris Hilbert, Marty Jewell, Cynthia Newbille, Reva Trmmell, Doug Conner, Brian Ohlinger, Dave Clinger, Elinor Kuhn, James C. Hill, John Peters, Janice Nuckolls, Turk Sties, Alice Massie, Todd Woodson, Patricia Daniels, as wall as local and international media outlets.
Dear City & Monroe Park Advisory Councils,“There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people,” states the beginning of our labor union’s preamble. We, the Richmond members of the Industrial Workers of the World, feel that the renovation plans for Monroe Park, as they currently stand, will serve to exacerbate hunger and want in Richmond. We, as concerned citizens of the Richmond area and hardened activists and organizers, will not let this issue slip by without a struggle.
These renovation plans include fencing off the entire park for several months, and up to a year, denying access to all who depend on it, including the services provided there. This translates to the homeless being forced out of the park and dispersed into the VCU and Greater Richmond community, without concern for where they might await refuge in otherwise nearby shelters or sustenance via various meal programs that congregate there.
Where will the homeless find refuge? Those suffering from mental illnesses and other disabilities, in all likelihood will become increasingly vulnerable to arrests for trespassing because less empathetic campus residents and police do not want the homeless in public view.
With the incarceration rate for Richmond being well above the national average, there is cause for alarm when considering the risks that await Richmond's homeless population. The VCU police, according to their own reports, have made multiple arrests monthly for trespassing. We are willing to chance that many of the arrested individuals are in fact homeless and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and nothing more.
Once arrested, they will be taken to the Richmond City Jail, which witnessed controversy over the summer when an inmate, Grant R. Sleeper, died of heat exposure. It would also be worth mentioning that the jail is filled well past its maximum capacity. Do we really want to risk the lives of anyone else over such petty charges?
The church and community groups that serve Monroe Park patrons, homeless, unemployed, and financially stable alike, will have to relocate to other parks less central to needed services. Although many of the homeless will likely adjust to alternative locations, those with both physical and mental dissabilities will be at a disadvantage.
It has been proposed that meal programs relocate to the Conrad Center. However, the Conrad Center is geographically isolated and located in a valley involving steep hills, several miles away from temporary employment agencies, reliable public transportation, and other resources. How will those with physical disabilities get to and from the Conrad Center? How can they afford the transportation if they, as is often the case with the homeless, haven't any money?
Furthermore, the Conrad Center has anti-loitering policies, and lacks the capacity to serve the number of homeless that frequent the services provided in Monroe Park. The center, overlooked by two jails, can also be quite disconcerting for those who feel they are constantly being discriminated against due to their economic and social disposition. This proposal only serves to criminalize the homeless and place them out of sight, and out of mind.
Once renovations are complete, will the park return to normal? Will the homeless continue to be welcome in the park? The city’s master plan for the park includes the hiring of a private security firm to regulate, per the master plan, a ratio of 75:1, being the number of “non-homeless appearing” people to those who are “homeless appearing” in the park at any given time. This is a direct assault on the homeless, perpetuating a hostile and exclusive atmosphere that allows the systematic repression of the homeless, or those who “appear” homeless in our community.
Lastly, we would like to draw attention to the fact that the funds being used to renovate the park could be used more effectively towards ventures that would help create and sustain jobs and/or fill a $1.5 million dollar deficit that has plagued the public transit-dependent in the form of fare increases for GRTC services. The ability of the working poor to reach the places they need to be, at a minimal personal expense is more important than the ephemeral and aesthetic renovations of a public park.
The Richmond IWW asks, in solidarity with Food Not Bombs and the The Campaign to Keep Monroe Open and Public, that shall there be any renovation of Monroe Park, that at least two acres or 25 percent of Monroe Park (whichever is greater) be left open for the public during renovations. We also ask that charitable feeding programs be allowed during this time and post-renovation, and finally, that no private security firm be hired.
Sincerely,
Richmond Industrial Workers of the World
cc: Mayor Dwight C. Jones, Charles Samuels, Kathy Graziano, Ellen Robertson, Bruce Tyler, Chris Hilbert, Marty Jewell, Cynthia Newbille, Reva Trmmell, Doug Conner, Brian Ohlinger, Dave Clinger, Elinor Kuhn, James C. Hill, John Peters, Janice Nuckolls, Turk Sties, Alice Massie, Todd Woodson, Patricia Daniels, as wall as local and international media outlets.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
End VCU/MCV Parking on Richmond's African Burial Ground
End VCU/MCV Parking on Richmond's African Burial Ground
by: Kenneth Yates x370724
A place called Shockoe Bottom in Richmond, Virginia was once the center of the African slave trade in North America. However if you were to visit this area you would never know it. Beneath the night clubs, condominiums, office buildings, and streets lies a history grossly repressed by capitalist appetites for commercial development.
One hidden piece of history in particular lies beneath a parking lot publicly owned and utilized by the Virginia Commonwealth University & Medical College of Virginia staff and students.
In 1992 local historian and author Elizabeth Cann Kambourian, while researching for a book about a local slave rebellion leader named Gabriel, discovered something. Around 1800, inspired by the Haitian Revolution which was in full swing at the time, Gabriel plotted one of the most organized slave revolts in United States history. The plan was for hundreds of enslaved Africans, free Blacks and a few whites to to enter the city of Richmond, take the governor hostage and demand the abolition of slavery in Virginia. The revolt, however, was crushed after an intense 100 year storm flooded the area, making it impossible for Gabriel and his army to enter the city.
With information given by one of Gabriel's collaborators, the then Richmond Governor James Monroe formed a militia to hunt down Gabriel and his co-conspirators. Gabriel was eventually captured, tried and, on Oct. 10, 1800, executed at the town gallows, located in what was then called the Burial Ground for Negroes. At least 25 of his comrades met the same fate, either at the same site or in surrounding areas.
The burial ground was retired sometime around 1810, after hundreds, perhaps thousands of enslaved Africans had been buried there. The exact number is unknown. Before long the burial ground itself fell into obscurity, eventually buried beneath 10-20 feet of filler as the land took on many other uses over the years.
Kambourian discovered an old Richmond City map placing the African Burial Ground just north of 15th & Broad Street. That area is now partially covered by Interstate 95, with the remaining portion of the Burial Ground buried beneath a parking lot utilized by both VCU & MCV staff and students. The exact boundaries are yet to be determined.
The Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality have been fighting to reclaim this sacred ground from its present desecration. VCU & the City of Richmond have been aware of the history surrounding the Burial Ground since its discovery in 1992, however they have to this day done nothing to preserve and respect the dead residing there.
The Defenders have initiated an on-line letter writing campaign directed at VCU President Michael Rao, Richmond City Mayor Dwight C. Jones, & Virginia Governor Bob McDonell, demanding that they "End VCU / MCV Parking on Richmond's African Burial Ground."
Please visit [ http://tinyurl.com/275kzuj ] and sign or edit the following letter. If you are sending the e-mail on behalf of an organization, please also include your position in the group.
by: Kenneth Yates x370724
A place called Shockoe Bottom in Richmond, Virginia was once the center of the African slave trade in North America. However if you were to visit this area you would never know it. Beneath the night clubs, condominiums, office buildings, and streets lies a history grossly repressed by capitalist appetites for commercial development.
One hidden piece of history in particular lies beneath a parking lot publicly owned and utilized by the Virginia Commonwealth University & Medical College of Virginia staff and students.
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| Photo by: Kenneth Yates |
With information given by one of Gabriel's collaborators, the then Richmond Governor James Monroe formed a militia to hunt down Gabriel and his co-conspirators. Gabriel was eventually captured, tried and, on Oct. 10, 1800, executed at the town gallows, located in what was then called the Burial Ground for Negroes. At least 25 of his comrades met the same fate, either at the same site or in surrounding areas.
The burial ground was retired sometime around 1810, after hundreds, perhaps thousands of enslaved Africans had been buried there. The exact number is unknown. Before long the burial ground itself fell into obscurity, eventually buried beneath 10-20 feet of filler as the land took on many other uses over the years.
Kambourian discovered an old Richmond City map placing the African Burial Ground just north of 15th & Broad Street. That area is now partially covered by Interstate 95, with the remaining portion of the Burial Ground buried beneath a parking lot utilized by both VCU & MCV staff and students. The exact boundaries are yet to be determined.
The Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality have been fighting to reclaim this sacred ground from its present desecration. VCU & the City of Richmond have been aware of the history surrounding the Burial Ground since its discovery in 1992, however they have to this day done nothing to preserve and respect the dead residing there.
The Defenders have initiated an on-line letter writing campaign directed at VCU President Michael Rao, Richmond City Mayor Dwight C. Jones, & Virginia Governor Bob McDonell, demanding that they "End VCU / MCV Parking on Richmond's African Burial Ground."
Please visit [ http://tinyurl.com/275kzuj ] and sign or edit the following letter. If you are sending the e-mail on behalf of an organization, please also include your position in the group.
Dear Dr. Rao,
I urge you to immediately close the VCU-owned parking lot that covers Richmond's African Burial Ground, the city's oldest municipal cemetery for Black people.
It is now universally accepted that all or part of this historic site lies under the parking lot located at 15th and East Broad streets. It is unacceptable that Virginia Commonwealth University, a publicly funded state institution, continues to encourage commuters to park their cars on this sacred ground.
As Virginia prepares to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War and the beginning of the end of slavery, I urge you to do the right thing and remove this continuing stain on the reputation of all Virginians.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sustainable East End Development Suggestions for East End Vision
Sustainable East End Development
St. Stephens Koinonia Church
505 N. 33rd St Richmond, Virginia
richmondiww@gmail.com
804-873-3067
St. Stephens Koinonia Church
505 N. 33rd St Richmond, Virginia
richmondiww@gmail.com
804-873-3067
Dear Councilperson Cynthia Newbille, Ashley Peace and Juanita Buster,
In an effort to ensure that residents who are lower income and working poor have a continued and significant presence during the East End Transformation, the Richmond Industrial Workers of the World along side other affected community members have been organizing around relative issues under the banner of Sustainable East End Development (SEED)
SEED would like to extend our support for the East End Vision and the re-development of an area in Richmond that has been neglected for so long, and hope to collaborate beyond the East End Vision process. However, our concern is that redevelopment often leads to gentrification and the displacement of long term residents and community members who are on a fixed or low income.
For example, the majority of redevelopment in the Carver and Jackson Ward communities was around the interests of investors who had very little, if any commitment to the existing residents. Seemingly positive projects claiming beautification and opportunity moved forward without consideration for how increasing property values may affect residents on a fixed or low income. Before long, another working class community had been displaced by middle class interests.
What sort of measures are being taken to assure these patterns of irresponsibility will not continue with the East End Vision?
We believe that redevelopment should be sustainable and progressive. Rather than perpetuating a permanent underclass in which poverty is shuffled from one corner of the city to the next. Why not confront it and usher in opportunities that will help close the gap between those 'with', and those 'without'.
Please consider our concerns and the following proposed solutions which would provide for a more equitable redevelopment process for all involved.
- 50% of all labor involved in the construction of East End Vision related development should employ local area residents. All construction contracts, when applicable, should be awarded to minority businesses who are registered with the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise (VDMBE). Businesses must be at least 51%- owned and controlled by a socially and economically disadvantaged individual(s), who is a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted permanent resident of the U.S.
- A predetermined percentage of housing units built or modified should be made affordable for low income/fixed income residents and/or possible rent control instituted. We propose that this percentage be based on current research as well as a baseline survey of the 2010 existing housing cost. Alternative and affordable, or one-for-one replacement, accommodations in the immediate surrounding neighborhood shall be available for people displaced during re-development/renovation.
- In an effort to provide equitable and efficient public transportation for the Church Hill area, we propose the construction of a GRTC Transit/Transfer Center in the immediate area of 25th and Nine Mile Rd. With the inclusion of routes that run north/south and east/west across Church Hill. A local loop route could serve to ensure that the east end is readily accessible without dependence on a car.
- Food cooperative and distribution hub, encouraging foodstuffs bought locally and from local farmers when possible. A possible reuse of the abandoned 25th street grocery store as a distribution hub for smaller cooperatively owned and operated neighborhood grocery stores located throughout the area. Markets run as a co-operative would promote a local economy, where much of the profit stays within local circulation.
- In addition to a need for fueling stations and grocery stores, we also encourage the inclusion of pharmacies with extended hours through out Church Hill.
- Every neighborhood block, when at all possible, should have a parcel of land set aside for free space or community gardening, ie. one six by six plot per household. Local schools should incorporate extensively the tending of these gardens within their lesson plans and the planned trade school could provide landscaping assistance. Free space such as this would promote a healthy interactive community.
Sincerely,
Sustainable East End Development (SEED)
cc: Peter Paul Development Center, Mayor Dwight C. Jones, Partnership For Smarter Growth, RePHRAME, Church Hill People's News, Edloe's Pharmacy, Union Hill Civic Association, A.C.O.R.N.
Monday, September 27, 2010
"GRTC Rides Endowment" an RTRU Letter to Richmond Mayor & GRTC's CEO & Board of Directors
The Chairperson of the Board of Directors of GRTC Transit System and Ridefinders has called a special meeting to discuss and take action on initial funding for GRTC Rides Endowment at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, September 28, 2010, in the 3rd Floor Conference Room of GRTC Headquarters at 301 East Belt Blvd. [ http://ridegrtc.com/documents/2010_09_23%20GRTC%20Board%20Special%20Meeting%20Notice.pdf ]
The Richmond Transit Riders Union has formulated the following response to an initiative in which a foundation may be formed to subsidize fares for residents who qualify as working poor and lower income.
Richmond Transit Riders Union
220 West Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23220
richmondtru@gmail.com
Dear Mayor Dwight C. Jones, CEO John Lewis & GRTC Board of Directors,
The Richmond Transit Riders Union would like to commend Mayor Dwight C. Jones & GRTC's CEO John M. Lewis, on their interest towards insuring a public transportation system which stresses the importance of accessibility for residents who are low income and working poor.
However, we fear that a foundation designed to provide reduced fares will only perpetuate a permanent underclass and add another layer of bureaucracy which could otherwise be avoided.
Public transportation should not be expected to pay for itself, much less profit, thus should always be working toward providing an affordable or free public service through an infusion of tax payer money.
We propose returning fares to their previous state. With the $500,000 dollars intended by the Mayor to jump start the foundation's endowment, and the unused $1,000,000 GRTC has reserved for marketing, the $1.5 million dollar deficit could be closed today.
Furthermore, the increase in ridership over the last few months, and the anticipated sale of the former GRTC bus depot on Davis & Cary St., there should be more than enough funding to implement the suggestions outlined in the the Richmond Transit Rider Union's September 13, 2010 letter within the next year.
In the long term, we propose that a substantial effort be made by City Officials & GRTC toward supporting legislation that would potentially put everyone from the Greater Richmond region into the passenger seat of a GRTC bus.
Public tax dollars that pay for the maintenance and building of roads and services for private motor vehicles should be used to also create an affordable, sustainable, and useful public transportation system.
This includes insuring that public transportation in the Greater Richmond region is accessible, reliable and responsive with expanded service to job centers, medical care, social services, retail, and recreational/cultural offerings.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and please forward to the GRTC Board of Directors,
Richmond Transit Riders Union
cc: dwight.jones@richmondgov.com, Cheryl.Green@Richmondgov.com, Kathy.graziano@richmondgov.com, Ellen.robertson@richmondgov.com, bruce.tyler@richmondgov.com, charles.samuels@richmondgov.com, chris.hilbert@richmondgov.com, marty.jewell@richmondgov.com, cynthia.newbille@richmondgov.com, Reva.trammell@richmondgov.com, doug.conner@richmondgov.com, jlewis@ridegrtc.com
The Richmond Transit Riders Union has formulated the following response to an initiative in which a foundation may be formed to subsidize fares for residents who qualify as working poor and lower income.
Richmond Transit Riders Union
220 West Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23220
richmondtru@gmail.com
Dear Mayor Dwight C. Jones, CEO John Lewis & GRTC Board of Directors,
The Richmond Transit Riders Union would like to commend Mayor Dwight C. Jones & GRTC's CEO John M. Lewis, on their interest towards insuring a public transportation system which stresses the importance of accessibility for residents who are low income and working poor.
However, we fear that a foundation designed to provide reduced fares will only perpetuate a permanent underclass and add another layer of bureaucracy which could otherwise be avoided.
Public transportation should not be expected to pay for itself, much less profit, thus should always be working toward providing an affordable or free public service through an infusion of tax payer money.
We propose returning fares to their previous state. With the $500,000 dollars intended by the Mayor to jump start the foundation's endowment, and the unused $1,000,000 GRTC has reserved for marketing, the $1.5 million dollar deficit could be closed today.
Furthermore, the increase in ridership over the last few months, and the anticipated sale of the former GRTC bus depot on Davis & Cary St., there should be more than enough funding to implement the suggestions outlined in the the Richmond Transit Rider Union's September 13, 2010 letter within the next year.
In the long term, we propose that a substantial effort be made by City Officials & GRTC toward supporting legislation that would potentially put everyone from the Greater Richmond region into the passenger seat of a GRTC bus.
Public tax dollars that pay for the maintenance and building of roads and services for private motor vehicles should be used to also create an affordable, sustainable, and useful public transportation system.
This includes insuring that public transportation in the Greater Richmond region is accessible, reliable and responsive with expanded service to job centers, medical care, social services, retail, and recreational/cultural offerings.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and please forward to the GRTC Board of Directors,
Richmond Transit Riders Union
cc: dwight.jones@richmondgov.com, Cheryl.Green@Richmondgov.com, Kathy.graziano@richmondgov.com, Ellen.robertson@richmondgov.com, bruce.tyler@richmondgov.com, charles.samuels@richmondgov.com, chris.hilbert@richmondgov.com, marty.jewell@richmondgov.com, cynthia.newbille@richmondgov.com, Reva.trammell@richmondgov.com, doug.conner@richmondgov.com, jlewis@ridegrtc.com
Sunday, September 26, 2010
'GRTC Transit Study Task Force': A Richmond Transit Riders Union Open Letter
Dear Mayor Dwight C. Jones, Council Persons and CEO John M. Lewis Jr.,
In regards to Councilpersons Tyler & Conner's paper calling for a 'GRTC Transit Study Task Force' [Ord. No. 2010-173], the Richmond Transit Riders Union understands that a similar study has already been presented. We are concerned that another such study would be redundant.
The Greater Richmond Transit Company's 387 page 'Comprehensive Operations Analysis' [ http://ridegrtc.com/images/GRTC_Final_COA.pdf ] was conducted over a three year period from 2004 – 2007 outlining many strategies, trends, regional demographics, and grievances taken directly from the ridership.
Councilperson Tyler stated during the September 23, 2010 'Governmental Operations Committee' meeting that he had not yet read this analysis.
GRTC's study already contains valuable information and suggestions, even possible solutions that would help to increase ridership and move GRTC towards a more equitable and efficient public transportation system.
Before another 'Task Force' is considered, we ask that City Council and GRTC please look over this analysis and consider the suggestions echoed in the Richmond Transit Riders Union's September 13th, 2010 letter.
Thank you for your consideration,
Richmond Transit Riders Union
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