Richmond Free Press © 2018 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
VOL. 27 NO. 15
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
www.richmondfreepress.com
Evicted
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Flying Squirrels to observe Jackie Robinson Day at The Diamond A10
APRIL 12-14, 2018
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Workers pile onto the sidewalk the possessions of former residents of a home for the elderly on Chamberlayne Avenue during this March 2009 eviction.
Richmond ranks No. 2 nationally in displacing people from their homes and apartments by eviction By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Marcel Slag has been fighting evictions for 28 years as a lawyer with Central Virginia Legal Aid and its now independent Justice Center. But for him, it’s like sweeping against the tide. “It doesn’t make a dent,” he said. “It just seems to get worse.” He offered his comments Wednesday in the wake of a new study that ranks Richmond as No. 2 in the United States among
large-size cities when it comes to evictions. North Charleston, S.C., holds the No. 1 ranking. Four other Virginia cities are in the top 10, according to the study — Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk and Chesapeake. Mr. Slag and others already knew that evictions were a huge problem in Richmond based on their experience in the often clogged Richmond General District Court’s Civil Division, where landlords routinely go to seek approval to evict tenants from their homes and apartments. The study, conducted by so-
ciologist Matthew Desmond and the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, quantified the situation. The study provides data on a horrific problem that hammers the poor, with low-income African-Americans among those who are disproportionately affected. Dr. Desmond’s lab collected tens of millions of court records to provide the first comprehensive look at evictions, a subject Please turn to A4
J.E.B. Stuart Elementary headed for a new name By Ronald E. Carrington
officials said. “In my discussion with the city, it is my preference that we start off all four schools at the same time knowing that the middle and high schools will take longer to complete,” Superintendent Jason Kamras
The Richmond School Board signaled its intent to rename J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School, is named for a Confederate cavalry leader. The board voted 8-1 at its meeting Monday to hold a 30day public comment period on renaming the school at 3101 Fendall Ave. in North Side, and that the names of schools throughout the district need to be reviewed. Board member Jonathan Young, 4th District, was the lone dissenting vote. “The residents of the city acknowledge that we have a truly evil past and that we, as a people, are to learn from that past,” he told the Free Press following the meeting. “I think that it is important that we always tell that story, as painful as it is, and not whitewash nor celebrate that dark period in our history.” Board member Kenya Gibson, 3rd District, said during the meeting that while students need to learn about the past, the school’s name should be changed. “J.E.B. Stuart comes from a segregated past that Richmond comes from,” she said. “To truly do justice for our students, we have to a have a positive name and matching facilities that will provide the best educational experience.” Tom Hartmen, who spoke during the meeting’s public comment period, urged the board to change the name of the school. “Take a stand for future generations. Take a stand for what is right and lead in a new direction.” The board said there will be no fewer than two public
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Courtesy of Rep. A. Donald McEachin’s Office
All in for STEM
Photos by Clement Britt
Richmond Public Schools students see that learning — and an immersion in the sciences and STEM fields — can be fun through a bevy of activities during the past week. Students from RPS and Peter Paul Development Center in Richmond’s East End tour the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton on April 5 with Henrico Delegate Lamont Bagby and Congressman A. Donald McEachin to get a look at advances in aeronautics and aerospace exploration. On Tuesday, more than 400 RPS elementary and middle school students participate in hands-on learning involving STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — concepts at the Siegel Center at Virginia Commonwealth University. Left, Ladamian Jones, a fifth-grader at Carver Elementary, works on a task using a virtual reality headset, while above, Sun Trust volunteer Jerry Ahiable directs Kingston Jackson, a fifth-grader at Chimborazo Elementary, through a mini-lesson.
Mayor on hook for school modernization plan with charter change signing By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Mayor Stoney
Just a year ago, it was only an idea. Now it’s the law. Backed by a unanimous legislature, Gov. Ralph S. Northam has signed a new charter measure for Richmond that will require
Mayor Levar M. Stoney to come up with a fully funded plan for modernizing every city school without a tax increase or explain why he cannot. Paul Goldman, the political strategist who drafted the measure, led the campaign to get it on the ballot last fall when it won
voter support and lobbied for its passage in the legislature. He said, “The mayor must at least try.” Speaking at a press conference last Friday, Mr. Goldman said that the goal of the legislaPlease turn to A4
School Board moves on plan for 4 new schools By Ronald E. Carrington
The Richmond School Board has started the process to replace four aging school buildings, three in South Side and one in Church Hill. At its meeting Monday night, the board voted to direct the city to issue requests for proposals by
May 1 for new buildings to replace George Wythe High School, Elkhardt-Thompson Middle and E.S.H. Greene Elementary in South Side and George Mason Elementary in Church Hill. Construction would start by April 1, with the two elementary schools opening by mid-August 2020 and the middle and high schools in August 2021,
From hoops to music, Cornell Jones still playing to win By Fred Jeter
Cornell Jones may have lost the hops that made him such an exciting basketball performer, but his distinctive soulful voice remains a Richmond treasure. Despite the passing decades and multiple knee surgeries, Mr. Jones’ deep, deep bass-baritone style hasn’t lost its appeal since his vocal beginnings at Jackson Ward’s Greater Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. Steve Bassett, co-author of Virginia’s contemporary state song, “Sweet Virginia Breeze,” and a longtime musical partner of Mr. Jones, said, “Cornell is a gospel, Southern soul phenomena.” Mr. Bassett on organ, and Please turn to A5
Bonnie V. Winston/Richmond Free Press
Confederate flag replaced at Riverview Cemetery By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Courtesy of Steve Bassett Music Co.
Former Maggie Walker standout athlete Cornell Jones, left, and Steve Bassett play to the crowd at an area performance.
A Confederate flag flying in Riverview Cemetery in Richmond’s West End has been replaced with a new banner — the Christian flag, a white banner with a red cross centered in a small, blue square in the flag’s top left corner. The change was made after the Richmond Free Press, in its April 5-7 edition, featured a photo of a Confederate flag flying in the city-owned cemetery under the headline, “Why is it flying?” The initial flag spotted at Riverview Cemetery is a replica of the original national flag of the Confederacy and its first battle flag. It also is the official banner of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which owns the section in the city cemetery on which Please turn to A5