December 18-20, 2014 edition by Richmond Free Press

Dressed to be blessed

VCU grads

Richmond Free Press

VOL. 23 NO. 51

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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DECEMBER 18-20, 2014

Joe down for count Lawmakers call for his resignation By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Is Delegate Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey an innocent man who took a plea deal because he feared a jury would convict him? Or is he a guilty man who accepted a sweet deal to avoid a long prison stretch for having an illegal sexual relationship with an underage receptionist who worked at his law office? It depends on whom you ask. There are some certainties in this high-profile case that has been an attention-grabber for nearly 18 months: Delegate Morrissey did accept a deal. Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press The 57-year-old lawyer-politician entered an Alford plea Dec. 12, a form of a guilty plea in which he maintains his innocence while acknowledging the prosecution has enough evidence to convict him. Delegate Joe Morrissey of Henrico County addresses the congregation Sunday at New Delegate Morrissey was convicted, but solely on a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the Kingdom Christian Ministries in Highland Park as the church’s pastor, the Rev. Leonidas Young II, left, listens. Rev. Young, a former Richmond mayor, served time in prison after delinquency of a minor. Immediately, he was taken from the Henrico County Circuit Court to being convicted in 1999 of fraud and influence peddling. jail. He is now serving three months in Henrico County Jail-East in New Kent County. He was actually sentenced to 12 months, with six months suspended. But typical of others in jail, he only must serve half the time. Who is Myrna Pride, the Today, Delegate Morrissey teenager at the center of the is sleeping at the jail, but is By Jeremy M. Lazarus sex scandal case involving on work release. According Henrico Delegate Joseph Embattled Judge Birdie Hairston Jamito Henrico Sheriff Michael L. D. “Joe” Morrissey? son defended her record on the Richmond Wade, Delegate Morrissey is By her own description, General District Court and urged skeptical allowed to spend 12 hours a she is an ambitious young legislators to re-elect her to a new term. day conducting his law pracwoman who once dreamed “I want to be able to continue doing tice, meeting constituents and of becoming a lawyer, but the great job that I have been doing,” the doing business at his General no longer does after her 57-year-old jurist told a panel from the House experience. Assembly office at the State She said when she and Senate Courts of Justice committees Capitol in Downtown. attended Monacan High considering whether to recommend her for Another certainty is that DelSchool, she was one of re-election to a fresh six-year term. egate Morrissey’s plea agreement three Chesterfield County During her interview last Friday evening, with special prosecutor William students accepted into Judge Jamison pushed back against unfaF. Neely — and which was aca monthlong summer vorable results from a confidential survey cepted by Judge J. Martin Bass of program Stanford Law of lawyers who have appeared before her Stafford County, a retired judge School offers for aspiring in the past 12 months. hearing the case — brought to a lawyers. She also said The surveys are a new evaluation tool screeching halt his trial on four she was an honor roll the committees appear to be relying on student taking Advanced felony charges related to his Placement courses and in making their decisions, despite Judge relationship with the teen. She is Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press graduated from Monacan Jamison and several lawmakers questioning identified in the plea agreement Judge Birdie Hairston Jamison gets hugs from well-wishers following her in three years. the credibility of results. as Myrna Pride. Now 18 and pregnant, “I cannot reconcile these results with appearance before the judicial selection committees last Friday. The charges stem from auaccording to the special what goes on in my courtroom,” Judge the largest entourage of support for any of the new survey program. And Judge Jamison, thorities finding a nude photo of prosecutor in the case, Ms. Jamison said in decrying the use of a the 32 sitting judges who appeared before the only Richmond judge facing re-election, the young woman on his and her survey of “anonymous lawyers” to justify the panel last week. Please turn to A4 cell phones and text messages ranked at the bottom in the results. ending her 23-year tenure. No decisions were made; that will Richmond Delegate G. Manoli Loupassi, supporting the prosecution’s She said she has heard more than a happen when the General Assembly re- who chairs the House judicial selection case that the delegate and the 17-year-old were lovers. million cases since her appointment to the convenes Jan. 14. Both the House and subcommittee, chaired the interview panel. However, despite appearances, the plea deal did not settle the bench in 1991 and never had a complaint Senate committees must endorse a judge He was among members who expressed question of whether he had sex with the teen before she was 18. about her conduct referred to the state’s in order for the judge’s nomination to go concern about the high percentage of Mr. Neely has no doubts. In an email to the Free Press, he judicial review commission. before the full body for re-election. attorneys who rated Judge Jamison as stated, “I agreed to this plea deal because it compelled narcisShe noted her docket regularly includes Judge Jamison is rated a long shot, at needing improvement in such areas as sistic Joe Morrissey to publicly admit for the first time to his hundreds of cases, but she said she does her best, to win a new term, along with sev- fairness, consistency and respect. criminal conduct; and it sent him directly to jail; and given his best to be fair, patient and respectful. eral other circuit and district court judges During the interview, Delegate Loupassi long disciplinary record and that contributing is a crime of moral At least 50 people, including several among the 33 in Virginia whose terms are repeatedly said being a “judge is a privi- turpitude in Virginia, it will also likely cost him both his law attorneys, packed the hearing room in a up in 2015. Please turn to A4 Please turn to A4 show of support for Judge Jamison. It was Only 20 judges were evaluated through

Judge defends record

Who is Myrna Pride?

VSU’s Protesters, parents of slain men take to streets Scott heads to NSU Free Press staff, wire reports

By Fred Jeter

Virginia State University football coach Latrell Scott is packing his bags — this time for a move to Norfolk State University. After two uplifting seasons at VSU, where he sparked the Trojans football team to new heights, the well-traveled Scott will succeed Pete Adrian at NSU. Scott’s latest move from an institution in the CIAA to one in MEAC marks the ninth school where Scott will have worked since becoming Please turn to A4

Paulette Singleton/Richmond Free Press

A sea of protesters march down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the U.S. Capitol in Washington during Saturday’s “Justice for All” rally and march against police killings.

Demonstrations against the killing of unarmed black men by white officers continue across the nation, with more than 10,000 people of all ages and races marching, chanting and carrying signs of protest at a major rally Saturday in Washington. Separate rallies in New York City, Boston, San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., drew thousands more in the latest waves of voices calling for an end to disparate and brutal treatment by law enforcement. The protests swept into churches on Sunday as congregations across the country stood in unity against the senseless violence. Richmond-area high school students, college undergraduates and medical students across the country staged “die-ins” and other protests over the past week, while demonstrators gathered on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The diverse array of protests were fueled by the rage that is sweeping the country over the senseless killings and the lack of safeguards for ordinary citizens against an increasingly hostile criminal justice system. The Washington “Justice for All” march was organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton and his National Action Network, with participation from numerous other civil rights groups such as the NAACP and the National Urban League. Demonstrators streamed down Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S. Capitol, shouting “Black lives matter,” Hands up! Don’t shoot!” and “I can’t breathe” to call attention to the recent deaths of Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y., Michael Brown Jr. in Ferguson, Mo., and 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio. The peaceful march was led by families of the slain and drew a diverse group of demonstrators — black, white, Latino, Asian, young and elderly. Please turn to A4

Richmond Free Press

December 18-20, 2014

Local News

Groundbreaking for new Virginia Treatment Center for Children For the first time in decades, the Brook Road campus of the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) is being expanded. The new addition: A modern mental health center aimed at meeting the special needs of teens and children, ranging from mental illness and depression to autism, attention deficit disorder and behavior issues. Last Friday, ground was broken on the $56 million facility. It will replace the 50-year-old Virginia Treatment Center for Children at 10th and East Leigh streets in Downtown, according to the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, which is undertaking the work. This is just one of the changes VCU is undertaking for CHoR. More than $150 million is being spent to develop the state’s largest pediatric outpatient center next door to City Hall. And Tuesday, CHoR announced it had received a $28 million donation to establish a pediatric cardiac surgery program in Richmond, ensuring round-the-clock treatment for children with heart problems. The money, the largest single gift in CHoR’s history, is coming from the Children’s Hospital Foundation, it was announced. The foundation, CHoR’s biggest supporter, has previously provided $30 million that has allowed CHoR to hire 40 pediatric specialists, open a pediatric emergency room and proceed with the new psychiatric center on Brook Road. The new mental health center is expected to take nearly three years to complete. It will have 32 beds for inpatient service and offer a full range of outpatient services when it opens. The existing center now reports providing 950 inpatient admissions annually for children between the ages of 3 and 17 and having 7,600 outpatient visits. Those numbers are expected to grow when the new center — part of the campus at 2924 Brook Road — opens in the fall of 2017. VTCC’s research arm also will be housed in the new building. The need for a modern psychiatric facility for children has been well documented. According to state figures, 85,000 to 105,000 children and teens are in need of mental health treatment. Bed shortages for children with the most severe problems are not unusual. The General Assembly approved the project in 2012, and the state Department of Health issued the crucial certificate of approval a few months ago. Dr. Alexandria “Sandy” Lewis, executive director of VTCC, said VCU worked with staff, nearby neighbors, private donors and the state in developing the plans. The new facility “will enhance VTCC’s role of providing children’s behavioral health services,” said Dr. Sheldon Retchin, outgoing chief executive officer for the VCU Health System. Children served by VTCC come from across Virginia, with almost half coming from outside the Metropolitan Richmond area. — JEREMY M. LAZARUS

City wants recycling to be residents’ first choice Up with recycling, down with trash. That slogan sums up the proposed overhaul of Richmond’s trash collection as the city seeks to become a model in raising the amount of paper, glass and metal steered into reuse and reducing the amount of refuse that gets sent to landfills. As part of the change, the city hopes to move to a pay-asyou-throw approach, under which residents would pay a lower monthly fee for trash collection if they increase their recycling and cut back on how much they toss. Currently, every city utility customer pays $17.50 a month for trash collection. The Free Press reported in September that such changes were being considered. In a first step, the city is proposing to use a $589,000 grant that Richmond was awarded in August for a pilot program involving nearly 6,000 utility customers. The grant includes $350,000 to buy and give 96-gallon Supercan-size recycling containers to each of those customers, $70,000 to educate and promote recycling and $139,000 in inkind services. Richmond is one of three cities to be offered inaugural grants from the Southeast Recycling Development Council and the nonprofit Curbside Value Partnership Inc. to expand recycling. Louisville, Ky., and Columbia, S.C., are the others. However, City Council must vote to accept the grant. A council committee, Governmental Operations, put off consideration when it cancelled its scheduled meeting for 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18. Acceptance of the grant would require the city to commit to expanding the pilot program to all of the city’s 61,495 residential units by July 2017. The city would need to spend an estimated $3.45 million, including the grant, to provide 96-gallon recycling containers to all of those units without charge. During this period, the city also would seek to inaugurate pay-as-you-throw to encourage residents to only throw into trash items that cannot be recycled. Instead of distributing standard Supercans for trash collection, the city’s goal would be to offer small- and medium-size trash containers, charging residents who use the smaller containers less than those continuing to use Supercans. The incentive for the city: Reduced landfill costs. Officials said the city also would receive a credit for each ton of recycled material sent to the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority and its contractor. During the 12-month period between July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014, the city collected about 84,000 tons of refuse to go to the landfill, compared with the 3,700 tons of recycled material picked up from curbs and drop-off sites. The goal of the new program is to make recycling the first choice of residents. — JEREMY M. LAZARUS

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Cityscape

Skaters gracefully glide across the ice in the glow of holiday lights during Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ free skate night Dec. 10 at RVA on Ice in Downtown. The ﬁrst 150 skaters to arrive at the rink in the 600 block of East Broad Street didn’t have to pay. Members of the Mayor’s Youth Academy were special guests at the event. The Richmond Police Athletic League Youth Band provided entertainment. Information and holiday hours for the public rink: www.rvaonice. net or (804) 592-3400.

Slices of life and scenes in Richmond z18

Open Until 6PM pm Christmas Eve. Closed Christmas Day.

December 17 - December 24, 2014

MERRY

Christmas

17 LB

my essentials Shank Portion Ham Without MVP Card $2.59 LB

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5 Lb. Box

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197 LB

my essentials Spiral Ham Without MVP Card $2.79 LB Limit 2

Frozen Turkey Breast

2 $5

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FOR

In the BAKERY Bakery

12 Oz. - Select Varieties

King's Hawaiian Rolls Without MVP Card $3.99 EA

79¢

15.25-15.5 Oz. - Select Varieties

Del Monte Pineapple Without MVP Card $1.39 EA

3 Lb. Bag

Granny Smith or Red Delicious Apples Without MVP Card $3.79 EA

Value Pack

6-8 Oz. - All Varieties

79¢

Campbell's Cream of Chicken or Mushroom Soup

14.5-15.25 Oz. - Select Varieties

93% Lean Ground Beef

FOR

Without MVP Card $5.19 LB

Kraft Shredded or Cabot Chunk Cheese Without MVP Card Regular Retail

8.8-13.7 Oz. - Select Varieties

Nabisco Ritz Crackers Without MVP Card $4.59 EA

Limit 2 Free

10 Lb. Bag

Russet Potatoes

Without MVP Card $5.49 EA

Food Lion 41-50 Ct. Shell-On Raw Shrimp

10.5 Oz. - Select Varieties

Without MVP Card $1.39 EA

Without MVP Card $9.49 EA

10-12 Oz. - Select Varieties

Doritos Tortilla Chips Without MVP Card $4.29 EA

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16.5-17.6 Oz. - Select Varieties

6 Ct. - Select Varieties

Cupcakes

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Duncan Hines Cake Mix

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Green Giant Canned Vegetables Without MVP Card $1.29 EA

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Kraft Deluxe or Velveeta Shells & Cheese Dinner Without MVP Card 2/$5

Richmond Free Press

December 18-20, 2014

Local News

Victims of violence Those who lost someone to violence had a chance to publicly remember their loved ones last week at City Hall. The Coalition Against Violence held its 24th annual memorial service for families and friends of homicide victims Dec. 11. Donald Earley, who lost his brother, Noel, to violence in 1999, sculpted a commemorative statue to honor his brother and other victims of violence. The statue is displayed in the lobby of City Hall, where loved ones placed ribbons at the sculpture’s base during the somber and moving ceremony. Richmond Police Chief Ray Tarasovic spoke at the memorial, which included music by gospel singer Jewell Booker.

Photos by James Haskins/Richmond Free Press

John Burnley, left, lost his daughter, Juanita Burnley, to homicide in 2007. Mr. Burnley attended the memorial with his grandson, Quinton Washington, right, Ms. Burnley’s son.

City registrar urges caution in replacing voting machines By Jeremy M. Lazarus

J. Kirk Showalter recalls that it took a year to select, buy and have new voting machines ready for election use the last time Richmond went through the process in 2004. That’s why Ms. Showalter, the city’s voter registrar, is concerned about Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s rush to buy and put in place new digital scan voting machines for precincts in Richmond and the rest of the state in time for the Nov. 3 general election. “Unless Virginia undertakes this purchase in a considered way, we could end up buying a pig in the poke that creates more problems than it solves,” Ms. Showalter said. She offered her views in the wake of Gov. McAuliffe’s announcement Monday that he would seek General Assembly authority to borrow $28 million to pay for new voting machines for 2,166 precincts. They would replace old digital scan and touch-screen equipment like that used in Richmond’s 66 voting precincts.

The governor wants the new machines in place by Aug. 1, in time to be used next November when all 140 seats in Virginia’s House and Senate are up for election. New machines would allow Virginia to be ready for a successful count in the 2016 presidential elections, Ms. Showalter when voter turnout peaks, he indicated. The new machines would scan paper ballots that voters fill out by hand. The governor noted that 49 localities reported problems with aging voting equipment during the Nov. 4 election, when U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner beat his Republican challenger by just 17,727 votes. “The problems Virginia encountered on Election Day were unacceptable,” Gov. McAuliffe stated in announcing his proposal to “replace all legacy voting equipment in the commonwealth with state-

of-the-art machines that have paper trails.” His proposal tackles a little noticed problem — aging voting machines that Richmond and other localities were considering replacing at high expense. Ms. Showalter is delighted that the governor is proposing to fund the change, but she’s concerned about the pace. For example, she said the governor did not disclose the make and model of the digital scan machines the state plans to purchase. “There are many different kinds available. Some are better than others,” she said, noting that the most significant changes in the official results during recounts in 2009 and 2013 occurred in localities that already were employing digital scan equipment. She expressed concern that the governor’s Aug. 1 push would mean the state would have to rush through the procurement process. She also suggested the governor’s attempt to push the process would limit the state’s choices of manufacturers with the capacity to fulfill the

Richmond is on a

RoLL.

state’s large order. And if the governor’s plan is approved and the machines are delivered by the deadline, she wonders if there will be time to ensure the machines are properly tested before being put in service, that precinct officials are properly trained in their operation and the public educated on their use by Election Day. “If this purchase plan is approved, we’ll twist ourselves like pretzels to make it work,” she said, but she said she is hoping the legislature will consider the potential for problems in implementing a rushed timeline. Richmond’s current touch-screen machines were purchased in 2004 with federal funding and were put to use in 2005. Voters literally touch a screen displaying a ballot to select and vote for a candidate. The General Assembly later outlawed touchscreen machines because they could not produce a paper trail. Ms. Showalter is not permitted to replace any of her inventory of 497 touch-screen machines that break down with similar equipment.

The City of Richmond is excited to announce we’re increasing our recycling efforts through our new CART program. In January 2015, 6000 homes will receive a new 95-gallon recycling cart. Postcards are being sent to alert residents of the selected homes. If you didn’t receive one, don’t be concerned; carts will be delivered to all Richmond single-family homes and dwellings with four or fewer units between July and December 2015. Pickup days, times and locations will remain the same, you’ll just be able to recycle more, which is good for our City and the environment. Even better, you’ll also be able to earn rewards for recycling too! Find out more at recyclingperks.com

So get ready to roll, Richmond! S! GREAT NEW been n route has Your collectio of the first to one selected as new in Richmond’s participate launching ram prog recycling . in January 2015 ! is coming soon ction day Your new cart her-week colle } Same every-ot trash) up (with your at } Alley pick cling recy for } Earn Rewards perks.com www.recycling

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For more information or for the most current list of recyclables

visit cvwma.com or call 804-340-0900.

For more information visit: www.Richmondgov.com/RichmondRecycles

For more information or for the most current list of recyclables

visit cvwma.com or call 804-340-0900.

Richmond Free Press

A4 December 18-20, 2014

News

Binford Middle School to have new life, programs By Joey Matthews

The Richmond School Board has taken a dramatic first step under Superintendent Dana T. Bedden in its bid to overhaul the city’s eight underperforming middle schools. The board voted 6-3 Monday to convert Binford Middle School into a combined fine arts school and center for college preparation in reading and math called College SpringBoard. The plan tendered by board member Jeffrey M. Bourne, 3rd District, also calls for current Binford students to be given the option of remaining at the revamped school in the fall of 2015. The board also asked Dr. Bedden’s administration to craft curriculum and transportation options for Binford by the board’s meeting on Monday, Jan. 20. Dr. Bedden had urged a corrective plan be implemented at Binford, which he said is on the brink of losing its state accreditation because of low scores by Binford students on the state’s Standards of Learning tests. The school, which

has grades six through eight, also has an enrollment well below the building’s capacity. “I feel like we’re moving in the right direction,” School Board Chairman Donald Coleman told the Free Press after the vote. “All we’ve done is plant the seed that creates the opportunity for the school to be successful based on the model we’ve selected. It’s still going to take tremendous community buy-in for the school to be successful.” Board vice chair Kristen Larson, 4th District, also praised the two-pronged improvement plan at Binford. “I think it’s exciting,” she told the Free Press. “I’d love to go there with the arts program coming in. We had to do something, and I think this is a great solution.” She said the board had no choice but to take dramatic action to address the “crisis” in the city’s middle schools. Currently, six of the city’s eight middle schools — Binford, Albert Hill, Elkhardt, Henderson, Lucille Brown and Martin Luther King

Joe down for count Continued from A1

license and seat in the House.” But Delegate Morrissey is equally adamant that he is innocent — that he did not have sex with the girl when she was 17, but could not afford the risk of a trial. On Sunday, after attending a service at New Kingdom Christian Ministries in Richmond, he told reporters he accepted the plea on the advice of his legal team. “They said, ‘Joe, this is not the best climate to go to trial with 12 strangers. You’ll be in a position of saying, I’m a lawyer, I’m a politician, trust me.’ The risk of trial was huge. “I have a 2-year-old daughter, Kennedy — the joy of my life,” he continued. “My lawyers said it’s not worth the risk. “My lawyers assured me that you’ll still have your day in court in a civil trial,” he said. “My lawyers promised me that everything … will come out. I just want my day in court to put on our evidence, to put on our tape recordings and let the public hear. “And so, I entered in that plea, which allowed me to go to work and defend people, and allowed me to do my business in the General Assembly.” And based on information in the plea agreement Mr. Neely filed with the court, there is room for reasonable doubt. The agreement spells out the strong circumstantial case that Mr. Neely planned to present. But it also spells out a strong defense that Delegate Morrissey planned to mount. That defense was to include testimony from Ms. Pride, now 18, that they did not have sex while she worked for him or when she went to his home. And his case also was to include evidence that his cell phone, and the cell phone of Ms. Pride were hacked by her former girlfriend who he said placed and texted nude images of Ms. Pride on both phones. Delegate Morrissey’s plea has triggered a torrent of calls for him to resign from office — including from the governor, attorney general and fellow Democrats in the General Assembly — and threats of expulsion from the House if he does not. As of the Free Press deadline Wednesday night, he had not announced his decision on whether he would step down. Several people, including Henrico School Board member Lamont Bagby, have announced plans to run for his seat. Delegate Morrissey is expected to announce his decision on Thursday, Dec. 18. His future as a lawyer also could be in jeopardy. Mr. Neely has sent the case to the Virginia State Bar, the regulatory body for attorneys that has indicated an interest in going after Delegate Morrissey’s law license for bringing disrepute on the legal profession. Delegate Morrissey, a former Richmond commonwealth’s attorney, has a checkered past and only regained his law license two years ago. He was disbarred in 2003 and returned to practice in 2012 on a split 4-3 decision of the state Supreme Court, which overruled the bar and restored his license. In his press conference at the church on Sunday, Delegate Morrissey summed up his situation using a quote from his favorite author, Oscar Wilde: “‘The only difference between saints and sinners is that all saints have a past and all sinners have a future.’ I think I have a little bit of both.”

Who is Myrna Pride? Continued from A1 Pride told the Free Press on Wednesday that she has moved to Lawrenceville, Ga., and is enrolled online at John Tyler Community College and taking courses in psychology. In a letter she provided to the Free Press, she backs up Delegate Morrissey’s assertion that they did not have sex while she was a minor. She stated that she repeatedly told that to police. She said she first met Delegate Morrissey while working for a local podiatrist. He was there, she said, for treatment of a foot-related injury. Later, she stated, she applied for a receptionist job at Delegate Morrissey’s law firm after seeing an online ad. According to Ms. Pride, she lied to the office manager about her age, stating she was 22 over the phone, in her resumé and on the application she filled out. She said she worked for the firm for only three weeks before the incidents in question unfolded. She told the Free Press she did not disclose her age to Delegate Morrissey until Aug. 23, 2013, the night she met with him at his Henrico home about a financial dispute involving her father, Coleman Pride. She stated that when police arrived at Delegate Morrissey’s house — they had been called to the home by her father, she said — her mother told police she knew of her daughter’s visit and why. She writes in her letter about fractured relationships with her father, a sister and her former girlfriend, who she said was jealous of her relationship with Delegate Morrissey. Ms. Pride stated she plans to testify in any civil lawsuit to help Delegate Morrissey “restore both his name and reputation.” William F. Neely, the special prosecutor in the criminal case against Delegate Morrissey, has said that Ms. Pride is pregnant and that Delegate Morrissey is “perhaps” the father. When asked by the Free Press about a pregnancy, Ms. Pride declined to comment. Delegate Morrissey also declined comment on Ms. Pride’s pregnancy last Sunday, when he talked with reporters after a worship service at New Kingdom Christian Ministries. — JEREMY M. LAZARUS

— are accredited with warning. Boushall is conditionally accredited. Thompson was denied accreditation. School officials are working on an overhaul plan to help Thompson regain accreditation. The plan, which is to be completed by Jan. 15, will be submitted to the state Board of Education. A similar plan for Boushall has been submitted to the state board. Mamie L. Taylor, whose 5th District includes Binford, urged the board to vote against Mr. Bourne’s plan. Ms. Taylor requested Binford be allowed to stay open “as is” and be allocated more resources to improve student academic performance and enrollment. Ms. Taylor protested that no one from the board or administration had reached out to her to explain the proposed plan. She also noted, “We haven’t had time to reach out to the entire community.” Shonda Harris-Muhammed, 6th District, and Tichi L. Pinkney Eppes, 9th District, joined Ms. Taylor in voting against the plan.

The decision came after a contentious Dr. Bedden said the decision to go with the fine arts and SpringBoard programs would open the door to additional resources for Binford, which currently serves a little more than 200 students in a school with a capacity of more than 500. Already, he said the district currently spends about $18,000 per pupil at Binford, compared to the district average of $12,000 per student at most other schools. “Somehow I think that has been lost in this conversation,” the superintendent said. “We’re actually giving more to those kids. This is an investment back into the school with the idea to increase enrollment at the school.” Afterward, Binford Assistant Principal James Sales Jr. called the decision “a win-win” for everyone at Binford, except perhaps the school’s leadership team. “It appears as though the teachers will be safe, but the only question that remains is ‘Are the administrators safe?’ ” he asked. “Stay tuned for the fate of the current administration.”

Judge Jamison defends record Continued from A1

lege, not a right.” He stressed over and over the need for judges who “are fair, are patient and show respect” for those who enter their courtroom. He expressed concern that nearly 45 percent of the attorneys found her unsatisfactory or needing improvement in her overall performance, 42 percent rated her as unfair and 47 percent found her lacking in respect for all court participants. Judge Jamison said she couldn’t understand how she could receive such evaluations when “more than half the lawyers rate me as good or excellent.” She said one reason could be that she rejects plea deals in drunken driving cases that do not comply with state law — creating unhappiness. She said after she received the survey results, she requested a retired judge observe her in court. The judge could find nothing wrong in the way she conducted her courtroom and dealt with participants, she said. That’s why she questioned whether the evaluations are fair to women, particularly women of color like herself. Among the seven judges who received the lowest evaluations, five were women, though the top-rated judge also was a woman. A panel member, Sen. L. Louise Lucas, DPortsmouth, also African-American, took up

State Delegate G. Manoli Loupassi, who chaired the interview panel, expressed concern over Judge Birdie Hairston Jamison’s results on the evaluation survey.

the bias theme. A 23-year General Assembly veteran, she noted that legislative evaluations consistently rank her near the bottom, yet she repeatedly has been re-elected. “There’s something wrong here,” Sen. Lucas said. Two men, both of whom are Caucasian, also expressed concern that the committees could be relying too heavily on the evaluations. State Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Bedford County, questioned the credibility of survey ratings for Judge Jamison. He said he found Judge Jamison “eminently fair and eminently qualified” in the four times he brought cases before her. “Politics is not only here,” Sen. Stanley said. “It’s in the bar.” Kevin Martingayle, president of the Virginia State Bar, the regulatory body for lawyers, also told legislators not to lean on the evaluations too much.

“It appears that the women do face a little different standard,” he told the panel. “I do think there is some perception — men don’t like women telling them what to do in the black robe.” However, Sen. Janet Howell, D-Reston, was among panel members who called the survey results a useful tool, particularly for non-lawyers trying to evaluate judges. “Frankly, when I look at this evaluation of you, I’m really concerned,” Sen. Howell told Judge Jamison. Judge Jamison is not the only judge whose re-election is in jeopardy. Norfolk Circuit Judge Karen J. Burrell, another African-American who rated low on the evaluations, wasn’t invited to interview, a signal that she is unlikely to be re-elected. Three other district court judges also were grilled about weak results on the their surveys, including Judge Pamela E. Hutchens, who is white, who sits in Virginia Beach General District Court and also is rated a long shot for re-election. Judges Colleen K. Killilea and Alfred O. Masters Jr. of the James City County and Newport News General District courts, respectively, also were grilled about receiving below average evaluations. “It’s a one-sided survey, and I’m not the attorneys’ favorite judge,” Judge Killilea said after being told her evaluation results were “disconcerting.”

Protesters take to the streets Continued from A1

The day’s most poignant moment came when a number of family members of Garner, Brown and Rice, as well as relatives of John Crawford III, a shopper who was killed inside a Dayton, Ohio, Walmart in August, and Amadou Diallo, who was killed in 1999 in New York City, took the stage at the rally at the Capitol. “This is a history-making moment,” said Gwen Carr, the mother of Mr. Garner who was killed by a Staten Island police officer in a chokehold in July. “We need to stand like this at all times.” “Thank you for having my back,” said Lesley McSpadden, Michael Brown Jr.’s mother. Grand juries in New York and Missouri declined to indict police officers involved in Mr. Garner’s and Mr. Brown’s deaths. Rev. Sharpton declared, “This is not a black march or a white march. This is an American march so the rights of all Americans are protected.” Hours later in New York City, demonstrators gathered at Washington Square Park for the “Millions March NYC.” Joining the protesters were Ron Davis, the father of Jordan Davis, who was killed by a citizen in a gas station dispute over loud music in Jacksonville, Fla., in November 2012; Valerie Bell, the mother of Sean Bell, who was killed by New York City police in November 2006; and Frank Graham, the father of Ramarley Graham, who was killed by New York City police in February 2012. Locally, students from two Richmond-area high schools also expressed their outrage last week. More than 40 students from Huguenot High School gathered in a school hallway last Thursday, held up their hands and shouted, “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!” A day earlier, a group of Meadowbrook High School students organized a “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!” demonstration inside the Chesterfield County school. The peaceful demonstration took place between classes. The students’ cries echoed those raised in more than 200 cities and college campuses around the country following continual incidents of police killings. Also last week, students at more than 70 medical schools nationwide staged a “white coat die-in.” They carried signs that read, “Black lives matter” and “#whitecoats4blacklives” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.” Separately, congregants in African-American churches across the country wore black attire to Sunday services Dec. 14 and prayed over the men in attendance in a symbolic stand against fatal police shootings of unarmed black men.

Rep. Scott’s bill aids fight against police brutality Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott has been a visionary in the ongoing battle against police brutality. Long before the latest string of police killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Mo., New York City and Cleveland focused the nation’s attention on the critical issue, Rep. Scott, who represents most of Richmond, ushered legislation through the House of Representatives to try and prevent abuses of police power. The latest example: Passage of the “Death in Custody Reporting Act” last week in the U.S. Senate. Rep. Scott sponsored the bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives in December 2013. The bill is headed to President Obama’s desk for his signature. The bill requires states to report to the U.S. Department of Justice how many individuals die each year while in police custody or during the course of an arrest. Rep. Scott told the Free Press on Tuesday the bill allows legislators, law enforcement authorities and others to gauge “what the information shows, what patterns there may be and what possible solutions there are” to the problem. “You can’t have a rational conversation about dealing with deaths in the custody of police without data,” Rep. Scott noted. “This will produce the data that when someone says black people are dying at the hands of police more than white people, we have some data to back it up.”

Bishop T.D. Jakes told worshippers at The Potter’s House church in Dallas that black men should not be “tried on the sidewalk.” At Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, Md., choir members sang “We Shall Overcome,” while many worshippers wore T-shirts that read “Black Lives Matter” and “I Can’t Breathe.” Men at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles stood more than four rows deep around the altar for a special blessing from the pastor, Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake. “Police forces are charged with protecting all our citizens,” declared Bishop Blake, leader of the national Church of God in Christ, the largest black Pentecostal group in the United States. “They should not bring fear to our citizens, but rather confidence.” The churches were responding to a call from several AfricanAmerican denominations for what they called “Black Lives Matter Sunday.”

VSU’s Scott heads to NSU Continued from A1

a coach in 1999. Adrian, NSU’s first white head coach, announced his retirement Nov. 24 after guiding the Spartans to 54-60 overall and a 37-43 conference mark. NSU won its only the MEAC title under Adrian in 2011. The Spartans were 4-8 in the season that just ended. Scott will be moving up in terms of salary and level of competition.

According to public records of state employees’ pay, Scott’s salary at VSU was $128,750. Adrian’s salary this past year was $155,000. NSU competes in the MEAC, a member of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. That’s a peg higher than VSU, which is in Division II CIAA. With Scott at the helm, VSU won the CIAA football title this year — the University’s first since 1996 — dethroning longtime juggernaut Winston-Salem State

University. Winning the CIAA title took the team to its first ever NCAA bid, where VSU defeated Long Island University-Post in the first round of Division II playoffs. VSU lost in the second round to Bloomsburg State University in Pennsylvania. Scott’s two-year record, 19-4, in Ettrick featured a flawless 15-0 against CIAA foes. His previous head coaching experience was in 2010 when he led the University of Richmond to 6-5. He resigned prior to the 2011 season because of a DUI charge.

Richmond Free Press

December 18-20, 2014

Local News

Drug court graduates gain new chance, outlook By Joey Matthews Carlton Lewis has battled heroin addiction for 46 years. As his addiction progressed, he would wake in the morning wondering where his next fix would come from. If he did not get some heroin soon, he knew he would start feeling the effects of withdrawal, such as debilitating muscle and bone aches, anxiety, insomnia and agitation. As with most addicts, he would sometimes lie, cheat and steal to get that next fix. The 65-year-old South Side resident was arrested with a baggie of heroin and was charged with drug distribution in September 2013 after “being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. He said he faced up to 18 months behind bars. In November 2013, the retired brick mason’s helper, instead, was given the option to enter the Richmond Adult Drug Treatment Court program. The Richmond program, which began in 1998, allows some nonviolent, drug-addicted offenders with cases pending in Richmond Circuit Court to participate in the intensive, 18-month outpatient drug treatment program instead of serving possible jail time. The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office must approve each participant. The aim of the program is to get addicts off drugs and out of the criminal justice system. Not all are successful in completing the program, but more than 800 people have graduated to date. The Richmond program provides substance abuse treatment, probation supervision and mental health counseling. It also helps participants find jobs. Participants must attend 12-step meetings in programs such as Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous and submit to drug testing to determine whether they are keeping their promise to not use drugs. Mr. Lewis was among five people who celebrated their graduation from the program in a Dec. 5 ceremony at the Richmond Police Training Academy on North Side. The other graduates were Joshua Higgins, Robert Humphrey, Marvetta Lewis and Randy Smith. They all are leaving the drug court program with jobs. About 100 people were on hand to celebrate their success, including beaming family members, supportive police officers, prosecutors, judges and staff. “I feel wonderful,” Mr. Lewis said after the ceremony. “I don’t have to wake up sick now and go out to get more heroin each day. My self-esteem is higher now.” Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, who represents most of Richmond, praised the “dedicated judges” who make the court work. In brief remarks, he also lauded the program’s “holistic approach” to treat “the whole person” and not just the drug problem. The program, he said, reduces drug abuse, crime, victimization, health care costs and saves taxpayers the much larger price tag of incarcerating people instead of treating them. “This helps people become productive citizens instead of wasting money on sending them to jail after jail,” Rep. Scott said. Richmond Circuit Court Chief Judge Clarence N. Jenkins Jr. also addressed the graduates at the ceremony, along with recently retired Circuit Court Judges Richard D. Taylor and Margaret P. Spencer. The three judges administered the program through the Circuit Court. Judge Jenkins quoted the late poet and humanitarian Maya Angelou, who said, “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” “You are all our rainbows and we appreciate you so very, very much,” the judge told the graduates, who were dressed in their finest and brimming with excitement. Richmond Police Maj. Odet-

ta Johnson told the graduates that the “path you have chosen is not going to be easy, but you now have the key to open the door to continued success.” “Value yourself and consider yourself priceless,” she added. Others offering remarks to

the graduates included Gloria A. Jones, president of the Virginia Drug Court Association; Sdhari King, clinical supervisor at the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority; J. Michael Hanrahan, a substance abuse clinician at RBHA; and Dalen Harris of the White House Office of National

Drug Control Policy. Mr. Harris told the graduates to remain committed to their recovery process and not be afraid to reach out for help in remaining drug-free. The ceremony concluded with a salute to Judge Taylor, who had worked with the drug

court since 2002 before retiring from the bench Dec. 1. “He had a 200 percent loyalty, intellect and energy to make this program a success,” said Judge Spencer, who retired July 31. She said Judge Taylor led the charge to require drug court participants to submit proof of

seven job searches per day until they found employment. She said that pushed participants from a 30 percent employment rate to an 85 percent employment rate within 16 months. A reception was held for graduates, family and friends following the ceremony.

A HEARTFELT

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Thanks to an unprecedented $28 million gift from Children’s Hospital Foundation, we’re advancing pediatric heart care in Central Virginia through the establishment of the Children’s Hospital Foundation Heart Center. Our shared commitment to children comes straight from the heart.

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Editorial Page

December 18-20, 2014

Filing a complaint Our gift to our readers continues this week, with more information on what to do if you’re stopped by police. We also provide information on how to file a complaint against local law enforcement officers if you feel you have been mistreated. Keep a copy handy. You also can share this gift with others.

RICHMOND FREE PRESS SURVIVAL GUIDE Part 2 IF YOU ARE STOPPED BY THE POLICE 1. Turn on the camera or audio recorder of your cell phone to record what happens. You have the right to film police. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn an appeals court ruling in an Illinois case, Glik v. Cunniffe, declaring that individuals have a First Amendment right to film police in public. Police cannot confiscate or demand to view your digital photographs or video without a warrant. Police also cannot delete your photographs or video. To prevent your photos or videos from being erased by police if your cell phone is taken, learn how to automatically upload your photos and video to the cloud. They cannot be erased from the cloud. 2 . Ask for the officer’s name and badge number without antagonizing the officer. Local authorities said that officers are required to furnish their names to any person requesting that information when they are on duty, or while they are representing themselves as a police department employee. The only exceptions are when withholding the information is necessary for the performance of their duties or when authorized by the proper authority. 3. Ask for a supervisor to be contacted and requested to come to the scene. 4. You have the right to file a formal complaint against an officer, or officers, in any contact with law enforcement authorities, including if you believe you have been wrongly stopped, racially profiled, physically or verbally abused by police or treated unfairly or with disrespect. Richmond, Petersburg and Henrico and Chesterfield counties have similar procedures in filing a complaint. A police summons contains a phone number to call if you have a complaint. You may file a complaint in person at police precincts, by phone, in writing or via email through the local police departments’ websites. You will be asked for your name, address and telephone number where you can be reached. You will be asked for details of your complaint, including date, time, location and name of the officer(s) involved. Authorities will notify you when they receive your complaint. They also will notify you in writing of the results of their investigation.

TO FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST A POLICE OFFICER In Richmond: go to www.richmondgov.com/ police and click on the “Commendations/Complaints” link to find the complaint form. Or call the Richmond Police Department, Internal Affairs Division, (804) 646-6816. Mailing address: Richmond Police Department, 200 W. Grace St., Richmond VA 23220. In Henrico: go to www.henricopolice.org and click on “Compliments/Complaints” link. Or call the Henrico Police Department, Office of Internal Affairs, (804) 501-4834. Mailing address: Henrico County Police Department, P.O. Box 90775, Henrico, VA 23273. In Chesterfield: go to www.chesterfield.gov/ police and under the “Contact Us” list, click on “Commendations or Concerns.” Or call (804) 748-1207 or 748-1251. Mailing address: Chesterfield County Police Department, P.O. Box 148, Chesterfield, VA 23832. In Petersburg: go to www.petersburg-police.com and click on “Citizen Complaint Form.” Or call (804) 732-4222. Mailing address: Petersburg Bureau of Police, 37 E. Tabb St., Petersburg, Va. 23803.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

One America, but two views The understandable attention being focused on differing attitudes among white people and black people toward law enforcement authorities in the wake of decisions by grand juries in Missouri and New York not to indict white police officers for killing unarmed black men ignores a larger and more troubling trend — black people and white people view race and racism from distinctly different perspectives. During the past 50 years, Gallup has tracked U.S. attitudes on race. On Dec. 12, it issued a report that found four key areas in which black people and white people hold widely divergent views — attitudes on race relations in general, views of discrimination against African-Americans, beliefs about the need for new civil rights laws and more intervention by the federal government, and views of the police and the criminal justice system. Let’s look at each issue separately. Gallup researchers found: “Since the late 1990s, AfricanAmericans’optimism that there will be a solution to the country’s racial problems has consistently trailed white people by about 12 percentage points,” Gallup reported. “Most recently, in June 2013, Gallup found 58 percent of white people versus

48 percent of black people believe a solution to black-white relations would eventually be worked out. By contrast, in December 1963 — at the end of what some describe as ‘the defining year of the Civil Rights Movement’ — a U.S. poll

George E. Curry conducted by NORC found 70 percent of black people in the United States believing a solution eventually would be worked out, while barely half of white people — 53 percent — agreed. When Gallup repeated this question in the early 1990s, black people’s outlook had dimmed to match white people’s, with 44 percent of both groups feeling optimistic. Now, the gap has expanded, primarily because white people have become more positive.” More than a third of black people — 37 percent — believe that racial discrimination is the major reason African-Americans live in worse housing, have a higher unemployment rate and have less income than white people. Only 15 percent of white people share that view. Moreover, approximately threefourths of white people, 74 percent, believe black people have the same opportunities as white people in the United States, compared to only 56 percent of black people. Among white people, 74 percent believe black people have the same opportunities as White people in jobs, 80 percent say that is the case in education and 85 percent

believe black people have the same opportunities in housing. Only 40 percent of black people say African-Americans have the same opportunities as white people in jobs, 55 percent in education and 56 percent in housing. Both black people and white people agree that civil rights for African-Americans have improved within their lifetimes. Most white people, 54 percent, feel they have “greatly improved” over that period, while only 29 percent of black people feel that way. Slightly more than half of black people — 52 percent — say their civil rights have improved “somewhat,” compared to about a third of white people who share that view. Given that fundamental difference, it is not surprising that black people and white people look at the role of government differently. Slightly more than half of black people (54 percent) say the government should play a major role in improving the social and economic positions of AfricanAmericans. Only 22 percent of white people agree. In fact, about three in 10 white people argue that the government should play no role at all in that arena. When Gallup asked last year whether the American justice system was biased against AfricanAmericans, 68 percent of black respondents said yes while only 26 percent of white respondents agreed. But the high-profile police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Gardner in New York may have made matters worse.

Predatory loans can spoil holidays From Christmas carols to decorations that celebrate the season, the holidays mark the time of year when families and loved ones anticipate joyous celebrations and gift giving. It’s a season when excesses can easily go beyond overeating to overspending, bringing debts that can last well into the New Year. The holidays also are a time when predatory lenders actively use tempting advertisements of extra cash to seek potential victims. If your holiday list calls for more money than available, don’t make the mistake of falling into the trap that may take most of next year to escape. Car title lenders can put not only your household budget at risk, but your car as well. With promises such as a 50 percent interest off of the first month, or $25 for referring new customers, these financial predators will take a title to a borrower’s vehicle in exchange for several hundred or even a few thousand dollars. Like payday loans, these enticements are designed to trap consumers into predatory loans that are certified debt traps that few consumers can fully repay in just a single payment. The typical car title loan carries a 300 percent annual percentage rate. While borrowers are only loaned a fraction of their vehicle’s value, if vehicles are repossessed, car title lenders

have the right to sell the vehicle at fair market prices, pocketing the profit from the sale, while borrowers still are stuck with paying the debt. According to research by the

Charlene Crowell Center for Responsible Lending, each year one particular predatory loan product drains $4.3 billion in fees on loans valued at $1.9 billion. Nationwide, car title lenders operate in 21 states through more than 8,100 retail outlets. States with annual loan volumes surpassing $100 million per year include Alabama, Arizona, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The road of predatory car title loans leads most often to one of two dead-ends: Refinancing the loans in exchange for paying another hefty fee or losing the car to repossession. The typical car title borrower refinances the original loan eight times. As a result, CRL research finds that the typical borrower pays twice as much in interest and fees, $2,349, as the amount of credit extended, $1,042. Nor will repossession of the vehicle be the end of a consumer’s financial obligations. The loan payments and all applicable fees still must be repaid despite the loss of the vehicle. Adding to this misery, repossessions usually lead to a new series of increasingly difficult lifestyle adjustments — reliably arriving at work on time, managing personal business or even accessing medical care.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation found that the typical car title borrower earns $25,000 or less and often lacks a relationship with mainstream financial institutions. For communities of color, one in five African-American and Latino households has no bank. Military members are similarly targeted by these financial predators. Earlier this year, both the U.S. Department of Defense and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau publicly addressed how consumer loan terms circumvented the Military Lending Act that is intended to remove financial stress from active duty members. Since MLA’s enactment, some lenders have extended loan terms to more than the 180-day period cited in the law. Some extensions are as little as one day to 181 days. When financial challenges already haunt most low-to-moderate-income consumers, those considering these loans should ask themselves: “Is this the way I want to begin my new year?” “Car title loans, like payday loans, are designed to create a long-term cycle of debt,” said Diane Standaert, CRL’s director of state policy. “Whether big or small, car title loans lead borrowers down a road of financial disaster. State and federal lawmakers have the ability to enforce against the car title debt trap and should do so.” This year, keep your holiday safe from predatory lending. There’s nothing “merry” about debt traps. Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending.

The Free Press welcomes letters

The Richmond Free Press respects the opinions of its readers. We want to hear from you. We invite you to write the editor. All letters will be considered for publication. Concise, typewritten letters related to public matters are preferred. Also include your telephone number(s). Letters should be addressed to: Letters to the Editor, Richmond Free Press, P.O. Box 27709, 422 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23261, or faxed to: (804) 643-7519 or e-mail: letters@richmondfreepress.com.

A new NBC News/Marist poll showed that 83 percent of white people have a great deal or at least a fair amount of trust in local police, compared to 50 percent of black people. Tellingly, 79 percent of white people said they were confident police won’t use excessive force. Only 43 of black people share that confidence. Respondents were asked: “How much confidence do you have in police officers in your community to treat black people and white people equally?” That’s where we saw a huge gap; 52 percent of white people said a great deal, 26 percent said a fair amount while 19 percent of black people said some or very little. Pictures of white and black protesters marching together in the aftermath of the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Gardner is encouraging. But when you look at overall views on race, we have a long road ahead of us. George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service.

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Richmond Free Press

December 18-20, 2014

Commentaries/Letters to the Editor

Racialization in the prosecution of Joe Morrissey The recent prosecutorial debacle in the plea agreement and sentencing of Delegate Joe Morrissey sheds light on the unfettered power and discretion that local prosecutors have with regard to the ongoing debate about whether black lives matter in America. The outcome of Mr. Morrissey’s criminal prosecution joins the pantheon of cases in which this country is currently embroiled with regard to the perceptions of justice when people of African descent are the victims of criminal actions against them by white persons. In case you were not tuned in, Mr. Morrissey was accused of having sexual relations with a 17-year-old African-American female who worked in his law office. Under Virginia law, a 17-year-old cannot engage in consensual sex with an adult because he/she is considered by statute to be unable to give consent. Mr. Morrissey’s purported defenses to these charges were clearly in conflict with each other. He claimed that he thought that the female was over the age of consent based upon her misrepresentation of her age on her employment application. He also claimed that he did not have sex with her. These claims were clearly in conflict because, if he did not have sex with her, her age would clearly be unimportant and irrelevant. Yet in his defense, he stressed this point, which the prosecution could have used as its coup de grace. It appears from news coverage that the parents of the 17-year-old were at odds regarding whether Mr. Morrissey should be prosecuted. The father and two of his daughters pushed for Mr. Morrissey’s prosecution, while the mother and the 17-year-old supported Mr. Morrissey and were not interested in him being prosecuted. Normally, such a family division would put a prosecutor in somewhat of a dilemma. However, despite the family’s split, William Neely, the special prosecutor, made it clear at least before the plea deal that he wanted Mr. Morrissey’s hide. Mr. Neely vehemently expressed his dislike for Mr. Morrissey, making uncomplimentary remarks about Mr. Morrissey’s ethics. He even claimed that Mr. Morrissey lacked a moral compass. However, on the eve of Mr. Morrissey’s jury trial, a plea agreement was reached. Mr. Morrissey was permitted to make a nolo contendere plea to a significantly reduced charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, which is a misdemeanor. Mr. Morrissey’s in-

Sa’ad El-Amin The writer is president of the Employment Advocacy Center, an employment rights advocacy firm in Richmond.

dictment included multiple felony counts with a sentencing exposure of more than 40 years in prison. In the end, Mr. Neely allowed Mr. Morrissey to avoid a straight up plea of guilty, which Mr. Neely could have insisted upon as the architect of the plea deal. Mr. Morrissey’s nolo contendere plea was simply an acknowledgment that the prosecution had sufficient evidence to convict him and has allowed him to profess his innocence within the shelter of a sweetheart deal. To make matters worse, Mr. Neely agreed to a sentence which was essentially a bed-andbreakfast incarceration deal. Mr. Morrissey has to serve only three months in jail, with an unprecedented work release provision that allows him to leave jail seven days a week for 10 hours each day. He also is allowed to use his private automobile to leave and return to the jail. This has to be the deal of a lifetime, dwarfing the purchase of Manhattan Island in 1626 by Peter Minuit, when he paid only $24 worth of trinkets. What Mr. Neely allowed with this plea deal was the creation of a benchmark for future prosecutions of adults having sex with a minor. Anyone charged with this crime can now demand a Morrissey-type plea deal that most prosecutors will find difficult, if not impossible, to reject. Because the retired judge who presided over the case blessed this plea deal, future judges also will be bound by the outcome in Morrissey. In the end, Mr. Neely gave Mr. Morrissey an early Christmas present in the form of a sentence that simply inconvenienced Mr. Morrissey rather than punished him. In fact, given the outcome in the Morrissey case, the Virginia General Assembly should repeal the statute because it has no deterrent value nor does it express the seriousness of this offense. Three months in jail with a generous work release program is far less than many people

get for petit larceny where the value of the item is less than $10. To add insult to injury, Mr. Morrissey has not acknowledged that he has caused irreparable harm to a family that may be irreconcilably and irrevocably split. His mugshot, which shows him smiling, and his unrepentant demeanor hardly justify the leniency which he received. This case is an eerie reminder of the film “A Time to Kill.” In the film based on John Grisham’s novel, two white racists violently raped and beat a 10-year-old, African-American girl in rural Mississippi. They failed in their attempt to hang her. She survived and the two men were arrested. The girl’s father, played by Samuel L. Jackson, was concerned that, because of the historical racism in that part of the country, the men would be acquitted. He was so distraught about this possibility that he took a rifle into the courthouse, where he confronted the two men and shot them dead. He eventually was acquitted for the murders and the severe accidental injury to one of the law enforcement officers who was guarding the two men. How, then, should the father of the 17-yearold girl feel about the importance of his daughter’s life? To his credit, he went to the authorities seeking to have Mr. Morrissey punished. Given the outcome, he could not be blamed for seeking out and exacting greater punishment, which would then expose him to serious criminal consequences. Where is his justice and where is his peace given Mr. Neely’s gift to Mr. Morrissey? It can’t be easy for him to reconcile the outcome with the defiling of his precious child. Mr. Neely clearly was indifferent to this result because, in the end, this black child simply did not matter to him. It is akin to the police leaving Michael Brown’s body to lay on the ground for more than four hours after he was shot and killed by the police officer. This sorry affair echoes and reinforces the long ago sentiments of Chief Justice Roger Taney, who wrote the majority opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision. In ruling against Mr. Scott, Chief Justice Taney wrote, “Blacks are regarded as beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race either in social or political relations, and so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect, and that the negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery…”

The plea deal that Mr. Neely engineered was equivalent to an acquittal of Mr. Morrissey. And in so doing, Mr. Neely trivialized the injury to the African-American victim. While Mr. Morrissey afforded himself the opportunity to have a post-conviction interview with the local newspaper and his detailed discussion of why he was not guilty was spread across the newspaper, Mr. Neely gave little or no justification for the sweetheart deal that he gave to Mr. Morrissey. It is clear that he did not feel that it was important to explain to the public what went into his decision to let Mr. Morrissey off the hook. Nor does it appear that Mr. Neely got the consent of the 17-year-old’s father and sisters with regard to this plea deal. I may be wrong about this, but certainly I did not hear or read where Mr. Neely stated that he obtained their consent or approval. While the consent of a victim is not absolutely necessary in criminal cases for a plea deal, it is almost always the modus operandi of prosecutors to have the victim and/or the family to agree or consent to a deal. I can assure you that if the 17-year-old had been the daughter of a prominent white family, Mr. Neely would not have succumbed to the deal that he gave Mr. Morrissey. Mr. Neely therefore is guilty of what the prosecutors did in the killing of unarmed African-Americans in Ferguson, Mo.; Staten Island, N.Y.; and various places in this country over the last several decades — that he applied a different and much more favorable standard to the perpetrator in handling criminal cases where the victims are African-Americans and the perpetrators are white. I understand that some may object to my bringing a racial element into this sad affair, particularly when there seems to be universal condemnation of Mr. Morrissey which, under the circumstances, is appropriate. However, it is important that the dots be connected. This means at least for me that Mr. Neely’s disposition of the Morrissey case is part of the deliberate and premeditated racialization of the criminal justice system, which has historically been responsible for the disparate impact and the discriminatory mistreatment of people of color. If this aspect is not highlighted and dealt with, then this issue becomes all about Joe Morrissey and not about a system that created the bizarre result that has angered most people.

Corporate elites leading effort to re-segregate schools This is the 50th year since the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 led to the desegregation of hotels, restaurants and other public places in America, added teeth to the landmark Brown v. Board decision outlawing public school segregation, attacked segregation in housing and forced open doors of opportunity in employment. And while it is said that the only two things certain in life are death and taxes, we might add a third: Change. Richmond, the capital of the confederacy and epicenter for massive resistance to school desegregation for the South, has undergone significant change despite being among the last municipalities in Virginia to desegregate its schools. As a result of an annexation lawsuit by the late Curtis Holt, Richmond changed from an “at-large” structure of government to nine singlemember districts. That led to the first blackmajority City Council and council’s election of Richmond’s first black mayor in 1977. City Hall became more diverse, with black employees becoming more upwardly mobile citywide. Black people also began moving into previously all-white neighborhoods from which they were previously banned. Their children began attending previously all-white schools. This proved too much for the corporate elites who have run Richmond as long as Richmond has been Richmond, and they led a mass exodus from city schools. They used fear, negative media and whisper campaigns about what would happen

E. Martin “Marty” Jewell The writer is a co-founder and member of Richmond Coalition for Quality Education, which supports the lawsuit challenging last year’s Richmond Public Schools’ elementary rezoning. to their middle school-age girls at the hands of black boys and spread all sorts of lies. These same corporate elites economically boycotted Richmond and re-deployed their investments to the rural counties, while getting richer from the stampede. Corporate interests built Regency Square mall and the many surrounding subdivisions dating from 1980. Corporate interests built Innsbrook, which led to the explosive development of a then-backwater Short Pump. To their credit, Jim and Bobby Ukrop led corporate reinvestment in Richmond in the mid1990s. That has led to the re-population of the city by white people, even while black flight to counties was steady and very significant. This new influx of white people, many of them with young families, has led to growing school populations of white children. For years, the number of children enrolled in Richmond Public Schools was about equal to the number of children who were not

Politics controls justice Re “Three judges under fire,” Dec. 11-13 edition: It would be remiss to be concerned about the plight of black judges without being concerned about the plight of black attorneys and their licensure. Judicial appointments are, by law, political appointments. However, the licensure of attorneys and other business owners is not political. As such, the U.S. Constitution and various states’ laws apply. But when judges are appointed by politicians and the Virginia State Bar is run by judicially appointed committees, politics takes over the legal system and disparity can be expected. When you allow politics, through uncontrolled discipline, to control judges and attorneys, you allow for the control of justice. Why should we think that disparity in sentencing is limited to our public schools or to persons charged with a crime, but not think it doesn’t come into play with the removal and appointment of judges or the disciplining of attorneys and licenses

of other black business owners? You allow control of the system, you allow control of the outcome. In many cases, you will find that state officials don’t follow their own rules, laws or constitutions, which they took an oath to uphold. Unless checked, our boards, committees and elected officials are just as likely to go astray as did the CIA and police in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, N.Y. State Sen. Kenneth C. Alexander, a former chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, stated that lawmakers generally reserve the interviewing for “sitting judges who are not controversial.” We don’t challenge that? We don’t need legislators who spend more time sitting in their chair, boasting of what committees they serve on, only standing to look at suffering chickens. We need legislators who aren’t afraid to examine the fox. VICTOR A. MOTLEY SR. Richmond

enrolled in public schools. The numbers are changing. And honest, transparent rezoning is necessary. Let’s be clear. I am on record calling for a superintendent who could craft a system suitable and inviting to all children, rather than one just for poor black kids. Yet, it appears that corporate Richmond has put its stamp on a secret plan to re-segregate our schools all over again. What else explains three Richmond School Board members representing majority-white districts leading a rezoning plan, called Plan C, that already has prompted a lawsuit for further segregating our elementary schools? What else explains these same board members now leading an effort to do the same thing with our secondary schools? There is no announced plan or process for rezoning the secondary schools. Yet this effort is moving ahead even though the previous elementary rezoning plan, which was ultimately discarded in favor of the approved Plan C, took 18 months to develop. The board majority, led by the same three members, first closed Clark Springs Elementary School. Now Binford Middle School is in its crosshairs, with a seriously questionable rationale creating concern and disruption for families and students. Would we be surprised if the new Huguenot High School were next? This move to rezone secondary schools is not a rezoning process as we, the public, know it. This is cherry picking which schools white folks

now want to populate with no regard for black folks, due process or the law. Damn the torpedoes — elbow your way to what you want! I’ve seen this behavior over and over. It is the behavior of the political establishment backed by the corporate elites. It is the same shove-itdown-their-throats, determined aggression that nearly gave us a Shockoe ballpark and gave us a performing arts center when everyone knew 10 years ago that we had $500 million of school construction needs. It is the same approach that led to Interstate 95 being built through the heart of Jackson Ward, killing the largest black economy in the South in the mid-1950s. So, do we want to go back to segregated schools? The mayor seems to think there is no problem when he suggests that schools will improve when white people gentrify Richmond. The superintendent seems enthused to please his corporate advisory board, which significantly predates him and now boldly operates under the Chamber of Commerce. And does the School Board majority expect future rewards for their treachery? Isn’t it amazing that everything seems to change in Richmond except for segregated schools and different versions of massive resistance? Thus, my original theory of change being certain is not correct. Sadly, the missing element is “we, the people.” This insult can be stopped only when we take a risk for kids — stand up for them, speak out for them, make demands for them and do it NOW.

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Great memories won’t fade in new Huguenot gym On Jan. 5, the new Huguenot High School the 1984 State Group AAA championship. will open, replacing the original school building Stars from the Jefferson-Huguenot-Wythe on Forest Hill Avenue. complex included Peter Woolfolk, who went on But before someone flicks the old gymnasium to play at the University of Richmond; Greg Willight switch off for the final time, reminiscing liams, who played at Virginia Union University; is in order. and Alvin Lee, who played at the University of Turning the time machine back, all the way to Alabama and VCU. 1960 when the school opened, let’s dust off the Falcons coaches through the years included scrapbook and take a stroll down memory lane. John Bunsavage, George Lancaster, John Siers, Here’s a look at a few of the athletes in Dr. Antone Exum and, most notably, Leroy “Bo” green and gold who lit up the old scoreboard Jones, who has been at the South Side school and wore out the nets for all those decades at for the last 40 years in various capacities. the Falcons’ Roost. Jones, a former athlete at Maggie Walker Pat Allen: In the early years, when Huguenot High and Virginia State University, will usher High was part of the Chesterfield school system, the Falcons into the next era at the brand new he once scored 54 points in a game. Huguenot High building. The new Huguenot is Bob Ware: This bruising 6-foot-5 post player about four times the size of the old building and also was a star baseball pitcher. He was drafted will have a sparkling 2,500-seat gym. by the Detroit Tigers in 1967. Coming off a disappointing 2014 season, Jones Jim Hewitt: After a standout career with the has high hopes Falcons, he played basketball at the University for a current of Richmond from 1969 to 1971. lineup featurBob Schumann: He was a final All-Metro ing senior Evan star prior to Huguenot High’s annexation into Cain, junior Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press Richmond in 1970. James Peebles Realious Trent: He was another two-time A 2,500-seat, three-court gymnasium is a highlight of the new $63 million Huguenot and sophomore All-Metro. A Richmond headline once read High School building on Forest Hill Avenue that is opening Jan. 5. Right, Huguenot High Derrick RedSchool Falcons coach Leroy “Bo” Jones. “Realious is for Real.” mond. Thomas “T” Alston: He went on to play for Longwood an All-Metro hoops standout. Moving on, Jones says: Raynard Twitty: A tremendous talent, he lost his life in a University in the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1980. “We’ve had lots of good Gerald Henderson: This All-Metro Falcon was part of three tragic shooting. times in the old gym, but you Juan Wilson: This Falcon was valedictorian of the Class can’t dispute progress. NBA championships — 1981, 1984 and 1990 — after scoring of 2009. He went on to become a four-year regular at Virginia 1,542 points for Virginia Commonwealth University. “Now we’ll have a facility Junius Lewis: Standing 6-foot-9, this “Tower of Power” would Union University. with all the things we’ve ever Jonathan Crawley: Also a tremendous football lineman, wanted — bigger gym, bigger become a two-year starting center at West Virginia University. Ricky Stokes: He played JV hoops only for Huguenot. Later, he stuck with hoops and was All-CIAA at St. Augustine’s lockers, bigger offices.” University. he had a starring role for the University of Virginia. After more than a There are so many more — Franklin Berry, Andre Morris, half century, the Isaiah Morris: After leaving Huguenot High, this 6-foot-8 Falcon was the key man on the University of Arkansas’ 1994 Michael Puckett, Mi’Kyel Nero, David Brown, Chris Jones, original HugueEmery Outland, Jareese Cooley and Sean Miller, just to scratch not gym will NCAA championship squad. Ted Berry: This high-flying guard known as “Fats” scored the surface of Huguenot’s all-time star cast. go dark for the There was team success along with individual stardom. Hu- last time with 1,352 points at Christopher Newport University and played pro guenot won the Central Region title in 1991, defeating Petersburg the flick of a ball overseas. Leroy “Bo” Jones Jr.: An All-Metro guard under his dad, Bo High School in the finals, and was Region runner-up in 1979, switch. Jones Sr., he scored 1,334 points in just three seasons at VCU. falling to Maggie Walker High. There will be For five years, Huguenot was one-third of the Jefferson- no turning off the David Terrell: Before becoming a University of Michigan James Haskins/Richmond Free Press All-America tight end and NFL first round draft choice, he was Huguenot-Wythe complex under coach Bob Booker that won memories, however.

Heisman winner is latest player with Samoan roots to make mark American Samoa, a U.S. territory, is a cluster of tiny islands in the South Pacific that continues to send a tidal wave of football talent to U.S. colleges and the NFL. On Dec. 13 in New York City, some 7,213 miles from the Samoan capital of Pago Pago, University of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota won college football’s highest award — the Heisman Trophy. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Mariota is the first Hawaiian and person of Samoan ancestry to capture the Heisman. But he’s only the latest of football standouts directly tied to the Polynesian nation dubbed “The Rock.” Another nickname for the region may be “Cradle of Football Players.” Currently, there are about 30 NFL

Heisman ‘firsts’ 1935 – Jay Berwanger, halfback, University of Chicago, wins first Heisman balloting 1961 – Ernie Davis, fullback, Syracuse University, becomes first AfricanAmerican winner 1970 – Jim Plunkett, quarterback, Stanford University, first and only winner of Mexican ancestry 1975 – Archie Griffin, tailback, Ohio State University, first and only two-time winner. Griffin also won in 1974. 1997 – Charles Woodson, defensive back, University of Michigan, first and only defensive player to win. 2012 – John Manziel, quarterback, Texas A&M University, first freshman winner 2014 – Marcus Mariota, quarterback, University of Oregon, first winner of Samoan ancestry

players with Samoan roots and some 200 who played in NCAA Division I this fall, mostly at West Coast schools. The son of native Samoans Toa and Alana-Deppe Mariota, Marcus Mariota was raised in Hawaii — roughly 2,300 miles north of Samoa — as a first-generation U.S. citizen. He starred at Honolulu’s St. Louis High. Mariota grew up idolizing another Samoan quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli, who preceded him at Oregon. The most famous Samoan quarterback previously was Jack Thompson, “The Throwin’ Samoan,” who starred at Washington State University and was the Cincinnati Bengals’ first-round draft pick in 1979. Looking ahead to the 2015 NFL draft that starts April 30 in Chicago, Mariota surely will be a high first-round pick and possibly the No. 1 selection overall. Samoans have been impactJulio Cortez/Associated Press ing U.S. football since soon after Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota wears World War II. The first Samoan traditional leis after being awarded the coveted to play in the NFL was lineman Heisman Trophy. Al Lolotai with Washington in 1945. backer for 20 years and likely will become Among better-known Samoans to the first Samoan Hall of Famer. make their mark in the NFL are Junior Mariota enjoyed a spectacular season Seau, Kimo Oelhoffen, David Dixon, in Eugene, Ore., passing for 3,783 yards Edwin Mulitalo, Luther Ellis, Joe and 38 touchdowns, and running for 669 Salave’a, Itula Mili, Troy Polamalu yards and another 14 touchdowns. (famous for Head & Shoulders shampoo He will be spotlighted Jan. 1 when commercials) and Manu Tuiasosopo, Oregon faces Florida State (with the who was the first Samoan to play in 2013 Heisman-winning quarterback the Super Bowl (1985 with the San Jameis Winston) at the Rose Bowl in Francisco 49ers). Pasadena, Calif., in the NCAA playoff Seau, now deceased, was an NFL line- semifinals.

VCU’s Weber ‘man of steal’ Later this winter, Briante Weber may become college basketball’s all-time king of thieves on the court. The Virginia Commonwealth University senior guard from Chesapeake’s Great Bridge High School had 330 career steals starting this week and is on pace to eclipse ex-Providence College’s John Linehan, currently No. 1 with 385. The 6-foot-2 Weber, who Rams coach Shaka Smart calls “the epitome of Havoc,” had five swipes in VCU’s Dec. 6 loss to the University of Virginia and a season-high six in the double-overtime victory Dec. 13 over the University of Northern Iowa. It was Weber’s dramatic steal at the end of regulation play that denied the visiting Iowans a last shot to win. The Rams (6-3) travel to the University of Cincinnati (6-2) Saturday, Dec. 20, to face the Bearcats’ squad featuring sophomore guard Troy Caupain from Cosby High School in Chesterfield County. The noon tipoff will be televised by ESPNU. The ball-handling Caupain and ball-hawking Weber figure to get up close and personal. Caupain leads the Bearcats with 9.9 points per game, and also in assists (25) and turnovers (17). Wearing his signature headband, Weber had the VCU and Atlantic 10 conference high of 34 swipes in the first nine games this season, while averaging 8.9 points and leading the Rams with 39 assists. The NCAA single season record for steals is 160, set in 2002 by Alabama A&M University’s Desmond Cambridge. The single-game record, 12, was set by Alabama-Birmingham’s Carldell Johnson in 2012. Weber benefits from the Rams’ pressing style of defense — havoc — and also from longer schedules. The Rams have 21 more regular season games, starting with Cincinnati, plus the Atlantic 10 tournament and possibly NCAA action. If Weber stays close to his current average of steals — 4.2 per game — he will retire as tops on the list for steals. In fairness to old-timers, steals did not become an official NCAA stat until the 1985-86 season. Becoming VCU’s all-time leader as a junior, Weber passed Rolando Lamb, who had 257 steals in 120 games from 1981 to 1985. Joey Rodriguez had 237 steals from 2007 to 2011, and Darius Theus, also 237 from 2009 to 2013, as Weber’s predecessors in coach Smart’s havoc. In coach Smart’s sixth season, havoc continues to frustrate foes. Through nine games, VCU had 87 steals compared to 52 for its foes and enjoyed a 157-104 turnover advantage. VCU did not record steals until the 1976-77 season, when Gerald Henderson was a junior. Henderson had 40 steals in 25 games as junior, and 58 steals in 28 games as senior. As an NBA guard from 1979 to 1992, Henderson had 939 regular-season steals plus 78 more in playoffs, including a famous steal of a James Worthy pass at the end of 1984 NBA finals.

December 18-20, 2014 B1

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Richmond Free Press

Happenings

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Spotlight on new president of Richmond Association of Realtors

John S. (for Sylvester) Finn Jr. is an old hand in the real estate business. In his 40 years in the field, he has done everything from building new houses to finding financing for families seeking to buy their first home. He loves being involved in helping “people realize their dream” of home ownership. Long and varied experience has propelled the 57-year-old real estate veteran into his latest role. He recently was installed as president of the Richmond Association of Realtors, a 4,000-member trade association for brokers and agents in the metropolitan area. He is the first AfricanAmerican to hold the association’s top volunteer post and brings leadership diversity to an organization with a diverse membership. He has ambitious plans. His goal is to increase RAR’s “visibility as one of the primary advocates for affordable housing” and to build online innovations to enable agents to do a better job for buyers and sellers. Mr. Finn comes from a family with deep roots in the field. He says two great-grandparents were involved in construction and real estate as was his grandfather and his father. He says he got his feet wet in real estate working on job sites for his father, a home builder. He recalls when he got interested in the sales and marketing side. “I was working on one of my dad’s construction sites, and a guy in a suit drove up in a big car to see my father. Later, my dad told me the guy was a Realtor. I figured that had to beat nailing shingles in 90-degree heat.” After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University, Mr. Finn entered the world of property sales. He learned the ins and outs of the business working as a sales agent at various real estate firms. He also took specialty courses to gain certifications as an agent and broker. In 1997, he launched his own company, Dominion First Realty, and has never looked back. He credits “education and persistence” as the keys to his success. A close-up of this week’s Personality, John S. Finn Jr.: Occupation: Real estate broker. Date and place of birth: Aug. 26, in Richmond. Neighborhood of residence: Bon Air. Alma mater: Virginia Commonwealth University. Family: Wife, Lorri, and sons, Antonio and John III. When elected president of RAR: November 2014.

Length of term: One year. When I was installed: Dec. 10, 2014. Position before presidency: President-elect. RAR’s role: RAR manages the Central Virginia Regional Multiple Listing Service, an MLS serving more than 4,700 Realtors in 16 jurisdictions. RAR’s mission: To provide our members with the resources, services and community engagement they need to conduct ethical, professional and profitable businesses. We constantly promote the image of Realtors as valuable professionals essential to the real estate transaction. Role RAR plays in community: RAR works to enhance the professionalism of Realtors through extensive educational offerings and professional development/ risk management services. Because we believe that people will not buy houses until they have first bought into the community’s quality of life, we are deeply engaged in initiatives designed to improve our regional community. These activities include advocating for affordable housing, seeking to ameliorate and deconcentrate poverty and seeking to enhance educational opportunities for all. Role Realtors play: Realtors guide their clients through the most important financial transaction most people will ever make — the purchase of a home. In addition to our professional efforts, we are deeply engaged in civic affairs and volunteer efforts of every kind. Why Realtors are needed: For most people, their house is their chief asset. Moreover, a home is one of the most stabilizing forces in one’s life. Therefore, it’s critically important that a professional provide guidance in the purchase of a home. Real estate transactions have become more and more complicated. Realtors are experienced in navigating these complexities and work to ensure that their clients’ best interests are met.

My No. 1 objective as president: To ensure that RAR’s public role as a policy advocate and leader in quality of life initiatives remains strong and vibrant. I also want to make sure that we continue to equip our members with the technology and education they need to succeed. How I plan to meet it: I will meet this goal by working with RAR’s staff to ensure that our educational programming and technology offerings are second to none. I will use the public forums afforded me as president to increase RAR’s visibility as one of the primary advocates of affordable housing in our region. Why I am excited about this organization: Because it’s an organization that never, ever rests on its laurels. We’re always looking up and out. We’re always looking to innovate. And in everything we do, there is a constant pursuit of excellence. Finally, we have a servant leadership mentality. We’re always asking, “How can we best serve our members and our community?” What RAR does to educate consumers about mortgages: Typically, RAR works to educate its members about changes in financing regulations. RAR also writes occasional columns about housing finance and these columns are directed to consumers. Recently, we integrated a program called Down Payment Resource into our home listing database. The goal of this product is to provide agents with a list of all of the programs in our region that provide down payment assistance and to match clients with homes for sale. What Realtors do: Realtors seek to stay abreast of the latest financing programs. Our best service is to provide our clients with the names of multiple mortgage lending professionals who can assess their needs and match them with the right loan product. Help they can provide to ensure a client can afford a home: It’s really important that folks looking to buy a home be honest with their Realtor. The more the Realtor knows, the more the Realtor can show them houses in their price range that won’t stretch them too far. How I describe what I do: I help people realize their dreams and build a strong foundation for their future. How I felt when I sold my first property: Interestingly, the same way I feel today more than 1,000 properties later. The thrill I feel when I see a home buyer realize, “This is the one,” never diminishes.

Impact of Great Recession on RAR, on Realtors, on me: For RAR, it meant a loss of 20 percent of our membership, so we tightened our belt. But membership is growing now. For Realtors, it was a really long, hard struggle. Many left the business. Many Realtors learned more than they ever wanted to know about short sales and foreclosures. For me, the recession forced me to work harder than ever before and be grateful for what I have. Strength of housing market in Richmond metro area: We have definitely recovered from the recession. We’d like to see a more robust, first-time home buyer market, but we’re seeing stable, positive price appreciation year after year, and that’s a very good thing. What it takes to be successful in the field: Education and persistence. I’m driven by: My desire to serve. Also, by my enduring love for my family, this community and the industry I have been a part of for almost 40 years. How I unwind: Virginia Commonwealth University basketball, golf and “Da Bears!” Even though “Da Bears” are causing a fair share of my anxiety this year. Quality I value most in other people: Honesty over all others! The person who influenced me the most: My father! I never make a major decision without seeking his counsel. Best time of my life: I believe I am living it today. If I’ve learned one thing, it is: If you do it today, you won’t forget to do it tomorrow. My next goal: To lead Central Virginia’s largest trade organization to another outstanding year serving this great community that has always been my home!

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Richmond Free Press

B2 December 18-20, 2014

Happenings The Continentals give ‘Gift of Warmth’

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Dressed to be blessed Ezell Lee and his 8-year-old rescue dog, Cleo, coordinated their styles for the annual Blessing of the Animals at the Morgan Fountain in Shockoe Slip last Friday. The Friends of the Richmond Mounted Squad organizes the event each year to recognize the Richmond Police Department’s horses, along with police K9 dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, service animals and all other animal companions and pets. Donations of pet food were accepted and donated to the Animal Adoption and Rescue Foundation of Richmond.

As winter descends upon us, many Richmond children face cold days without a coat to protect them from the elements. The Richmond Chapter of Continental Societies Inc. is helping to change that. Since 1985, the service organization has provided more than 3,000 coats to youngsters in Richmond Public Schools. “We go where the need is,” said Nkechi George-Winkler, chapter president. The group’s Gift of Warmth program kicked off Dec. 3 at Blackwell Elementary School on South Side. Ms. George-Winkler, along with Beverly Davis and Gwen Drayton, the chairwoman and co-chair, respectively, of the Gift of Warmth Committee purchased more than 300 coats D.R. Shabazz Photography at Macy’s locations around the Richmond area, taking Gwen Drayton, left, co-chairwoman of the Richmond Continentals’ Gift of Warmth Committee, checks sizes before handing out coats Dec. 3 at Blackwell Elementary School advantage of a sale. “These are quality coats,” on South Side. The Continentals gave out 300 coats at several city schools this year. Ms. George-Winkler said. The Continentals gave more than 100 coats to students Scott, D-Va. at Blackwell Elementary, and will give away the rest to Rep. Scott will begin his 12th term in Congress next students at J.E.B. Stuart Elementary and Fairfield Court month. He is the senior member of Virginia’s congressioElementary. nal delegation and its only African-American member. He Ms. George-Winkler said the organization has worked with previously served in both chambers of the Virginia General Blackwell, Stuart and Fairfield Court in the past, but stressed Assembly. that The Continentals try to meet all needs when they receive The Richmond chapter has hosted the Elegance in Black requests. and White Gala since 1978. It is the largest fundraiser for the “Recently, we were contacted by Overby-Sheppard El- organization and helps support not only the coat program, but ementary School,” Ms. George-Winkler said. “We hadn’t education scholarships for graduating high school seniors and worked with them before, but we went there and gave them college undergraduates, seminars, and other programs, Ms. some coats.” George-Winkler said. The money to purchase the coats comes from the chapter’s Tickets for the gala are $95. annual Elegance in Black and White Gala. The Continentals, founded in 1956, is a women’s service This year’s black-tie gala will be held 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. organization with 48 chapters in 20 states, the District of Co19, at a Downtown hotel. For the second year, the event will lumbia and Bermuda. According to its website, the organization include honoring a Champion for Children. is dedicated to the uplift of children and youths, and helps more This year’s champion is U.S. Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” than 250,000 children each year.

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Boulé Christmas gala

Raymond Boone Jr./Richmond Free Press

For the first time in more than two decades, members of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity from Richmond to Hampton Roads held a joint Christmas gala in salute of their wives. More than 300 people, including members and their wives and guests, attended the sparkling black-tie affair held at a Williamsburg hotel. Left, leaders Earl Granger III of Epsilon Delta Boulé of Williamsburg,

George Smith of Beta Lambda Boulé of Hampton Roads and Samuel Hunter of Alpha Beta Boulé in Richmond enjoy the dinner-dance that featured the 1970s R&B group, The Stylistics. Right, Free Press Publisher Jean Patterson Boone talks with Beta Lambda Boulé members McKinley L. Price, mayor of Newport News, left, and George E. Wallace, mayor of Hampton.

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Richmond Free Press

December 18-20, 2014

Happenings

VCU grads told to ‘be disruptive’ By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Virginia Commonwealth University students celebrate during the fall commencement ceremonies Saturday at the Siegel Center. Right, Kay Coles James, founder and president of the Gloucester Institute who also served in the administrations of Gov. George Allen and President George W. Bush, gave the commencement address and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

“Take what you’ve got. Go be a leader and be disruptive.” That’s the advice that Kay Coles James gave the 2,500 fall graduates of Virginia Commonwealth University. Ms. James, founder and president of the nonprofit Gloucester Institute that trains African-American youths for leadership, told the graduates to strive to be agents of change for a better world. She urged them to fight mediocrity and to help transform the status quo. Her remarks were made Saturday at the commencement ceremony at the Siegel Center. “Based on what I see in the world, I want you to know that we need you. We need you now,” said Ms. James, former director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Ms. James, also a former state secretary of health and human resources under Gov. George Allen, was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters, VCU’s highest form of recognition. VCU President Michael Rao also called on the students earning diplomas and graduate degrees to use what they’ve learned to tackle

life’s “unknowns.” “The research we do here — which is the bedrock of your unique student experience — begins in the unknown, then becomes innovation, creativity and opportunity for people everywhere,” Dr. Rao said. “At VCU,” he said, “we discover what no one has ever understood before. We create what no one has ever seen before. We cure people who have never had hope before. The unknown doesn’t scare us. It inspires us.” Along with the award to Ms. James, VCU also honored Eva Teig Hardy with the Edward A. Wayne Award for her contributions and service to VCU. Ms. Hardy, a former Dominion executive vice president, was recognized for her service on the board of the VCU Health System and for her tenure as state secretary of health and human resources during the administration of Gov. Gerald L. Baliles. Also, Dr. George Vetrovec, a heart specialist and professor of medicine in the VCU School of Medicine, and Dr. Richard Wenzel, a retired professor and former president of MCV Physicians, were awarded the Presidential Medallion. The medallion honors their efforts as educators and their commitment to VCU.

8th District meeting slated for Thursday

Holiday treat First Lady Michelle Obama brings holiday cheer to youngsters at the Children’s National Health System in Washington on Monday. With former patient Aaron Kirby of Upper Marlboro, Md., at her side, she read to children and answered questions in the hospital’s atrium adorned with holiday decorations. The hospital visit by the nation’s first lady is a tradition that dates back to the 1940s with First Lady Bess Truman.

Residents of Richmond’s 8th councilmanic district will have a chance to meet with city and private sector representatives Thursday night, Dec. 18. City Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell, who represents the district, is organizing the event slated for 6 to 8 p.m. at the Satellite Restaurant and Lounge, 4000 Jefferson Davis Highway on South Side. Anthony McLean, deputy director of the Richmond Department of Fire and Emergency Services, and David Green, CEO of GRTC Transit System, are scheduled to attend, along with a representative of Dominion Virginia Power and public safety officials. Ms. Trammell noted this will be the last district meeting until April.

Paulette Singleton/Richmond Free Press

Open House Meeting Please join us and share your views on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline

Dominion invites you to attend an open house where you can learn more about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. A natural gas pipeline that will cross and serve West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will increase reliability while promoting affordability, economic development and cleaner air. This open house is part of a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) pre-filing process (Docket No. PF15-6-000). You can drop in at any time during the meeting to view displays and maps—including the latest proposed pipeline route—as well as other informational materials. You’ll also have the opportunity to provide comments and meet with experts who can answer your questions. The proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline promises to boost the natural gas supply to generate electricity from cleaner, more abundant and more affordable fuel sources with lower carbon emissions. If approved, the pipeline also will help local gas companies distribute plentiful, domestic natural gas supplies to its customers. Please join us to learn more.

Thursday, January 8, 2015 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Dinwiddie County, VA Sunnyside Elementary Auditorium 10203 Melvin B. Alsbrooks Avenue McKenney, VA 23872 Monday, January 12, 2015 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Chesapeake, VA Jolliff Middle School Cafeteria 1021 Jolliff Road Chesapeake, VA 23321 Tuesday, January 13, 2015 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Nottoway County, VA Camp Pickett Officers’ Club 3951 Military Road Pickett Park Blackstone, VA 23824

VIRGINIA For more information about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, or to learn about additional open house meeting dates and locations, please visit dom.com/acpipeline.

Highland Co. Augusta Co.

Nelson Co. Buckingham Co.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a joint venture of subsidiaries of Dominion Resources, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and AGL Resources.

Cumberland Co.

Prince Edward Co.

Nottoway Co.

Dinwiddie Co.

Greensville Co. Brunswick Co.

Southampton Co.

City of Suffolk

City of Chesapeake

Study Corridor

Wednesday, January 14, 2015 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Nelson County, VA Nelson County High School 6919 Thomas Nelson Highway Route 29 Lovingston, VA 22949 Thursday, January 15, 2015 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Highland County, VA Highland Center* 61 Highland Center Drive Monterey, VA 24465 Tuesday, January 20, 2015 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Augusta County, VA Augusta Expo 277 Expo Road Fishersville, VA 22939

* The Highland Center provides a community venue for open discussion of local issues and the views expressed at this forum/workshop do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Highland Center.

Richmond Free Press

B4 December 18-20, 2014

Faith Directory

St. Peter Baptist Church

Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, Pastor

New Year’s

Unity Worship Service Sunday, December 28th at 10:00 a.m.

Watch Night Service

Worship Service

Wednesday, December 31st

Sunday, December 21st

Sharon Baptist Church

Moore Street

“The Church With A Welcome”

Baptist Church

Sunday December

(First Union Baptist Church) and congregation

2014

No Bible Study Wednesday and Thursday

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

Christmas Eve Service Wednesday, December 24th at 7:00 p.m.

Bible Study is now on Winter Break. We will reconvene on January 8th.

2040 Mountain Road • Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 Ofﬁce 804-262-0230 • Fax 804-262-4651 • www.stpeterbaptist.net

Ebenezer Baptist Church 1858

“The People’s Church”

1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223-6624 • Office: (804) 644-1402 Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You” Tuesday Sunday 10:30 AM Bible Study 9:30 AM Church School 6:30 PM Church-wide Bible Study 11:00 AM Worship Service 6:30 PM Men's Bible Study (Each 2nd and 4th) (Holy Communion Thursday each 2nd Sunday) Wednesday (Following 2nd Sunday) 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting

216 W. Leigh St. • Richmond, Va. 23220 • Tel: 804-643-3366 Fax: 804-643-3367 • Email: ebcofﬁce1@comcast.net • web: ebcrichmond.org Sunday Worship Sunday Church School Service of Holy Communion Service of Baptism Life Application Bible Class Mid-Week Senior Adult Fellowship Wednesday Meditation & Bible Study Homework & Tutoring Scouting Program Thursday Bible Study



11:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Every 3rd Sunday 2nd Sunday, 11 a.m. Mon. 6:30 p.m. Tues. 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Wed. 7:45 p.m. Wed. 4:30 p.m. Wed. 6:00 p.m. Thurs., 11:45 a.m.

11:00 AM Mid-day Meditation

Sixth Baptist Church Theme for 2014: Becoming a Five-Star Church of Excellence We Are Growing In The Kingdom As We Grow The Kingdom with Word, Worship and Witness

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Noon Christmas Feeding the Community/Homeless Worship 5:00 P.M. Christmas Eve One Hour Family Worship

Celebration Music/Message, Lighting of Christ Candle

4th Sunday Advent (Love) Sunday, December 21, 2014 91ST Church Anniversary

Dr. Levy M. Armwood, Pastor  Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus

9:00 A.M. Church Anniversary Breakfast Message by: Dr. Earl Bledsoe, Pastor Emeritus Great Hope Baptist Church

11:00 A.M. - Worship Service Message by: Rev. Joseph A. Fleming

Asst. Pastor, Third Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Va. 400 South Addison Street, Richmond, Va. 23220

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

(near Byrd Park)

Twitter sixthbaptistrva

Riverview

Baptist Church 2604 Idlewood Avenue Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 www.riverviewbaptistch.org Rev. Dr. Stephen L. Hewlett, Pastor Rev. Dr. Ralph Reavis, Sr. Pastor Emeritus

1408 W. Leigh Street • 358-6403

8:00 A.M. Morning Worship 9:30 A.M. Sunday School 11:15 A.M. Morning Worship Combined Usher’s Anniversary 3:30 P.M. Rev. Alvin T. Armstead, Jr. Pastor

at 10:30 p.m.

at 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Missionary

22 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23219 • 643-3825 thesharonbaptistchurch.com • Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor

(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Fax (804) 359-3798 www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

Facebook sixthbaptistrva

Dr. Alonza Lawrence Pastor

Sundays

Early Morning Worship 8:00 A.M. Church School 9:30 A.M. Morning Worship 11:00 A.M.

SUNDAY SCHOOL - 9:45 A.M. SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 11:00 A.M.

Tuesdays

Bible Study 12 noon

Mount Olive Baptist Church Rev. Darryl G. Thompson,

Wednesdays

New Mercies Ministry 6:00 A.M. Youth Bible Study 6:00 P.M. Adult Bible Study 6:30 P.M.

Pastor

2014 Theme:

The Year of Increase



Union

New Year’s Eve

Baptist Church

Sunday, December 31, 2014 Join us for Jubilant Praise on the Mount

Rev. Robert C. Davis, Pastor

12 Noon Celebration Guest Soloist Cora Harvey Armstrong

1813 Everett Street Richmond, Virginia 23224 804-231-5884

Happy Birthday Jesus

10:00 PM Worship Service Mt. Olive’s own Mass Choir Face 2 Face Mime Ministry and Praise Dancers

Celebration Weekend

You do not want to miss this spirit-filled evening at the Mount. We hope to see you here.

Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014 12:00 - 3:00PM

Come celebrate the birth of our Savior as we throw a fun filled birthday party. All are invited. Attire is casual.



8775 Mount Olive Ave., Glen Allen, Va. 23060 (804) 262-9614 Phone (804) 262-2397 Fax www.mobcva.org

Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014

Sunday School 9:30AM Morning Worship 11:00AM Music - Mass Choir 3:00 - 5:00PM

The celebration continues... Come enjoy an elegant Christmas concert as we present the gifts from God! Attire is formal/semi-formal.

fÑÜxtw à{x jÉÜw To advertise your church events in the Richmond Free Press call 644-0496

FirstM iBaptist Church dlothian

13800 Westfield Dr., Midlothian,VA 23113 804-794-5583 • www.fbcm1846.com

Service Times Christmas Eve Worship Service Wed., December 24, 2014 @ 7:00 p.m. Watch Night Worship Service Wed., December 31, 2014 @ 10:00 p.m. Youth Ministry Watch Night Lock-in Wed., December 31, 2014 12 midnight to 10:30 a.m January 1st, 2015

Wilson & Associates’ F u n e r a l S e rv i c e , i n c . Wilson & Associates’ Celebration of Life Center 5008 Nine Mile Road, Richmond, VA 23223 www.wilsonafs.com

St. James Baptist Church

“A People Praising and Pressing Towards God’s Purpose”

2169 New Market Road, Richmond, VA 23231 804-795-7747 • 804-795-5283 (Fax) • www.sjbcofvarina.org

Church School 9:45AM Worship 11:00AM

Tuesday

Bible Study 12 Noon

Wednesday Youth & Adult Bible Study 7:00PM Prayer & Praise 8:15PM

Van Transportation Available, Call 804-794-5583

Rev. Pernell J. Johnson, Pastor

Triumphant

Baptist Church

2003 Lamb Avenue Dr. Arthur M. Jones, Sr., Pastor (804) 321-7622

Remembrance Service Saturday, December 20, 2014 5:00 p.m.

2300 Cool Lane, Richmond, Virginia 23223 804-795-5784 (Armstrong High School Auditorium)

Please RSVP to this invitation by calling our office at (804) 222-1720 to help us prepare for this memorable occasion. This event is free to the public. Keepsake ornaments and items will be available for order.

Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.

Come Join Us!

A light reception will immediAtely follow the service.

Remembering is an act of resurrection, each repetition a vital layer of mourning, in memory of those we are sure to meet again. — NaNcy cobb

Sunday

Reverend Dr. Lester D. Frye Pastor and Founder

To empower people of God spiritually, mentally and emotionally for successful living.

… and Listen to our Radio Broadcast Sundays at 10:15 a.m. on WCLM 1450 AM

Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people. - Matthew 4:23

Sunday, December 21, 2014 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 11:15 a.m. Morning Worship

“A Christmas Story in Word, Song & Dance” Christmas Presentation by Music Ministry of Triumphant

New Deliverance Evangelistic Church

1701 Turner Road, North Chesterfield, Virginia 23225 (804) 276-0791 fax (804)276-5272 www.ndec.net

Men’s Christmas Concert

Wednesday, December 24, 2014 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Thirty-first Street Baptist Church ance with Relev

everence

ing Dr. Morris Henderson, Senior Pastor bin m o ❖ C SUNDAYS Church School 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship 10:30 a.m. ❖

WEDNESDAYS Bible Study 12:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. ❖

MONDAY-FRIDAY Nutrition Center and Clothes Closet 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. 823 North 31st Street Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 226-0150 Office www.31sbc.org

Watch Night Service

Wednesday, December 31, 2014 9:00 p.m. Doors open at 8:00 p.m. Bishop G. O. Glenn D. Min., Founder Mother Marcietia S. Glenn First Lady

Sunday 8 a.m. Sunday School 9:00 a.m. Worship Service

Wednesday Services Senior Citizens Noonday Bible Study Every Wed. 12noon-1pm Sanctuary - All Are Welcome! 7:00 p.m. Prayer 7:30 p.m. Mid-Week Revival/ Bible Study Count

Saturday

8:30 a.m. Intercessory Prayer

19th NDEC Founders & Church Anniversary January 18, 2015 9:00 a.m. & January 25, 2014 - 9:00 a.m. Theme:

“The Good Hand of Our God Has Been Upon Us” – Nehemiah 2:8, 18

Tune in on Sunday Morning to WTVR - Channel 6 - 8:30 a.m. Sunday TV Broadcast WTVZ 9 a.m. Norfolk/Tidewater Thursday & Friday Radio Broadcast WREJ 1540 AM Radio - 8:15 a.m.- 8:30 a.m.

THE NEW DELIVERANCE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (NDCA)

ENROLL NOW!!! Accepting applications for children 2 yrs. old to 3rd Grade

You can now view Our NDCA curriculum also consists Sunday Morning Service of a Before and After program. “AS IT HAPPENS” online! Now Enrolling for our Nursery Ages 6 weeks - 2yrs. old. Also, for your convenience, For more information we now offer Please call (804) 276-4433 “full online giving.” Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm Visit www.ndec.net.

Richmond Free Press

December 18-20, 2014

Faith News/Directory By Joey Matthews

’Tis the season for depictions of baby Jesus and other biblical figures in movies and plays, on cards and in churches. In response to a Free Press query, several Richmond-area faith leaders said it’s time to convey the truth — that pictures of a white Jesus with long flowing locks adorning the sanctuaries of many churches are not accurate. Nor is the portrayal, as in many Christmas plays and re-enactments, of a white baby Jesus surrounded by a Caucasian Mary and Joseph and white travelers from afar coming to worship him in Bethlehem. Further, those faith leaders said, it’s time for Hollywood to get its act together as well. They point to the latest Hollywood movie, “Exodus,” featuring a cast of mostly white actors, including Christian Bales as Moses, in which people of color are relegated to lesser roles such as servants of the pharaoh. “The use of mostly Caucasians for the movie ‘Exodus,’ and as the historical Jesus, is historically incorrect and a fabricated myth,” said Dr. Michael A. Sanders, pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church on South Side. “The Bible and authentic biblical scholarship have proven so. “From a public policy perspective,” he added, “it justifies unequal and unfair treatment for certain people, especially African-American men. This pervasive attitude and practice has prompted a national protest to show that ‘Black men matter too!’ ” The Rev. Phoebe A. Roaf, rector at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on North Side, stated, “People relate to images that are familiar to them, either because they look like them or they have always seen things presented in a certain light. It’s an emotional choice and subconscious for many people. “Many of the famous depictions of Christ come from European painters in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, who painted Christ to look like that period of time,” she added. “Anyone

who has been to the Middle East knows that Semitic people are darker and have curly hair, so I am most comfortable with images of Christ that look Semitic.” She noted, however, that Christmas provides the opportunity to focus on the significance of Jesus’ birth, not so much on the color of his skin. The Rev. Delores L. McQuinn, associate minister at New Bridge Baptist Church in Highland Springs and a state delegate representing Richmond, shared the view that “Exodus” only mirrors the majority of Hollywood biblical films that historically have reflected a pro-white slant. “Mostly white casts — and in some instances all white casts — are typical for Hollywood’s

He reasoned: “Why waste time trying to describe what Jesus looks like. Clearly, those of us of faith — black, white, red, yellow, brown — believe that we are made in his image. And so, if there were a picture of him, it would have to be all-inclusive, whatever image that would be. Why waste time trying to create a picture that is, obviously, way beyond our comprehension.” Dr. Lance D. Watson, senior pastor at St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Henrico County, sounded a bah humbug note to those who depict biblical characters in European-centric fashion. “Historically, both Jesus and Moses share the commonality of being born into cultures shaped by African heritage and history. Yet both

slow to change to reflect a true description of Jesus — and other Biblical figures — based on history and reality versus today’s biased depictions done to suit whatever purpose and profit motivations,” he stated. “As a society, we have come a long way and have a long, long, long, way to go.” The Rev. F. Todd Gray, pastor at Fifth Street Baptist Church on North Side, said he’s not surprised by the overwhelmingly white bent of Hollywood films such as “Exodus.” “It is as old as Charlton Heston as Moses, Liz Taylor as Cleopatra and as recently as Ewan McGregor as Jesus in ‘Last Days in the Desert,’” he said. “It is important to try to be more historically and ethnically accurate, but it is more important that our people see themselves reflected as participants in the human and divine drama. “Right now, we have much more pressing issues than Hollywood’s casting,” he added. The Rev. David J. Stanfill of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in the East End said, as a white pastor of an AfricanAmerican Roman Catholic parish, he tries to best represent those he serves. “Almost all of our artwork at the parish is done from the black perspective, which I feel is very unique and special. Our baby Jesus is black. Our crucifix was hand carved in Africa,” he said. The Rev. Shay Auerbach, pastor at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on South Side, serves a predominately Latino congregation. “Actually, we have to remember the white baby Jesus itself is an accommodation,” he stated. “Historically, Jesus would have been Palestinian, probably not blonde and blue-eyed. “When Christianity got to Europe, it was natural for them to want a Jesus that looked like them. Of course, through colonialism, that white Jesus was taken to the Americas, Asia, and Africa,” he said. For Christmas celebrations among Latinos today, baby Jesus has a variety of skin tones “ranging from white to black,” he concluded.

The race factor: What color was Jesus? mode of operation,” she said. “Many people have expressed that it appears to be a deliberate effort on behalf of Hollywood to not shine positive light on people of color.” She said those misrepresentations have rallied the black church to “celebrate our culture, educate our people, commemorate our contributions and convey the message that we matter to God, and He will continue to use us.” She said she expects to see more accurate images and portrayals of Jesus and other figures as public awareness grows and calls increase for historical truths to be told. Larry Bland, a Richmond gospel music icon, said he is perplexed that some churches with black congregations portray Jesus as Caucasian. “With the vast amount of information we now have that substantiates Jesus’ skin color being other than white, how black churches can continue to perpetuate this incorrect image is beyond my comprehension,” he said.

figures are often recast in the image of Western Europeans,” he stated. “This is historically inaccurate and all of us, regardless of our ethnicity and culture, should be concerned that history is accurately reported and conveyed to future generations. To distort it for whatever reasons does not change it.” Dr. Charles Shannon, president of Faith Leaders Moving Forward, who pastors Mount Level Baptist Church in Amelia County, seconded that point. “Ancient depictions of Jesus greatly differ from today’s figures, actors in Hollywood and those used in many churches despite the race of the congregation,” he said.” Careful study of the historical Jesus described in the book of Revelation 1:14-15 — and archaeological and temperate zone data readily available via Google search — could not be clearer that Jesus was a black man. “For both blacks and whites, things are

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

9:30PM Christmas

� �

Eve Concert 10:30PM Christmas Eve Festival, Holy Eucharist Thursday, December 25, 2014 10:00AM Holy

Eucharist

ST. PHILIP’S Episcopal Church

2900 Hanes Avenue ~ Richmond, VA 23222 www.stphilipsrva.org ~ (804) 321-1266

presents its

Annual Christmas Concert of

The Sanctuary Choir and Friends Theme: “Shine

the Light of Christ”

Sunday, December 21, 2014 7:00PM

Funerals & Cremations

Over time, some things change. But, our tradition of providing service of the highest caliber has remained the same for over 100 years while serving Richmond and surrounding areas with dignity and excellence.

Director of Music ~ Ms. Charmaine Sims McGilvary Accompanists ~ Mrs. Bettie Paige Alexander Mrs. Diane Briggs Bacon

Dr. Jeffery O. Smith, Pastor 2700 Garland Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23222 804-321-1372 · Email: garlandavebc@gmail.com

115 E. Brookland Park Blvd., Richmond, Virginia 23222 Toll-Free: 1-888-603-3862 | Phone: 804-321-9095 Fax: 804-321-1033 | www.scottsfuneralhome.com

Richard A. Lambert, Sr., President/CEO

December 21, 2014 - 6:00PM

Our Gift to the Community A Soulful Celebration Virginia Union University

Coburn Hall/Allix B. James Chapel 1500 N. Lombardy Street

Christmas Eve Worship Celebration December 24, 2014 - 7:00PM

Hull Street Location • 1501 Decatur Street

New Years Eve Worship Service December 31, 2014 -10:30PM Meadowbrook High School 4901 Cogbill Road North Chesterfield, VA

Richmond Free Press

B6 December 18-20, 2014

Sports Plus

VUU’s Noube, other HBCU notes By Fred Jeter

Of all the athletes to ever wear the Virginia Union University maroon and steel, maybe Happi Noube has made the longest journey. You can’t get much farther away from Lombardy Street than The Philippines. A native of Cameroon in West Africa, Noube played basketball two seasons at Emilio Aguinaldo College (mascot, The Sharks) in Manila before coming to VUU. “I never saw Happi play in Happi Noube person, but I probably watched him in 10 full games on CDs and other videos,” said VUU first-year coach Tony Sheals. Built along the lines of a young Charles Oakley, the 6-foot-7, 235-pound Noube was Rookie of the Year as a freshman in the Filipino league. As a sophomore, he averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds. After ironing out transfer issues, Noube became eligible to play at VUU three games ago. He flashed his upside with an 8-point, 6-rebound showing against Virginia State University in the Big Apple Classic in New York on Dec. 6. Panthers fans may expect more international players.

“I know a lot of people,” said Sheals. “I’ve probably had 10 kids from Africa over the years at different schools, including one at St. Augustine’s.” Sheals coached last year at the university in Raleigh, N.C. Sheals says VUU’s 4-6 start is a poor indicator of things to come. “We’ve got a bunch of talent, but we’re not a team yet,” said Sheals. “We’ve got to learn our roles … got to learn to love each other.” Two games have been subtracted from VUU’s schedule. Contests against Clark-Atlanta and Albany State universities, set for Dec. 19-20 in Albany, Ga., have been canceled. The Panthers are off until Jan. 3 when they play Livingstone College 4 p.m. at Barco-Stevens Hall. u After spurring Livingstone College to new heights, senior Mark Thomas has been forced to the sidelines. The 2014 CIAA Player of the Year and tournament MVP no longer can compete due to a Mark Thomas heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a leading cause of death among young athletes. As a sophomore, Thomas helped Livingstone gain its first NCAA bid in 2013. Last year, the

Saginaw, Mich., native led the Blue Bears to their first CIAA crown. Thomas averaged 22 points in 2014 while leading the team in 3-pointers (56), assists (134) and steals (66). u Norfolk State University’s “Big Apple Connection” remains intact. The Spartans’ latest standout is 6-foot-4 Jeff Short from John F. Kennedy High in The Bronx. Short was Bronx Player of the Year in 2010, leading JFK to its first Bronx championship. After transferring from Fordham University and sitting out last season, Short averages a Jeff Short MEAC best 18 points while hitting .418 from beyond the arc and .895 at the foul line. NSU coach Robert Jones hails from New York, as did former coach Anthony Evans, who is now at Florida International University. It was Jones, then an NSU assistant, who recruited former NSU star Kyle O’Quinn (now with the NBA’s Orlando Magic) and numerous other New Yorkers who helped the Spartans win the 2012 MEAC title and stun Missouri in the NCAAs. u

Hampton University’s leading scorer (12.4) and rebounder (8.1), Quinton Chievous, already has a college diploma, yet he retains two years of eligibility with the Pirates. Chievous spent three seasons at the University of Tennessee. The 6-foot-6 wing was red-shirted one season and played two for the Volunteers. He graduated this past summer in Knoxville and entered Hampton University for graduate studies. On the Hampton roster, he is classified as a “Graduate.” From Chicago, Chievous is Quinton Chievous the son of Derrick Chievous, an all-time scorer (2,580 points) at Missouri. Derrick Chievous was the 16th player taken overall in the 1988 NBA draft. u Quaman Burton, point guard for John Marshall High School’s championship State 3A Justices last winter, has become a top backcourt reserve at Lincoln University, Pa. In about 17 minutes per game, the 6-foot-1 freshman is averaging 7 points and 2 assists for the 5-4 Lions. Lincoln comes to Virginia Union University Jan. 24 and Virginia State University Jan. 31.

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL Public Notice Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, January 5, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. in the Fifth Floor Conference Room of City Hall and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, January 12, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2014-260 To amend and reordain the fees set forth in Appendix A of the City Code for sections 114-1045.12 (concerning fees for conditional use permits), 1141050.6 (concerning fees for special use permits), and 114-1160(a) (concerning fees for zoning ordinance amendments), to establish revised charges for such services. Ordinance No. 2014-261 To authorize the conditional use of the property known as 708 Hull Street for the purpose of authorizing drive-up facilities, upon certain terms and conditions. The Richmond Downtown Master Plan designates this property as an Urban Center Area, which, “Is characterized by higher density, mixed-used development, typically arranged on a fine-grained street network with wide sidewalks, regular tree planting, and minimal setbacks”. Ordinance No. 2014-263 To authorize the special use of the properties known as 1734 North 28th Street, 1736 North 28th Street and a portion of 1738 North 28th Street for the purpose of authorizing up to six single-family detached dwelling units, upon certain terms and conditions. The Land Use Plan of the City of Richmond’s Master Plan designates the subject property for Single-Family (Low Density) land use. Primary uses in this category are single-family detached dwellings at densities up to seven units per acre. The proposed development would have a residential density of approximately 11 units per acre. Ordinance No. 2014-264 To authorize the special use of the property known as 2617 West Main Street for the purpose of authorizing two two-family attached dwelling units and accessory parking, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is located in the Near West Planning District as defined by the 20002020 city-wide Master Plan, which recommends “Single-Family (MediumDensity)” uses for the property. The Richmond Master Plan designates this property as SingleFamily (Medium-Density). Primary uses for the Single-Family designation are, “single-family and two-family dwellings, both detached and attached, at densities of 8 to 20 units per acre. Includes residential support uses such as schools, places of worship, neighborhood parks and recreation facilities, and limited public and semi-public uses”. Ordinance No. 2014-265 To authorize the special Continued on next column

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use of the property known as 3410 Cliff Avenue for the purpose of authorizing a day nursery for up to 12 children, upon certain terms and conditions. The City of Richmond’s Master Plan recommends Single-Family Low Density land use for the subject property. Primary uses in this category includes single-family detached dwellings at densities up to seven units per acre and residential support uses such as churches, parks, and recreational facilities. Ordinance No. 2014-266 To authorize the special use of the property known as 535 West Broad Street for the purposes of the construction and operation of a building for retail use, with an accessory drive-up window and off-street parking, upon certain terms and conditions. According to the Richmond Downtown Plan, the subject property falls within the Urban Center Area. Such areas are characterized by higher density, mixed-use development, typically arranged on a fine-grained street network, with wide sidewalks, regular tree planting, and minimal setbacks. Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at www.Richmondgov. com and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Jean V. Capel City Clerk

Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER PAULETTE PONTON, Plaintiff v. HERBERT PONTON, Defendant. Case No.: CL14002631-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 22nd day of January, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER TANISHA SCOTT, Plaintiff v. CORNELIUS SCOTT, Defendant. Case No.: CL14002717-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear Continued on next column

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here on or before the 22nd day of January, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER RICKY ARCHER II, Plaintiff v. CASSANDRA ARCHER, Defendant. Case No.: CL14002258-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, who is a nonresident, appear here on or before the 29th day of January, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER MICHAEL GOODWYN, Plaintiff v. KARLA GOODWYN, Defendant. Case No.: CL14002085-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 14th day of January, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Continued on next column

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Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005

ADOPTION Virginia: In the juvenile and domestic relations district court for the County of Chesterfield Amanda Maria Gaytan, Petitioner, v. Bryan Gaytan, Respondent. Case Nos.: JJ084075-01-00;-02-00; and JJ084046-01-00;-02-00 In Re: Amaya Maria Gaytan, DOB: 01/28/2008; and Annabelle Denise Gaytan, DOB: 09/19/09 Order of Publication The object of this suit is to grant Amanda Maria Gaytan, the Plaintiff, sole legal and physical custody of the minor children Amaya Maria Gaytan, DOB: 01/28/2008, and Annabelle Denise Gaytan, DOB: 09/19/09. WHEREFORE, And affidavit having been filed that due diligence has been used without effect to ascertain the location of the father of the minor children, Bryan Gaytan, it is ORDERED that the father, Bryan Gaytan, appear before this Court on February 23, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. to protect his interests herein. WE ASK FOR THIS: Rick A. Friedman, II, Esquire (VSB #46870) Kimberly L. Fitzgerald, Esquire (VSB #74883) Friedman Law Firm, P.C. 9620 Iron Bridge Road Suite 101 Chesterfield, VA 23832 (804) 717-1969 (telephone) (804) 748-4161 (telecopier) Counsel for the Petitioner

BIDS COUNTY OF HENRICO, VIRGINIA REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL RFP# 14-9688-12JK Engineering Services Gillies Creek Subbasin (GC08) Area Sewer and Water Rehabilitation. Due 2:30 pm, January 23, 2015. Additional information available at: h t t p : / / w w w. h e n r i c o . u s / departments/purchasing/ bids-and-proposals/

Director of Transportation Richmond Regional Planning District Commission (RRPDC) Richmond Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RRTPO) The RRPDC is accepting applications for its Director of Transportation - an exciting opportunity for a highly qualified professional with senior management experience to shape the future of regional transportation planning in the 9-locality Richmond Region of Virginia. The position provides support to the RRTPO and requires comprehensive knowledge of federal/state urban transportation planning; air quality/programming requirements; a demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with local government staff, elected officials, government agencies and stakeholders; and strong interpersonal, fiscal, project and personnel management skills. An undergraduate degree in Planning, Engineering or related field from an accredited school is required (master’s degree preferred) with 10 years of progressively responsible experience -5 years in a supervisory capacity, or equivalent combination of experience/training. Salary contingent on experience/qualifications. Interested candidates submit cover letter, salary history, resume, and RRPDC employment application to Julie Fry at jfry@richmondregional.org. A complete job ad, position description, employment application, and submission instructions are on the RRPDC web site at www.richmondregional.org EOE Review of candidates starts January 20, 2015.

Drivers w/CDL: Home Weekends with Dedicated Route Guaranteed Weekly Pay on 1,800-2,100 Weekly Miles Limited Positions, So Call Now 888-475-2818 Friendship Baptist Church

DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

DMAS is charged with ensuring proper MEDICAID services to qualified recipients. The Agency seeks qualified candidates for the following positions:

LTC Senior Policy Analyst - #00821 Recipient Audit Senior Investigator - #00033 Please visit our website at www.dmas.virginia.gov or Monster.com for more information. An online application is required. Faxed, e-mailed, or paper applications will not be accepted. Visit http://jobs.virginia.gov for application details. EEO/AA/ADA

is seeking a full time

Pastor.

Please submit resume to 1305 Arlington Road Hopewell, Virginia 23860-6115 Attn: E. Stewart Jones Chairman, Diaconate Ministry Resumes are due by: Dec. 31, 2014

Seeking part-time hourly

Church Secretary

Computer experience required. Mail resume to: Zion Baptist Church c/o Pastor Pettis 2006 Decatur Street Richmond, VA 23224 or email to zbcoffice@verizon.net. Please no agencies.

The Richmond Free Press is seeking a reliable and creative person for a part-time graphics position. Individual must be proficient in Macintosh Creative Suite Design software (Indesign and Photoshop) to produce accurate, high quality cameraready advertisements and news page layouts for print production. Attention for details. Duties will include website maintenance. Ability to be flexible and work under deadline cooperatively in a team environment is essential.

Good Hopewell Baptist Church Is seeking a

Part-Time Senior Pastor Please email resume to: ghbc4godministries@gmail.com With your resume and statement of purpose. Deadline for all applicants no later than Midnight January 16, 2015.

Submit cover letter, resumé and samples of work to address below. Human Resources Richmond Free Press P.O. Box 27709 Richmond, Virginia 23261 No phone calls please

is currently accepting applications and resumes for the following positions: • Worship Director • Assistant Worship Director • Youth Choir Director (part time) • Children’s Choir Director (part time) • Assistant Cook (part time) • Steward (part time) • Facilities Technician (part time) • Keyboardist (part time, Elm Street Campus) Visit www.myspbc.org for position specifics & how to apply. EEO

Program Supervisor I or II - Regional I/ DD Child Systems Developer Starting Salary Range: Program Supervisor I $49,894.28 - $55,894.28 - non-licensed Program Supervisor II $55,008.44 - $61,008.44 - VA licensed - LCSW, LPC, LCP, or LMFT. Close Date: Open until filled The Richmond Behavioral Health Authority has an exciting opportunity for a talented individual to lead the overall development, implementation of clinical crisis needs assessment which may include: the implementation of crisis supports for children with I/DD and intense behavioral needs; developing and maintaining linkages with community partners; work with regional leadership to develop and implement crisis services; participates in required meetings; supervises child crisis staff; collects and analyzes data; investigates systematic breakdowns and implements corrective measures. The candidate must have a minimum of a Master’s Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling or closely related field. A Virginia LCSW, LPC or closely related is preferred. Also, the candidate needs to have experience in I/DD, including extensive programming for children with significant behavioral needs. Preferred candidate will have two or more years of supervisory experience in I/DD and/ or behavioral health setting. Valid Virginia Driver’s license is required. The RBHA offers excellent salaries, benefits, on-site gym, and wellness programs. Interested candidates should visit www. rbha.org for further information.

The City of Richmond is seeking to fill the following positions: Air Conditioning, Refrigeration & Heating Mechanic 29M00001034 Public Works Apply by: 12/28/2014 Customer Services Supervisor 27M00000502 Social Services Apply by: 12/28/2014 Deputy Director II 87M00000101 Emergency Communications Apply by: 01/4/2015 Drafting Technician II 05M00000018 Planning and Development Review Apply by: 12/28/2014 Family Services Specialist, Independent Living 27M00000141 Social Services Apply by: 12/28/2014 Financial and Statistical Analyst 35M00000144 Public Utilities Apply by: 01/4/2015 Human Services Assistant, Customer Care Center (Multiple Openings) 27M00000114 Social Services Apply by: 12/28/2014 Surveillance Officer 15M00000205 Justice Services Apply by: 12/28/2014 Maintenance Worker I (Multiple Openings) 30M00000312 Parks and Recreation Apply by: 12/28/2014 Maintenance Worker I (Multiple Openings) 30TRJP01006 Parks and Recreation Apply by: 12/28/2014 Management Analyst II 29M00000493 Public Works Apply by: 12/28/2014 Recreation Instructor I 30M00000619 Parks and Recreation Apply by: 12/28/2014 Recreation Program Coordinator 30M00000292 Parks and Recreation Apply by: 01/11/2015 ****************** For an exciting career with the City of Richmond, visit our website for additional information and apply today! www.richmondgov.com EOE M/F/D/V