Richmond Free Press August 5-7, 2021 edition

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VOL. 30 NO. 32

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

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Meet this week’s Personality Ronnie Hicks B1

AUGUST 5-7, 2021

No wrongdoing

Mayor Levar M. Stoney cleared in special prosecutor’s probe of the city’s awarding of $1.8 million contract to remove Confederate statues

Mayor Stoney

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

A crane hauls away the massive, 100-year-old statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson from its pedestal at Monument Avenue and Arthur Ashe Boulevard during a downpour on July 1, 2020.

State still has $788M available to help families facing eviction

No bribes.

No kickbacks.

No evidence of corruption in the use of taxpayers’ dollars.

That’s the conclusion of a six-month probe to determine if Mayor Levar M. Stoney engaged in any wrongdoing in the award of a $1.8 million contract to a contractor to take down the city’s Confederate statues in July 2020.

The contractor, Devon Henry, had contributed to Mayor Stoney’s 2016 campaign and his One Richmond political action committee.

Special Prosecutor Timothy A. Martin made the determination after reviewing an “exceptionally thorough, impartial and professional” report from the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation into the contract and the mayor’s role.

Mr. Martin, who is the commonwealth’s attorney for Augusta County, issued the finding on July 28, saying the investigation found “no evidence of (an) improper benefit to the mayor as a result of awarding the removal contract to a political donor of his.”

The conclusion was not unexpected as the suspicions that were vented at the time were not supported by any evidence.

Mayor Stoney welcomed and encouraged

the probe that was instigated by one of his rivals in last November’s mayoral contest, former City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray.

The mayor never wavered in insisting that any probe would find that he and his administration acted properly and within the scope of their authority.

Mayor Stoney, who was not interviewed during the probe, did not comment directly on what is now a closed matter, leaving that to his personal attorney, Jeffrey Breit.

“We are pleased with the outcome,” Mr. Breit stated. He noted that Mr. Martin verified what the mayor and he had said all along.

“Mayor Stoney had nothing to do with the selection of the contractor,” Mr. Breit continued. “This was just an attempt to throw a political bullet in the middle of the campaign without a shred of evidence to support it.”

Ms. Gray pushed for the probe during her unsuccessful effort to unseat the mayor during last fall’s campaign. She could not be reached for comment on the results of the probe.

In issuing his determination, Mr. Martin sought to make it clear that his decision was based solely on the information he received from the State Police.

“I am an elected Republican from a conservative jurisdiction, and Mayor Stoney is

Mandate: All city employees must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1

By George Copeland Jr.

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

whose finances have been upended by the pandemic or resulted in major Confronted by the prospect of a medical bills. flood of evictions, President Biden’s The new moratorium is to last administration acted Tuesday to ofto Sunday, Oct. 3, unless the courts fer temporary relief that will impact strike it down, and is only good struggling renters facing ouster for in areas where data show rates of overdue payments, including those infection from COVID-19 are high in Richmond and most of Central and surging.

Mr. Wegbreit Virginia.

Landlord groups are expected to Just days after a federal eviction moratorium challenge the new CDC declaration, based on expired on July 31, the U.S. Centers for Dis- their previous success in getting the U.S. Suease Control and Prevention installed a more targeted eviction ban designed to aid renters Please turn to A4

Richmond city employees are now required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, in a move announced Wednesday amid nationwide efforts to stem the rising surge in cases.

Those currently unvaccinated are required to get a first dose by Wednesday, Aug. 18, and full vaccination by Oct. 1.

Related story on A3

For Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush, eviction fight is personal Free Press wire report

WASHINGTON Roughly two decades before she was elected to Congress, U.S. Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri lived in a Ford Explorer with her then-husband and two young children after the family had been evicted from their rental home.

So for Rep. Bush, a freshman Democrat from St. Louis,

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

A nurse prepares a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for injection during a mass vaccination event in late January at Richmond Raceway.

Those already vaccinated are required to submit documentation of their vaccination status

by Aug. 18 through the Virginia Department of Health.

The policy applies to about 3,600 city employees, including those in Richmond police, fire and social services departments, regardless of whether they’re working in person or remotely.

The city Department of Please turn to A4

Free COVID-19 testing and vaccines

Related story on A3 the debate over whether to revive the moratorium on evictions during the pandemic is deeply personal. To dramatize her point, she started to sleep outside the U.S. Capitol last Friday to call attention to the issue as part of the effort to pressure President Biden and Congress to act.

On Tuesday, she won.

After coming under intense pressure, the Biden administration issued a new eviction moratorium that will last until Oct. 3, temporarily halting evictions in

Please turn to A4

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images

Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri speaks Tuesday to supporters who joined her on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in demanding a federal eviction moratorium to help the millions of Americans in danger of losing their homes during the pandemic. President Biden and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a short-term fix on Tuesday after pressure from Rep. Bush and the public.

counties with “substantial and high levels” of virus transmissions, which covers areas where 90 percent of the U.S. population lives.

Rep. Bush’s experience sets her apart from the more

conventional partisan sniping and grandstanding in the capital because of her direct connection to an urgent problem affecting millions of Americans.

Please turn to A4

COVID-19 testing is available at various drug stores, clinics and urgent care centers throughout the area for people with and without health insurance. Several offer free tests.

A list of area COVID-19 testing sites is online at https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/ richmond-city/richmond-and-henrico-areacovid-19-testing-sites/ The Virginia Department of Health also has a list of COVID-19 testing locations around the state at www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/ covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites/.

Want a COVID-19 vaccine?

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free walk-up COVID-19 vaccines at the following locations:

Please turn to A4

Cleveland MLB team changes name in move toward enlightenment Free Press wire report

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Cleveland baseball team owner Paul Dolan speaks to the media July 23 as the new Cleveland Guardians logo is displayed.

CLEVELAND After more than 100 years, Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team is getting a new name — the Guardians.

The name Indians is soon to be gone.

The ballclub announced July 30 that at the end of the 2021 season, the Indians will transition from the name they’ve been known as since 1915 and replace it with Guardians, one they hope inspires a new generation of fans.

The name change, which has its supporters and critics among Cleveland’s fan base, ends

months of internal discussions triggered by a national reckoning for institutions and teams to drop logos and names considered racist.

“We do feel like we’re doing the right thing and that’s what’s driving this,” team owner Paul Dolan said following a news conference at the ballpark. “I know some people disagree, but if anything, I’ve gotten more and more comfortable that we’re headed in the right direction.

“And actually, the selection of the name solidifies that feeling because of the values that Please turn to A4

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

A real splash Marlei Wyatt-Bey, 5, gingerly enjoys the splash pad Wednesday at Battery Park Pool on Dupont Circle in North Side. The youngster was visiting the pool with her camp group on a day when temperatures reached the 80s in Richmond.

Temperatures are expected to hit the 90s again next week when a dip in one of the city-owned pools may bring some fun and relief. The Battery Park Pool is open until 8 p.m. weekdays, with open family swim from 5 to 7 p.m. and adult swim from 7 to 8 p.m. Weekend hours are noon to 5 p.m.

Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Richmond Free Press

A2 August 5-7, 2021

Local News

Cityscape Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Above left, Richmond residents gather outside the refurbished Annie Marie Giles Community Resource & Training Center in Shockoe Valley for the grand reopening celebration last Saturday. Born as a school and used for several years as a homeless shelter, the building is now to host programs that benefit residents in the East View community and the Whitcomb and Mosby public housing communities located on the hills above Shockoe Valley. Above right, the celebration included a job fair inside a community room where homeless people once slept. Left, Florence Smith, the eldest daughter of the late Mrs. Giles, gives City Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson a hug for her work to provide a center of which Mrs. Giles would be proud. Ms. Robertson led the charge to get the city to purchase the building, to name the center for the late Mrs. Giles, an influential Whitcomb Court resident who was an organizer and activist for residents, and to use the center for operations that would provide job training and other services.

School Board insists on going it alone on Wythe Possible deal for new horse stable for Richmond Police

By Ronald E. Carrington

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

New life apparently is being breathed into a plan to build a new stable for the four horses of the Richmond’s Police Department’s Mounted Unit, thanks to an anonymous private donor.

An agreement is being crafted between City Hall and the donor that could yield the funding needed for the stable that has been proposed to go on city land at Government Road and Crestview Avenue in the East End, according to the city Department of Public Works.

“We’ve been waiting for the donor to review the agreement with both his legal team and lawyers for the contractor,” said Paige Hairston, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works.

Ms. Hairston stated that the agreement was discussed with the donor on July 13, with hopes that it could be inked in the coming weeks.

She said the donor “also is in the process of getting commitments from other donors for the total amount of the construction costs.”

The city put up $1.5 million in 2018 to build a new stable to replace the condemned metal barn on Brook Road where the unit’s horses are now housed. However, the project was dropped after construction bids came in $1 million over budget.

Former Richmond Police Officer Glenwood W. Burley, who has led the effort to secure a new stable, said he was unaware of this new initiative, but “I’m glad that it is taking place. We need a new stable for the horses.”

Richmond’s Mounted Unit was launched in the 1890s and ranks among the oldest such police units in the country.

Both the department and a community support group, Friends of the Richmond Mounted Squad, have sought a stable replacement since the current building was condemned in 2002. But private fundraising, until now, raised less than $100,000 over the years.

In its capital budget plan, the city still lists the project and notes that about $1.4 million remains from the original appropriation of $1.5 million. The cost of the project apparently ballooned because the property is a former landfill and far more site work was projected to be needed to create a proper foundation for the new barn.

Construction of a new George Wythe High School is still in limbo as the Richmond School Board needs to work out some design decisions for the request for proposal, or RFP, in order to move the construction process forward.

The Richmond Public Schools administration is preparing to issue an RFP for design services by Aug. 31, for a building that will hold 1,600 students.

Superintendent Jason Kamras has projected that that by time the school opens, the South Side school will have an student enrollment of 2,000.

At Monday night’s School Board meeting, Mr. Kamras presented several questions from the administration as guidance for the board in developing the RFP. He asked whether the design should be from an existing school, such as the new River City Middle School, or whether the design process should start from scratch.

He also asked what level of LEED certification for energy and environmental design the board wants in a new high school, and whether the school should be designed based on what theme it may have for the curriculum, such as science and math or visual and performing arts.

Mr. Kamras also asked if the board wants the building to include space for community amenities, such as a health clinic, community library or social services center.

The board provided no answers Monday night.

The board has said it will create a panel of RPS and City of Richmond employees to review and score the design submissions.

During the board’s lengthy discussion on the RFP, board member Mariah L. White, 2nd District, asked if Mr. Kamras’ questions could be answered by using the city’s RFP for George Wythe, which had a response deadline of Aug. 2.

Board member Stephanie M. Rizzi, 5th District, supported Ms. White’s inquiry.

This was followed by board Chair

Cheryl L. Burke, 7th District, making a motion for the school district to accept the City of Richmond’s offer to work with the School Board on an RFP for a new George Wythe. But on a 5-4 vote, Ms. Burke’s motion was shot down.

In response to the board’s rejection again of collaboration with the city, Mayor Levar M. Stoney replied during a news conference on Tuesday morning.

“Normally when the city and RPS work together, we get a result like no other for our children,” Mayor Stoney said, noting his continued disappointment, especially with five School Board members who consistently have blocked efforts to work jointly with the city.

He was referring to Ms. White; Ms. Rizzi; board Vice Chair Jonathan Young, 5th District; Kenya J. Gibson, 3rd District; and Shonda Harris-Muhammed, 6th District.

“For our children not to be in George Wythe until 2027, or who knows when, is a miscarriage of governance. The parents and students are the victims,” the mayor said.

Mayor Stoney noted that he was glad some companies submitted design proposals to the city earlier this week. However, he said his disappointment centers on the knowledge that the School Board would spend more taxpayer money replicating the process rather than coming to the table to collaborate.

During a news conference Monday morning and during the public comment period at the School Board meeting Monday evening, James E. “J.J.” Minor III, president of the Richmond Branch NAACP, expressed dismay about the board’s disregard of the city’s offer of collaboration and continually dragging its feet on the school project.

“Wythe can’t wait and our kids can’t wait, but a majority of the School Board thinks otherwise,” Mr. Minor said. “They seem to believe that Black and brown students who have tried to learn in rat-infested, mold-filled schools can wait.”

He said the School Board “has picked

an unnecessary fight with the city around the construction of a new George Wythe and unknowingly delayed, again, a new school for our South Side students. The community does not care who builds the school and has asked for compromise, only to be met with resistance.”

Standing in solidarity with Mr. Minor at the news conference and the School Board meeting were the Rev. Robin Mines, a 1976 graduate of George Wythe High School, and Tisha Erby, an RPS parent and George Wythe graduate. They said the community’s concerns have consistently been ignored.

Mr. Minor said if the School Board continues on this path, the NAACP is prepared to ask the Virginia Department of Education to intervene, to file a lawsuit against the School Board, and if necessary, seek a recall of the board members who are “putting Richmond at risk.”

In other matters, the board approved plans to spend the $123 million RPS is to receive from the American Rescue Plan.

Per Mr. Kamras’ proposal, $29 million will be used for personnel, $10 million for training, $7 million for resources and $19 million for extended day partnerships where students will have the opportunity to participate in after-school activities at no or little cost to parents.

Mr. Kamras said the School Board has until Sept. 1 to submit the spending plan to the state in order to receive funding on time. He proposed that the previous federal stimulus money, totaling $58 million, be spent over three years.

The board also approved a change in school start times for city high schools.

Beginning in September, high school students will start their day 15 minutes earlier, at 9 a.m., and will be dismissed at 3:45 p.m. instead of 4 p.m.

Other school schedules will remain unchanged. Elementary schools’ hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. However, for transportation reasons, a few elementary schools will follow the middle school schedule of classes from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

RRHA quietly changes trespass policy; list of the banned grows unwieldly

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Current police horse barn on Brook Road.

Back-to-school vaccines, physicals offered by local health districts The Richmond and Henrico health districts are holding several back-to-school clinics where students can get health physicals and vaccines required to attend public school.

They will take place: Thursday, Aug. 5: • River City Middle School, 6300 Hull Street Road, and Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, 1000 Mosby St., noon to 2 p.m.; COVID-19 vaccines and middle and high school student vaccines.

• John Marshall High School, 4225 Old Brook Road, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; COVID-19 vaccines, elementary, middle and high school student vaccines, and school physicals.

Wednesday, Aug. 25: • Henrico West Health District, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; elementary, middle and high school student vaccines and school physicals.

Friday, Sept. 10: • Henrico East Health District, 1400 N. Laburnum Ave., 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; elementary, middle and high school student vaccines and school physicals.

Kevin Lamont Hicks can once again visit his mother and now grown daughter in Whitcomb Court, if they still live there.

He is among more than 9,500 people who no longer have to fear an arrest for entering Whitcomb Court or any of the other apartment complexes that Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority maintains across the city.

RRHA announced Monday that it has largely discarded the long list of names of those who were forever subject to arrest for trespassing if police officers saw them on any RRHA property.

Backed by the Richmond Police Department and the city Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the agency said it has installed a new policy that is more family friendly.

From now on, only those who commit a violent or drug-related crime on RRHA property, vandalize or damage agency property or engage in a non-violent offense “which affects the health, safety welfare or quiet enjoyment of public housing residents” could face a trespass ban, according to the interim RRHA chief executive officer, Stacey Daniels-Fayson.

The new policy quietly went into effect in June, RRHA noted, with little fanfare until now.

Mr. Hicks is the most prominent of those affected given his challenge to the constitutionality of the original policy

that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Banned from RRHA properties in 1998, he fought the trespass policy in the courts after he received a summons for trespassing in January 1999 when he entered Whitcomb Court to take diapers to his baby’s mother, then living in Whitcomb Court. (The current whereabouts of Mr. Hicks and his family members could not be determined.)

Initially convicted in Richmond General District and then in Richmond Circuit Court, Mr. Hicks, who was represented

by Richmond attorney Steven D. Benjamin, appeared to have won after both the Virginia Court of Appeals and the Virginia Supreme Court separately ruled as unconstitutional RRHA’s policy of allowing police unfettered discretion to bar people from its property and to arrest them for trespassing if they returned.

However, Mr. Hicks’ trespassing case, which was thrown out by those state appeals court decisions, ultimately was reinstated after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2003 that the Virginia Supreme Court got it wrong in finding that the policy was overbroad.

A year later, the Virginia Supreme Court rejected other challenges to the policy, and Mr. Hicks ultimately served time on the original charge.

According to RRHA, the new policy seeks “to ensure that RRHA families are not unjustifiably restricted in having their

family and friends visit them.” Anyone who is not under a trespass ban issued under the new policy can enter RRHA property, the agency noted.

If someone is banned, they can come to an RRHA property for the limited purpose of seeking reconsideration and removal of the ban. RRHA has provided for due process hearings.

An update of the policy has “been long overdue,” RRHA acknowledged, in noting that the number of people whom the agency and the Richmond Police had banned had become far too large to be enforceable.

The agency credited its Public Safety Prevention and Intervention Steering Committee with leading the effort to change the policy.

The committee included representatives of the Richmond Police Department along with representatives of state and federal law enforcement agencies and the city commonwealth’s attorney.

The committee also has representatives from Richmond Public Schools, the city’s Human Services Department, the Virginia Department of Health and Virginia Union University. The panel focuses on issues related to crime, public safety, health and wellness in RRHA communities, the agency stated.

The Richmond Tenants Organization and Central Virginia Legal Aid also provided input that was used in crafting the new policy, RRHA stated.

Richmond Free Press

August 5-7, 2021 A3

Local News

Aliyah Simmons

VCU Vaccination Corps has cadre of volunteers rolling up their sleeves and getting to work during pandemic

By George Copeland Jr.

toring them after shots have been given, allows for people from other parts of the university to join in. Students and staff from the VCU School of Social Work and the psychology, kinesiology and health sciences department also have contributed to the effort.

Medical skills are still a critical part of the corps, however, with more than 650 medical students and qualified volunteers trained to serve as part of the VCU Vaccination Corps. The volunteers have helped staff a number of events, from local clinics, mass vaccination events coordinated by the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts and the Richmond Health and Wellness Program, to health districts in other jurisdictions, including Petersburg and Warsaw on the Northern Neck.

An estimated 86,184 doses have been administered by VCU Vaccine Corps volunteers in 17,257 hours of service.

Volunteer Danielle B. Holdren of Bedford, 24, a fourth-year student in VCU’s School of Pharmacy, welcomed the opportunity to move the public safely forward from this moment in history.

“If I can play a role in getting our communities vaccinated and stopping the spread, that’s bigger than any contribution that I’ve been able to give thus far,” Ms. Holdren said. “It has been such a

The opportunity to help end the COVID-19 pandemic and to dispel vaccine mistrust and hesitancy among marginalized communities inspired Aliyah Simmons to become a part of the Virginia Commonwealth University Vaccination Corps.

A Virginia Beach native and 22-year-old graduate of VCU’s School of Nursing, Ms. Simmons served during her senior year in roles ranging from registering people for inoculations to administering vaccines during several clinics held at the VCU Health Hub at 25th in Church Hill.

For her, the experience of inoculating people against a virus that has claimed so many, and assuaging concerns rooted in historic medical abuses, was a fruitful one.

“I wanted to make sure that people see people who look like them at the vaccine clinic, Ms. Simmons said. It’s important, “so that they have that reassurance that there are people like you who have gotten the vaccine and who trust in the vaccine.

“This is kind of like an opportunity for light at the end of the tunnel, and I wanted to be a part of that moment of the pandemic and pushing for a change,” she said.

Ms. Simmons is among 909 volunteers who have helped with the VCU Vaccination Corps since it was started in January by Dr. Alan Dow and faculty members across the college, according to information provided by VCU. Dr. Dow, an assistant vice president of inter-professional education and collaborative care for VCU’s Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, was first inspired to form the corps around New Year’s Eve. He and others developed the corps as an avenue to recruit, train and deploy volunteers for critical clinical events, with an eye toward aiding vulnerable populations.

“We started realizing that we could be a big part of the vaccination efforts, and that to really get through this, what we needed to do was to try to get as many people vaccinated as possible as quickly as possible,” Dr. Dow said.

As of Wednesday, students, faculty and staff from the VCU Vaccine Corps have volunteered at more than Courtesy of Virginia Commonwealth University 130 community events to administer more than 79,000 This Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity member is among the thousands vaccinations, according to VCU officials. of people who have been vaccinated at various community Interest in the corps has remained strong months after events by volunteers with the Virginia Commonwealth University operations first started. And while the program originated Vaccination Corps, which was started in January. Here, Marissa with VCU’s School of Nursing, the nature of their work, Mackiewicz, a student at the VCU School of Pharmacy and corps which includes giving doses, scheduling patients and moni- member, administers a vaccine at the VCU Health Hub at 25th in

Danielle B. Holdren

great experience, just being able to play any type of role in it.”

The VCU Vaccination Corps has helped shore up the number of people available to help and raised the ability for underserved communities to get vaccine doses, particularly African-American and Latino populations who have been disproportionately impacted by the virus.

“This is the way to really look at promoting health equity, developing that health equity,” said Dr. Kimberly Battle, a clinical assistant professor in VCU’s Department of Family and Community Health Nursing, who has been a vaccinator and connected students to opportunities as vaccinators in the corps.

Dr. Battle stressed the importance of engaging with community, civic and faith leaders to address concerns and explain the science driving the vaccination effort.

“We look at this from an equity perspective,” she said. “And with 400 years of inequity, and acknowledging the inequity that is existing with the impact of morbidity and mortality in our communities of color, we have the science now that can turn this around.”

While mass vaccination sites like the one at Richmond Raceway have been shut down, there is still a need for vaccines and reaching people where they are. Dr. Battle is interested in not only continuing the VCU Vaccination Corps for the next year or more, but possibly expanding it into more of a general volunteer group at VCU that can respond to and provide outreach for any possible issue in the city and surrounding counties.

“A lot of these health professionals are (volunteering) because they care,” said Ms. Holdren, when asked about the impact the corps has had on vaccinating the public. “They’re doing it because they know how important this movement is.

“So I think as long as we continue to have those attitudes driving this whole vaccination effort and getting this pandemic under control, it’s really going to go a long way and help us become better.”

State Dems’ budget offers eviction protection, utility bill relief

By Sarah Rankin and Ben Finley The Associated Press

A key protection against evictions would be restored and a new round of funding would flow to utilities to cover unpaid customer bills under legislation advancing through the Democratcontrolled Virginia General Assembly.

Those provisions are among a host of other priorities lawmakers are considering this week as they meet in Richmond for a special session to allocate billions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief intended to cover pandemic response needs and bolster the economy.

The budget, which received initial approval in the House of Delegates and was expected to get a vote in the state Senate later Wednesday, reinstates what housing advocates say was a significant protection against eviction that expired at the end of June: A requirement that a landlord must have applied for rental assistance on their tenant’s behalf before an eviction for non-payment of rent can proceed.

While the protection does not amount to an eviction moratorium, housing advocates had worried that evictions would surge, and homelessness could eventually follow if landlords didn’t face a requirement to tell tenants about the relief money.

Martin Wegbreit, director of litigation for the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, said it makes sense for landlords to handle the applications.

“They’re the ones who know who’s behind

(on rent), and they are the ones who will end up with the money,” Mr. Wegbreit said. “And that will keep them paid and keep tenants staying in their apartments.”

As of July 14, more than $308 million had been paid out statewide to support more than 48,000 households, according to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

The protection would take effect after the bill is passed and signed into law by Gov. Ralph S. Northam. It would remain in place through June 30, 2022, under the version of the budget that advanced out of the House and Senate money committees on Monday.

The deliberations in Virginia come after the Biden administration allowed a federal moratorium on evictions to expire over the weekend.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday issued a new moratorium that would last until Oct 3.

Michael Hipps, an attorney representing various landlords in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region, said that shifting the onus back on to landlords to apply for rental assistance would not be “terribly burdensome” for large-scale landlords.

But he said it could pose a challenge to landlords who only have one or two properties.

They would have to navigate the application process without many resources, he said.

The Democrats’ budget plan also includes a new round of funding to cover certain unpaid water, electric, natural gas or other utility bills.

It would allocate $120 million to provide as-

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Big serve in Highland Park The late tennis star, humanitarian and Richmond native Arthur Ashe Jr. is depicted serving in this new mural. Location: Boaz & Ruth headquarters, 3030 Meadowbridge Road, on the building’s northwest side facing Giles Avenue. Kyle Holbrook, a Pittsburgh-based artist and filmmaker, created the mural July 28 as part of his work to install the images of African-American greats on buildings across the country. He and the artists he recruits are completing the project through a nonprofit, Moving the Lives of Kids Community Mural Project, or MLK Murals, that he founded in 2002. His purpose: To beautify, educate and empower through art. Richmond is among the 56 cities in the United States and overseas that now have one or more MLK Murals.

sistance to residential utility customers with accounts over 60 days past due.

The State Corporation Commission would establish an application process to distribute the funds directly to utilities, according to the legislation. Funding is to be awarded proportionally based on the total amount of money owed.

The SCC currently doesn’t have an accounting of what’s owed, spokesman Ken Schrad said. The legislation directs the state to undertake one.

Utilities may ask customers to attest that they have experienced a financial hardship due to the pandemic, according to the bill. They are not required to do so.

Dominion Energy Virginia, the state’s largest electric monopoly, is excluded from the funding.

State regulators have routinely found that the company has over-earned, but Dominion has pushed through legislation in recent years that limited state regulators’ ability to mandate refunds or rate reductions.

Instead of allowing Dominion to tap into the new pool of money, the budget contains language that says Dominion cannot disconnect certain lowincome customers until March 1 of next year.

Rayhan Daudani, a Dominion spokesman, said

the company has flexible payment options even for customers who don’t fall into that category.

In addition to the rent and utility provisions aimed at helping Virginians, the budget also allocates money for various state agencies to pay for costs associated with the pandemic, including $34.8 million for the state Department of Corrections to cover ongoing COVID-19 testing, the purchase of personal protective equipment and the expansion of telehealth services and video visitation.

It further provides $20 million to the state Department of Health to provide targeted outreach on COVID-19 vaccines in hard-to-reach communities; $10 million to backfill COVID-19-related revenue shortfalls at veterans’ care centers; and $15 million over two years to address Medicaid eligibility re-evaluations, appeals and operational backlogs at the state Department of Medical Assistance Services due to COVID-19.

The budget also contains language clarifying that a state law prohibiting the wearing of masks in certain places doesn’t apply to Virginians wearing a face covering to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The issue had been an area of some ambiguity since Virginia’s state of emergency related to the pandemic lapsed at the end of June.

5 new state historical markers to highlight Asian American and Pacific Islander history Five new historical markers recognizing the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Virginia have been selected for placement throughout the Commonwealth.

They are the first to focus on the two communities in Virginia and the latest step to tell a fuller account of the Commonwealth’s history.

The markers are the result of submissions from students throughout Virginia, ranging from elementary schools to an adult English as a Second Language program, as part of the state’s inaugural Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Historical Marker Contest launched in May. In addition to finding potential submissions, the contest also sought to educate the public on the history and importance of the AAPI community in Virginia, officials said.

“As proud Virginians, we must celebrate and commemorate the ways that Asian American and Pacific Islander Virginians have advanced the STEM disciplines, deepened

faith communities, improved education and championed justice,” Gov. Ralph S. Northam said during a virtual event Monday announcing the subjects of the new markers.

“Thank you all for taking the time to participate in this contest and for recognizing AAPI Virginians, who have transformed the Commonwealth into a more just, technologically advanced, compassionate and culturally rich place to live, work and learn.”

The markers are: • Falls Church – Recognizing the Vietnamese immigrant community in Arlington’s Clarendon neighborhood initially to Eden Center, which at one point became the largest Vietnamese shopping district in the country.

• Williamsburg – Recognizing Arthur Azo Matsu, the first Asian-American student and graduate of the College of William & Mary in 1927 and first Japanese-American football player and quarterback in the National Football League.

• Charlottesville – Recognizing W.W. Yen a.k.a. Yan

Huiqing, the first international student and first Chinese student to graduate from the University of Virginia in 1900. He went on to become one of China’s key early 20th century leaders, serving as premier five times and holding important cabinet and diplomatic posts.

• Salem – Recognizing Kim Kyusik, a 1903 graduate of Roanoke College who held several roles in the provisional government of the Republic of Korea. He also was a representative at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference.

• Virginia Beach – Recognizing Filipinos who served in the U.S. Navy. A large FilipinoAmerican community emerged in Hampton Roads after Philippine independence in 1946. Hampton Roads currently is home to the second-largest Filipino community on the East Coast.

The markers will be submitted to the state Board of Historic Resources in September, with final approval expected shortly.

More than 2,600 historical markers are located throughout the state.

A4 August 5-7, 2021

Richmond Free Press

News

Mayor cleared in probe of city’s awarding of $1.8M contract to remove statues Continued from A1

not,” Mr. Martin stated. “I have no bias in favor of him based on some shared ideology or membership in the same political party. I have no personal relationship with him, as the two of us have never met.”

The $1.8 million contract was awarded to Mr. Henry, a Black contractor who owns and operates Team Henry, which also is part of the construction team that is to build the proposed ONE Casino + Resort if it wins support from Richmond voters in November and approval for a state license.

Mr. Martin stated that there was “an appearance of impropriety” that led to the probe. That included the fact that Mr. Henry had contributed a total of $4,000 to Mayor Stoney’s first campaign for mayor in 2016 and his One Richmond PAC; that Mr. Henry formed a separate business entity to conceal his identity; and that the large contract for the statues’ removal raised suspicions as to whether the award was handled within the bounds of the law.

Mr. Martin stated that the investigation supports Mayor

Mandate: City employees must be fully vaccinated Continued from A1

Human Resources will be handling disciplinary action for those employees who do not adhere to the new requirement.

“We think that the best tool to ensure the safety of our residents and the safety of our employees is to ensure that everyone gets vaccinated if you can,” Mayor Levar M. Stoney said during a news conference Wednesday announcing the new mandate. “This is the right and proper step in a critical moment.”

Medical and religious exemptions for employees will be granted where appropriate, the mayor said, with signed medical exemption requests from a licensed medical provider and notarized religious exemption requests required.

The city’s vaccination mandate doesn’t apply to public school employees. That decision falls to the Richmond School Board and schools Superintendent Jason Kamras.

The mandate also does not apply to people working for independent agencies such as the Richmond Ambulance Authority, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority. It also does not apply to state-paid employees in the offices of the Richmond Circuit Court clerk, the commonwealth’s attorney, the treasurer, the sheriff and the voter registrar.

All city employees, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to follow safety guidelines and measures, including wearing masks indoors, based on guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, employees cannot opt out of the requirement just by wearing masks and getting frequent COVID-19 tests, the mayor’s office noted.

It’s unclear how many city employees already are fully vaccinated, with anecdotal information supplied by various agency leaders suggesting that roughly 40 percent to 50 percent of the city’s workforce is vaccinated.

Mayor Stoney cited the steps taken both on the national level and by localities in Northern Virginia and Fairfax County as a major factor in this choice for city operations. The move comes as cases continue to rise statewide, with Virginia crossing 700,000 total COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and with the positivity rate continuing to climb.

Free COVID-19 vaccines Continued from A1

• Thursday, Aug. 5, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – John Marshall High School Health Fair, 4225 Old Brook Road, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

• Friday, Aug. 6, 9 a.m. to noon – Henrico West Health Department Clinic, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Saturday, Aug. 7, Antioch Baptist Church, 1384 New Market Road, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson • Tuesday, Aug. 10, 1 to 3 p.m. – Chippenham Place Apartments, 5845 Orcutt Lane, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson; 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. – Sacred Heart Center Food Pantry, 1400 Perry St., Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

• Wednesday, Aug. 11, 3 to 6 p.m. – George Wythe High School, 4314 Crutchfield St., Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

• Thursday, Aug. 12, 2 to 4 p.m. – Meriel Salon, 505 Hull St., Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

Children ages 12 to 15 may only receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Appointments are not required, but individuals can schedule an appointment online at vax.rchd.com or by calling (804) 205-3501.

VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine.

Virginia health officials and elected officials are warning that the dangers of the pandemic are far from over, with the number of COVID-19 cases in Virginia continuing to rise.

The state Department of Health reported Wednesday that Virginia reached a total of 701,059 COVID-19 cases statewide, with 31,546 hospitalizations and 11,541 deaths.

Virginia’s seven-day positivity rate also is rising at 6.5 percent.

Last week, it was 4.7 percent.

Officials continue to stress the importance of all Virginians age 12 and older to get vaccinated and to adhere to safety guidelines calling for masking while indoors to protect against infection.

According to state health department data, 54.2 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated, while 60.6 percent of the population has received at least one dose of the COVID19 vaccine.

State data also show that African-Americans comprised 22.5 percent of cases statewide and 25.1 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 15.9 percent of cases and 6.4 percent of deaths.

Reported COVID-19 data as of Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021

Cases Hospitalizations Deaths Richmond 17,823 821 281 Henrico County 26,850 1,112 642 Chesterfield County 29,307 1,060 456 Hanover County 8,722 329 168

Stoney’s claims that he did not suggest or insist that Team Henry get the job but left it to other members of his administration to find a contractor.

The probe also supported statements from Robert Steidel, the city’s deputy chief administrative officer, and others involved that most contractors who were contacted did not want anything to do with such a controversial project as removing the Confederate statues, Mr. Martin stated.

The investigation confirmed that every other business that was contacted rejected participation, either because they objected to taking down the statues or felt that the risk to their businesses was too great, Mr. Martin stated.

State Police investigators, he noted, also found that Mr. Henry understood the risks and created a new entity to hide his identity and that of his company to avoid protests, vandalism or other potential harms from those opposed to the statues’ removal. That “is not a crime,” Mr. Martin stated.

He also noted members of the public who contacted him were most upset that Mr. Henry received a $1.8 million solesource contract award that was claimed to be three to six times what it should have cost. However, “taking a profit, even a very substantial one, in a transaction with the government entity is not, however, criminal,” Mr. Martin stated.

Mr. Martin also stated that he did not look into whether Mayor Stoney was entitled to use his authority as Richmond’s director of emergency management to take down the statues.

At the time the statues were removed, state and city declarations of emergency were still in force regarding the racial justice demonstrations that were taking place almost daily, and the mayor was empowered as director of emergency management to take whatever steps he believed were needed to deal with the situation.

Mr. Martin stated that such issues were outside the scope of his investigation.

“I was appointed to investigate this matter to find out whether the contract award was a matter of public corruption, which is incredibly serious,” he wrote. “The goal was to find out if Mr. Stoney had used public money to pay off a campaign contributor and to receive a personal or political benefit from it.

“We have uncovered no evidence of public corruption,” he summed up. “It is clear that once Richmond gained control over the monuments, especially following last year’s protests, the city was going to remove them. Therefore, the question of removal was a matter of timing. It is my decision that it would be a misuse of resources to seek charges against the mayor for what was, at worst, a removal that happened some weeks earlier than it would have.”

$788M available to help families facing eviction in Va. Continued from A1

preme Court to terminate the last CDC moratorium.

The new CDC declaration appears to cover about 80 percent of the country and was issued at a time when U.S. Census and other data have projected that 3 million to 7 million rental households are behind on rent and at risk of eviction. That’s up to 16 percent of the nation’s 43 million households that live in rentals.

In Richmond alone, projections indicate that 5,000 to 9,300 households are at risk of losing their residences for nonpayment.

According to Martin Wegbreit, director of litigation at the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society whose legal staff represents low-income clients on housing issues, the city of Richmond, the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico and much of the rest of Central Virginia are included in the CDC’s eviction protection areas based on COVID-19 caseloads.

The CDC declaration covers couples making less than $200,000 a year and individuals making less than $99,000 a year or anyone who received a stimulus check and is at risk of becoming homeless if an eviction proceeds.

Still, Mr. Wegbreit noted that the CDC action can only do so much.

“This is not a moratorium on evictions,” he said. “It is a CDC eviction protection for tenants behind on rent due to lost income who give their landlords the CDC declaration.”

He noted that evictions can and are still going forward for “those who do not know about or use the CDC declaration,

because the lease was not renewed” or for other reasons unrelated to household finances.

In Richmond this week, court dockets showed landlords were seeking orders to evict 129 families. Mr. Wegbreit said before the pandemic, the court docket might list 350 cases a week.

The current list of cases, though, is up from the same week last year when the pandemic was in full flower, he said.

“In short, eviction filings are significantly increasing above what they were during 2020, but remain substantially below pre-pandemic levels.”

Mr. Wegbreit said that tenants, as well as landlords, need to focus on the solution as much as the problem.

“The solution is Virginia’s Rent Relief Program, which is the best in the nation,” he said. It is operated by the state Department of Housing and Community Development, which takes application for rental aid online at www.dhcd.virginia.gov/rrp.

According to the agency, the program has distributed about $312 million to 48,154 tenants, or an average of nearly $6,500 per household to pay off rent arrearages dating back 18 months.

Mr. Wegbreit noted that the state agency still has about $788 million left to spend that would go into landlords’ pockets and leave more renters in a more stable situation.

The Virginia funding is part of the $46 billion the federal government has distributed to states through the federal CARES Act and American Rescue Plan to reduce eviction prospects for millions of people here and across the country.

Mr. Wegbreit said the program is avail-

able to households whose income is at or below 80 percent of the area median income, around $58,000 for a family of four, and who live in apartments with rents that are no more than 150 percent of fair market rate, now above $1,100 a month for a single bedroom unit in Richmond.

The program can pay up to 18 months of arrearage once the rent and income are verified, he said. Landlords should cooperate and help tenants file to mitigate their losses, including the cost they face to evict, he said.

Patrick McCloud, chief executive officer of the Virginia Apartment Management Association, said landlords have faced their own challenges in dealing with the pandemic, including paying loans on their properties.

The idea that most landlords would rush to evict when there is a program that could enable them to secure back rent is a misconception, he said.

He said most landlords understand that the eviction process is far more arduous than working with a tenant applying for relief.

While the state has dropped any ban on evictions, he and others noted landlords also can face substantial delays.

For example, at least through September, the state is requiring courts to grant a 60day continuance for an eviction proceeding when a tenant can demonstrate that their failure to pay was due to the effects COVID-19.

And pushing eviction is not financially rewarding, Mr. McCloud said.

“If I evict the resident, I’m never going to see that money.”

For Congresswoman Cori Bush, eviction fight is personal Continued from A1

“I know what it’s like to be evicted and have to live out of my car with my two babies,” the congresswoman said in an interview Saturday. “As long as I am a sitting U.S. congressperson, I will not keep my mouth shut about it.”

Rep. Bush was a prominent part of a larger push among progressives to stop evictions, and the Biden administration moved quickly to provide a policy response.

It thrust her swiftly into meetings with top congressional leaders and administration officials and she was sought after for interviews.

She met Monday with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and had a brief chat with Vice President Kamala Harris — attention that punctuates a political rise that took Rep. Bush from leading protests against police brutality in Ferguson, Mo., to the halls of Congress in little more than five years.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday gave a salute to Rep. Bush “for her powerful action to keep people in their homes.”

Before reversing course, the Biden administration initially argued it didn’t have legal authority to extend the moratorium again, pointing to a U.S. Supreme Court opinion in June that suggested Congress should pass legislation to do so.

A last-minute attempt to pass a bill through the U.S. House of Representatives also came up short last Friday. Then the chamber adjourned and lawmakers left town for an extended August recess — a response Rep. Bush says “failed to meet this moment.”

On Tuesday, before the administration’s announcement, Rep. Bush said: “Am I supposed to just go home? No, I’m an organizer. I am an activist. So I fell back

into what I know how to do.”

It is activism borne of personal experience.

In 2001, Rep. Bush became ill while pregnant with her second child and had to quit her job at a preschool. The lost income led to their eviction.

For about three months, the couple lived out of their Ford Explorer with two playpens in the back. She said that, at the time, she was working in a low-wage job.

Eventually, her family, already struggling themselves, was able to help her find a home.

“I don’t want anyone else to have to go through what I went through, ever,” Rep. Bush said while wiping away tears.

The couple later divorced and Rep. Bush went back to school, earning a nursing degree. She also became a pastor.

Her life changed in 2014 when a white police officer fatally shot Michael Brown, a Black and unarmed 18-year-old, in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Mo. Rep. Bush joined the thousands of activists in the protests that followed the shooting and quickly became a leader of the movement that sought police and criminal justice reform in Ferguson and throughout the St. Louis region. She was back on the streets again three years later after a white St. Louis police officer was acquitted in the shooting death of a Black suspect.

Her activism fueled an interest in politics. She ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in 2016, followed by another losing primary race for a St. Louis’ congressional seat in 2018, in which she was defeated by roughly 20 percentage points.

Two years later, her supporters sensed a change in the political landscape in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis Police in May 2020.

With backing from the progressive group

Justice Democrats, she sought a rematch against longtime Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay — and won.

“They counted us out,” Rep. Bush said after her primary win. “They called me — I’m just the protester, I’m just the activist with no name, no title and no real money. That’s all they said that I was. But St. Louis showed up today.”

She won easily in heavily Democratic St. Louis in November.

The Rev. Darryl Gray, a political adviser to Rep. Bush, said her tenacity was apparent early in her failed 2016 bid for Senate, when she was willing to campaign in rural and very conservative corners of the state.

“She wasn’t afraid to show up and speak for justice in places where people would warn us about going, some of these ‘sunset towns,’ ” Rev. Gray said. “She knew she wouldn’t get support, but people respected the fact she showed up.”

Still, there are some who questioned the decision to pick a fight with congressional leadership and the president from her own party. Administration and congressional officials also noted that much of the money Congress had allocated to provide housing assistance has not been distributed by states.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina said he was “sensitive” to Rep. Bush’s aim, but suggested she may be waging the wrong battle.

“It’s not the federal government that’s doing it,” Rep. Clyburn said. “If you’ve appropriated $46 billion for the country, and only $3 billion has been used, then that’s not Congress. ... It’s on whoever has got the money tied up.”

Tuesday evening, after the administration made its announcement, Rep. Bush tweeted out a photo of her and others sitting on the U.S. Capitol steps with a one-word caption: Grateful.

Cleveland MLB team changes name in move toward enlightenment Continued from A1

the name represents.”

The organization spent most of the past year whittling down a list of potential names that was at nearly 1,200. It was a tedious process, which included 140 hours of interviews with fans, community leaders, front office personnel and a survey of 40,000 fans.

Cleveland’s new name was inspired by the large landmark stone edifices — referred to as traffic guardians — that flank both ends of the Hope Memorial Bridge, which connects down-

town to Ohio City.

As the team moved closer to making a final decision on the name, Mr. Dolan said he found himself looking closely at the huge art deco sculptures.

“Frankly, I hadn’t studied them that closely until we started talking about them and I should emphasize, we’re not named after the bridge, but there’s no question that it’s a strong nod to those and what they mean to the community,” he said.

The team did not reveal the names of any of the other finalists, but Brian Barren, Cleveland’s president of business operations, said

trademarking issues eliminated several potential candidates.

In the end, the team felt Guardians was a perfect fit.

“We think Guardians is unique and authentic to Cleveland,” Mr. Barren said. “It’s less about the Guardians of Traffic and more about what the Guardians represent and that idea of protection.

For us and our research, Cleveland folks are very protective of one another. They’re protective of our city. They’re protective of the land and everything about it. That’s one key component, the resiliency of people here in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio and the loyalty.”

Richmond Free Press

August 5-7, 2021 A5

News

U.N. creates permanent body to address racism Free Press wire report

UNITED NATIONS The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution Monday establishing a Permanent Forum of People of African Descent to provide expert advice on addressing the challenges of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance.

The resolution adopted by consensus by the 193-member world body also calls for the forum to serve as “a platform for improving the safety and quality of life and livelihoods of people of African descent” and their full inclusion in the societies where they live.

The forum’s establishment comes during the International Decade for People of African Descent, established by the General Assembly, which began on Jan. 1, 2015, and ends on Dec. 31, 2024. It is focusing on the themes of recognition, justice and development.

The new body’s creation comes ahead of the 20th anniversary of the controversial September 2001 U.N. World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, which was dominated by clashes over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery. The United States and Israel walked out during the meeting over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism to racism.

That language was dropped in the final documents, which condemned and called for the eradication of the scourges of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance. The documents

REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo/File Photo

United Nations Building

also expressed deep regret at the human suffering caused by slavery, and acknowledged that slavery and the slave trade are crimes against humanity and should always have been so.

The resolution approved Monday by the General Assembly states that despite efforts to combat racism, instances and various forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intoler-

ance remain widespread and should be condemned.

The assembly said that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and have the potential to contribute constructively to the development and well-being of their societies.”

“Any doctrine of racial superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous and must be rejected, together with theories that attempt to determine the existence of separate human races,” it said.

The assembly called the global fight against racism “a matter of priority for the international community.”

The Permanent Forum of People of African Descent was given a series of mandates. They include helping to ensure “the full political, economic and social inclusion of people of African descent,” and providing expert advice and recommendations on addressing racism to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, the General Assembly’s main committees and U.N. agencies.

The resolution said the forum will consist of 10 members — five elected by the General Assembly from all regions and five appointed by the Human Rights Council following consultations with regional groups and organizations of people of African descent.

It calls for the forum’s first session to take place in 2022. It also calls for annual reports to the assembly and the council on the forum’s activities, and an evaluation of its operation by the General Assembly after four sessions, based on an evaluation by the Human Rights Council.

Jay-Z and Will Smith invest in rent-to-own housing startup Free Press wire report

Jay-Z and Will Smith are among a list of investors involved in a startup that helps renters build credit until they can buy a home of their own.

Landis Technologies is raising $165 million from a group of investors that include JayZ’s Roc Nation, Will Smith’s Dreamers VC and Sequoia Capital, Bloomberg reported last week.

Founded by Cyril Berdugo and Tom Petit, the startup models its service on a rentto-own strategy for would-be homeowners who can’t afford to buy. According to Bloomberg, Landis Technologies buys a home for someone who is looking to own but can’t yet and rents it to them until they qualify for a mortgage. When they do, the person can buy the home at a preset price up to two years after the company first purchased it.

The company’s investment comes at a time when working-class Americans are struggling to acquire homeownership amid soaring prices.

“Landis helps families take their very first steps toward homeownership,” Roelof Botha, partner at Sequoia, said in a statement.

“By focusing on financial literacy and individualized coaching, we are giving everyone the opportunity to own their home. Landis’ technology is particularly relevant to those with low-to-moderate income who have been neglected by

Woman unaware she had $39M lottery ticket in purse for weeks Free Press wire report

BERLIN Lottery officials say a woman in Germany carried a winning ticket in her purse for weeks without realizing it was worth about 33 million euros, or roughly $39 million.

Lotto Bayern said July 28 that the 45-year-old woman was the sole winner of a draw on June 9, having correctly guessed seven fields on a German lottery ticket.

It quoted the woman, who wasn’t named, saying, “I still get dizzy at the thought that I carelessly carried almost 33 million euros around in my purse for several weeks.”

The mother of one had picked random numbers on the 1.20-euro, or $1.42, lottery ticket and doesn’t plan to play again, saying the win was “more than enough for my husband, my daughter and me,” the company quoted her as saying.

It said she plans to use her lucky windfall to live a healthy life and do more for the environment.

told Bloomberg. “An aspect of Landis that we’re very proud to be a part of is wealth creation for low-income Americans.”

The company now operates in 11 states, including South Jay-Z Will Smith Carolina, Kentucky traditional financial solu- and Alabama. With the $165 million investment, Landis tions.”

The company has used re- will buy about 1,000 homes ferrals from real estate agents and plans to turn at least 80 and mortgage lenders to work percent of its clients into howith prospective homeowners meowners.

In addition to the investwho are typically unqualified for a mortgage due to poor ments from Jay-Z and Will credit, lack of down payment Smith, a group of founders also invested in Landis, including savings or debt.

Landis also offers financial leaders at Cash App, Ethos, coaching for people to help Instacart and Tango.

This latest round of fundimprove their credit and get ing brings the startup’s total lower down payments.

Financial inclusion is really debt and equity raised to $182 important to us,” Mr. Berdugo million.

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF AN APPLICATION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY D/B/A DOMINION ENERGY VIRGINIA FOR APPROVAL OF A RATE ADJUSTMENT CLAUSE: RIDER W, WARREN COUNTY POWER STATION CASE NO. PUR-2021-00115 •Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a Dominion Energy Virginia (“Dominion”) has applied for approval to revise its rate adjustment clause, Rider W. •In this case, Dominion has asked the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) to approve Rider W for the rate year beginning April 1, 2022, and ending March 31, 2023 (“2022 Rate Year”).

•For the 2022 Rate Year, Dominion requests a revenue requirement of $121,085,000, which would increase the bill of a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month by $0.11.

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•Further information about this case is available on the Commission website at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information On June 8, 2021, Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion” or “Company”), pursuant to § 56-585.1 A 6 of the Code of Virginia (“Code”) and in accordance with the State Corporation ComPLVVLRQ¶V ³&RPPLVVLRQ´ )HEUXDU\ )LQDO 2UGHU LQ &DVH 1R 385 ¿OHG ZLWK WKH &RPPLVVLRQ DQ DQQXDO XSGDWH RI WKH &RPSDQ\¶V UDWH DGMXVWPHQW FODXVH 5LGHU : ³$SSOLFDWLRQ´

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In this proceeding, Dominion has asked the Commission to approve Rider W for the rate year beginning April 1, 2022, and ending March 31, 2023 (“2022 Rate Year”). The two components of the proposed total revenue requirement for the 2022 Rate Year are the Projected Cost Recovery Factor and the Actual Cost True-Up Factor. The Company is requesting a Projected Cost Recovery Factor revenue requirePHQW RI DQG DQ $FWXDO &RVW 7UXH 8S )DFWRU UHYHQXH UHTXLUHPHQW RI 7KXV WKH &RPSDQ\ LV UHTXHVWLQJ D WRWDO UHYHQXH UHTXLUHPHQW RI IRU VHUYLFH UHQGHUHG GXULQJ WKH 2022 Rate Year. )RU SXUSRVHV RI FDOFXODWLQJ WKH UHYHQXH UHTXLUHPHQW LQ WKLV FDVH 'RPLQLRQ XWLOL]HG DQ HQKDQFHG UDWH RI UHWXUQ RQ FRPPRQ HTXLW\ ³52(´ RI 7KLV 52( FRPSULVHV D EDVH 52( RI DSSURYHG E\ WKH &RPPLVVLRQ LQ &DVH 1RV 385 DQG 385 SOXV D EDVLV SRLQW HQKDQFHG UHWXUQ DSSOLFDEOH WR D WR D FRPELQHG F\FOH FRPEXVWLRQ WXUELQH JHQHUDWLQJ VWDWLRQ DV GHVFULEHG LQ 56-585.1 A 6 of the Code.

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VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY D/B/A DOMINION ENERGY VIRGINIA

Richmond Free Press

A purple bloom in the West End

Editorial Page

A6

August 5-7, 2021

Moving on We hope the results of the probe announced last week by Special Prosecutor Timothy A. Martin will put to rest any notions of impropriety or wrongdoing in the removal of the Confederate statues from Richmond.

The results showed that Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s actions and those by city officials were legal and all above board in securing the contract to take those racist monstrosities down.

Unfortunately, it took untold hours by the State Police, Mr. Martin and others, and an untold amount of taxpayers’ money for a small sector of the city to learn what most people already knew — that no corruption or political payback was involved.

We believe the probe was politically motivated, led by former Richmond City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray and her minions, who glommed onto any device to try to unseat the mayor during last year’s re-election campaign.

We expected more from Ms. Gray, a very apt and caring council member and, before that, a solid member of the Richmond School Board.

However, if it takes such time and money for all city residents — particularly the voters — to be assured that all is right in Richmond, then so be it.

We all know the truth now, so let’s move on.

No nonsense, please On Friday and Saturday, the 5th District GOP Committee is hosting an “election integrity” rally at conservative Liberty University in Lynchburg.

The event was organized by Melvin Adams, chairman of the Republicans’ 5th Congressional District Committee, who has acknowledged that he and his wife, Sandy Adams, were outside the U.S. Capitol with the mob of Trump insurrectionists on Jan. 6.

The “featured guests” advertised for this weekend’s rally?

The three Republicans seeking to become Virginia’s next top leaders in November—GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, GOP lieutenant governor candidate Winsome E. Sears and GOP attorney general candidate Jason S. Miyares.

Election integrity rally? Really?

One look at the agenda for the daylong slate of seminars and it’s clear Mr. Adams and his conservative clan are attempting to spread in Virginia the putrid nonsense and lies perpetuated by former President Trump that rampant voter fraud cost him the election last November.

Those same lies have enshrouded Arizona, which is undergoing a bogus recount of the 2020 presidential election results; and pushed Texas, Florida and Georgia to consider and/or enact legislation to suppress voting rights in an effort to keep Black and Brown people — who generally vote Democratic — from casting ballots.

Here are a few entries from the rally’s agenda: “Voter Integrity #1 – Understanding 2020 and cleaning up voter data.”

Read: Purging voters from the rolls in Virginia — a recommendation that Ms. Sears, a Winchester businesswoman and former member of the House of Delegates, said should take place monthly if she is elected. Mr. Miyares, a Virginia Beach lawyer and former House member, also wants to clean the voter rolls and institute a new photo ID rule for voting, according to his campaign website.

“Voter Integrity #2 – Polls, election officials, election observers and early voting.”

Read: How to limit early voting in Virginia, in part, by restricting early voting sites, dates and hours; limiting the locations and hours of drop boxes to collect ballots; and putting into place election officials and observers who will go along with the same GOP game plan to limit voting that already has infected the aforementioned Southern states.

“School Board Challenge: Rescuing our children and America.”

Read: To make the racist GOP dog whistle complete, throw in a session about protecting white children from the ugly truth about U.S. history by attacking Critical Race Theory, which isn’t even being taught in K-12 schools.

Since last week’s revelations about the rally, many Virginians, including former Gov. Terry McAuliffe and the other Democratic contenders in November, have criticized the three Republican office-seekers for supporting the event peddling Mr. Trump’s lies. Former Gov. McAuliffe has called on the Republican candidates to “disavow this dangerous, deadly conspiracy theory once and for all.”

Earlier this week, Ms. Sears’ and Mr. Miyares’ campaigns said they have withdrawn from the event, citing prior commitments.

Mr. Youngkin’s campaign would not say whether he will attend, according to media reports. Before winning the GOP gubernatorial nomination earlier this year, Mr. Youngkin launched an election integrity task force. His campaign said at the time that he would “make election integrity a top priority.”

To be clear, Chris Piper, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections, announced in March that a statewide audit of the November 2020 presidential election “reaffirms” that the election process was secure and that the results are accurate.

Democrat Joe Biden won the presidential election in Virginia.

To Mr. Adams, Mr. Youngkin, Ms. Sears and Mr. Miyares, who apparently want to perpetuate the Trump-driven lie about voter fraud, we say please take that B.S. and dump it in the trash where it belongs. Virginians have too many real issues to worry about and deal with other than a virus of the GOP’s making.

Specifically, Virginians must get a handle on the continuing deadly pandemic and the latest highly contagious variant. Only 54.2 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, infection rates are climbing in Virginia and elsewhere and schools are about to open, leaving our young people and their families vulnerable to another spread of the coronavirus.

We need to help families and businesses trying to climb back from the economic devastation of the pandemic. We also must work to assist the thousands of people currently at risk of eviction to get the financial help they need to stay in their homes.

We want our readers to be aware of the falsehoods being used to stir the uninformed and incite the hateful. And we urge our readers to reject any candidates who continue to perpetuate the lies, myths and misinformation of Mr. Trump, who wants nothing less than to destroy our nation and our democracy.

Keep your eyes and ears open during the coming weeks as the campaigns for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general get into full swing. Please watch and listen closely and make an informed choice about who will get your vote to lead Virginia into the future.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

A way forward for Haiti Tragedy and triumph is a recurring theme in the history of Haiti, the world’s first Black Republic.

It was a horrific tragedy that Africans were enslaved via the Europe slave trade and forcibly relocated to Ayiti to be the forced free labor for what would become the richest colony in the Caribbean.

It was one of the greatest triumphs in the history of the world when enslaved Africans rose up to decimate the armed forces of Napoleon Bonaparte to establish an independent nation, the world’s first Black Republic. It was the first time in the history of humankind that an enslaved people rebelled against the slave masters to create an independent nation.

The tragedy is that Haiti has been punished ever since, stigmatized, marginalized, embargoed, invaded and subjected to chronic interference in its affairs by European powers and the United States.

Through all the trials and tribulations, the spirit of the revolution is embedded deep into the soul, consciousness and

culture of the Haitian people who yearn for and are willing to fight for democracy and development that is worthy of the dreams of the freedom fighters, the sons and daughters, who founded the first Black Republic.

Ultimately, it is this spirit which will triumph as Haiti struggles to overcome the often-turbulent head winds of external and internal contradic-

Dr. Ron Daniels tions. People of African descent and people of goodwill globally owe an enormous debt to Haiti.

Therefore, our mission in the time of trouble is to wrap our supportive arms around the Haitian people, with all the complexities and contradictions, confident that eventually the spirt of the revolution as manifest in the aspirations of the people will triumph.

The tragic, brutal, mysterious assassination of President Jovenel Moїse on July 7 after months of turmoil and massive, paralyzing protests stunned the nation. Many observers fear that the vacuum created by his demise will plunge the nation deeper into turmoil.

The current crisis occasioned by the assassination of the head of state is exacerbated by the

recent death of the chief justice of Haiti’s Supreme Court, whom the Constitution designates to become the interim president under circumstances like the present.

Moreover, President Moїse was ruling by decree because elections for the Haitian Parliament had not occurred.

In the void there is a scramble for power between various leaders, parties and factions eager to seize the reins of governance.

Unfortunately, corruption in the political class runs deep in Haitian society. So the fierce jockeying for power among far too many political leaders is to gain access to the public trough as a source of self-aggrandizement.

The long-suffering Haitian people, the masses of the people, rightly view this scramble for power with anger, frustration and a sense of betrayal. The defining question is where is the critical mass of leaders, organizations and institutions that will put the interest of the Haitian people and the nation first? And what is the way forward out of yet another crisis of governance?

Plagued by coup after coup and intervention after intervention for decades after the overthrow of the U.S.-backed Duvalier dictatorship, a nascent Haitian democracy repeatedly has faced the challenge of cobbling a way forward under

Cori Bush is ‘my hero!’

Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush was once homeless. She wrote movingly about sleeping with her babies in her car, with no place to go, nowhere to wash except a McDonald’s restroom, nowhere to exhale.

She was homeless and working, and among a group that has coined the term “unhoused” to convey the pain of living without a home, belongings stuffed into garbage bags, hot food an elusive possibility. Imagine that, and imagine that with infants, one just 6 months old, another not much older.

Rep. Bush has come a long way from her unhoused days, but she hasn’t forgotten them. That’s why she has spent several nights sleeping on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and was joined by fellow members of Congress, Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and others.

Rep. Bush is sleeping outside because nothing is going on inside the Capitol. The eviction moratorium expired Saturday, July 31, without congressional action, and as many as 11 million people may get eviction notices in the next few days unless Congress acts.

Typically, Congress does not convene in August. They are on vacation or they are back in their districts holding constituent meetings. Truth be told, they are mostly on vacation, and Washington, D.C.

turns dead.

Rep. Bush says she could not imagine taking a holiday break while people are sleeping in the streets while Congress has taken no action. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the House leadership went home to enjoy their break.

Rep. Bush and her colleagues

Julianne Malveaux are raising issues that have been ignored as we are “recovering” from the economic impact of COVID-19 and its mutations. One in four Floridians and South Carolinians are behind on their rent. Black people are four times more likely to owe rent than white people are. Elderly Americans are disproportionately vulnerable to evictions.

They, too, are running behind on their rent. And Congressional leaders have gone home.

Congressional leadership is Democratic, which is a frustrating aspect of the Democratic Party approach to economic justice. Speaker Pelosi might say that she did not move to extend the moratorium because she did not think it would pass. But why not try and force people to put their cards on the table. Are you in favor of mass evictions or are you prepared to support fellow citizens who run the risk of going unhoused because the eviction moratorium has run out?

Members of Congress, regardless of party, have unhoused people in their districts. It would be interesting to put them on record about their willingness to help some people who have suffered because of COVID-19

and its aftermath.

Notably, economic growth in the second quarter of this year was a high 6.5 percent. That might suggest that relief is not needed for people at the bottom. Robust economic growth, though, has shown the uneven nature of economic recovery. Unemployment rates have dropped, but faster for white people than for Black and brown people.

While cobbling together an infrastructure bill, Congress is still struggling to pass a budget bill that includes increasing the federal minimum wage. These are challenges that must be dealt with in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, however, a simple piece of legislation to extend the eviction moratorium until the end of the year could provide relief for millions.

Few members of Congress have had the experience that Congresswoman Bush has. Certainly, some have experienced poverty, public assistance and even public housing. But I’m not aware of another, besides Rep. Bush, who has had to sleep in her car with her babies.

Rep. Bush has gone from being unhoused to working in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has not forgotten the days she slept in her car. How can her colleagues forget the millions at risk, running home instead of taking care of the business they were elected to handle? She is a warrior for justice, a courageous champion. She is, indeed, my hero!

The writer is an economist, author and dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at California State University, Los Angeles.

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.

trying circumstances. In my view, Haiti’s young democracy also has suffered from a nearfatal weakness, a Western-style “winner take all” governmental system and political culture where leaders, parties, factions and constituencies engage in fierce competition bordering on mortal combat to gain access to the “spoils” of power.

This is not true of every leader, party or faction, but “winner take all” is a dominant factor in Haiti’s political culture.

This immediately creates the problem of envy, antagonism and resistance by the losers who are locked out of access to the spoils of power.

The answer to this cultural predicament would seem obvious—share power, share access to the benefits of governance.

The writer is president of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and founder of the Haiti Support Project.

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Richmond Free Press

August 5-7, 2021 A7

Letter to the Editor

Braves next?

Cleveland, thanks for finally doing the right thing by ditching your city’s Major League Baseball franchise name “The Cleveland Indians” at the end of the 2021 MLB season.

Yes, the name “Indians” was racist as all get out, and Cleveland’s recently retired team logo of “Chief Wahoo” was even more ridiculously reprehensible than the team’s soon-to-be former moniker.

But who doesn’t love the possibility of redemption for longtime losers and ultimate underdogs like Cleveland itself?

If there is one thing that Cleveland’s MLB franchise has been consistent at since the era of World War II, it’s that Cleveland couldn’t win the World Series, except for in 1948. Maybe a new team name is just what Cleveland baseball needs.

Cleveland’s new MLB team name, the “Cleveland Guardians,” will debut in 2022. Perhaps Atlanta will follow suit and drop their MLB franchise’s name, the “Atlanta Braves,” before next season.

JAKE PICKERING Arcata, Calif.

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NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF A HEARING ON VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY’S SHARED SOLAR PROGRAM MINIMUM BILL PROPOSAL AND ON THE PROGRAM’S BILL CREDIT RATE CASE NO. PUR-2020-00125 6HFWLRQ RI WKH &RGH RI 9LUJLQLD UHTXLUHV WKH 6WDWH &RUSRUDWLRQ &RPPLVVLRQ ³&RPPLVVLRQ´ WR HVWDEOLVK D SURJUDP WKDW D൵RUGV FXVtomers of Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion”) the opportunity to participate in shared solar projects (“Shared Solar Program” or “Program”). Under the Program, each Dominion customer that is a subscriber to a shared solar facility will pay a minimum bill to Dominion and receive a bill credit, based on the subscriber’s customer class (residential, commercial, or industrial), for the proportional output of the facility attributable to that customer.

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Richmond Free Press

A8 August 5-7, 2021

Brighter days and bigger smiles are ahead. $11 billion to Virginia’s K-12 public schools since 1999.

Stories by Fred Jeter

U.S. team wins gold in women’s 3x3 basketball A new sport was unveiled at the Tokyo Olympics and the United States ran away with the top prize.

Making a resounding first impression, the U.S. team dominated the inaugural 3x3 women’s basketball, a quarter-court contest with a threeon-three format.

The four-women roster of Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum went 8-1 overall and defeated the Russian Olympic Committee 18-15 in the finals.

It’s not surprising the Americans prevailed considering the glowing résumés involved. All were college sensations and all are now active WNBA players.

The cast:

• Dolson: 6-foot-5; helped the University of Connecticut win NCAA titles in 2013 and 2014; currently with the WNBA Chicago Sky. • Gray: 6-foot; was standout on University of South Carolina NCAA championship team in 2017; now with the Dallas Wings.

• Young: 6-foot; helped University of Notre Dame win the 2018 NCAA crown; No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick in 2018; now with the Las Vegas Aces.

• Plum: 5-foot-8; the NCAA’s all-time scorer with 3,527 points at the University of Washington. No. 1 overall WNBA draft choice in 2017; now with the Las Vegas Aces.

Plum led the United States in scoring in Tokyo with a total of 55 points.

From left, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Stephanie Dolson and Allisha Gray

The coach was former WNBA standout Kara Lawson, currently head coach at Duke University.

Teams are allowed only four players, meaning just one substitute.

In 3x3 competition, teams are awarded one point for a traditional basket inside the 3-point

arc, and two points for a shot behind the bonus mark. Free throws are one point.

The rapidly played games are to 21 points or whichever team is leading after 10 minutes.

The U.S. men failed to qualify for the Tokyo event.

Jamaican women and Black Italian man world’s fastest The new “World’s Fastest Man” runs for Italy in the Olympics, but was born in El Paso, Texas.

Lamont Marcell Jacobs, 26, the son of an Italian mother and AfricanAmerican father, won the 100-meter dash in 9.80 seconds last Sunday at the Tokyo Olympics.

American Fred Kerley won the silver medal in 9.84 and Andre De Grasse of Canada won bronze in 9.89.

The pre-Olympics favorite, American Trayvon Bromell, ran the 100 in 10 seconds in the semifinals and failed to advance. Bromell had the world’s fastest times leading up to the Olympics.

Jacobs’ father was a career military man. At the age of 18 months, Jacobs moved with his mother to Italy and became a citizen. The powerfully built 6-foot-2 Jacobs is the first European to win the Olympic 100

Elaine Thompson-Herah

meters since Great Britain’s Linford Christie in 1992.

Now retired, Jamaican Usain Bolt

three-peated winning the gold in 2008, 2012 and 2016, posting an Olympic record of 9.63 in 2012.

The last 100 meter champion from the United States was Justin Gatlin in 2004. u Elaine Thompson-Herah is not only the fastest woman in the world now, she just may be the fastest woman in the history of the world.

In winning the 100-meter dash last Saturday at the Tokyo Olympics, the 29-year-old Jamaican set an Olympic record of 10.61 seconds.

That is one 100th of a second faster than the 10.62 that American Florence Griffith Joyner—the late “FloJo”—posted in 1988.

Joyner still holds the world mark of 10.49 for non-Olympic competition.

The event was a sweep for Jamaican runners. Thompson-Herah was

Lamont Marcell Jacobs

joined at the finish line by Jamaican teammates Shelly-Ann Fraser- Pryce, who took silver in 10.74, and Shericka

Jackson finishing third at 10.76.

Teahna Daniels was the fastest American, finishing seventh at 11.02.

Thompson-Herah is a repeat winner. She also captured gold in the event at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro with a time of 10.71. She also won the gold in Rio in the 200meter race.

Fraser-Pryce was the champ in the 100 in 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

Other back-to-back winners were Americans Gail Devers (1992 and 1996) and Wyomia Tyus (1964 and 1968).

The United States might have fared better with the presence of Olympic Trials champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who was suspended for a positive drug test. Richardson’s winning time at trials was 10.86, although she had run faster in qualifying races.

VCU’s ‘Bones’ Hyland drafted by NBA’s Denver Nuggets N ah ’ S h o n year and $1,866,000 “Bones” Hyland in year two, also won’t be heading guaranteed. to classes this fall There is some at Virginia Comwiggle room on the monwealth Univerhigh and low ends, sity. Instead, he’ll and the former VCU be heading to the star would seem to bank. be well represented.

‘Bones’ Hyland The 20-year-old Hyland’s agent is native of Wilmington, Del., Newport News-based Austin became an instant millionaire Walton, also the agent of former and then some when he was Old Dominion University star selected 26th overall by the Kent Bazemore, now with the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Golden State Warriors. draft on July 29.

Representing Bazemore in According to the NBA’s pre- 2016, Walton negotiated a deal determined rookie pay scale, with the Atlanta Hawks worth the 26th pick receives about $70 million over four years. $1,696,500 guaranteed the first At the time, it was the largest

Draft day remembered Here are former Virginia Commonwealth University players chosen in the NBA draft: Jesse “Bodine” Dark, Bernard Harris, Richard Jones, Gerald Henderson, Ren Watson, Kenny Jones, Ed Sherod, Greg McCray, Ken Stancell, Monty Knight, Freddie Brown, Calvin Duncan, Rolando Lamb, Mike Schlegel, Phil Stinnie, Sherron Mills, Eric Maynor, Larry Sanders and Nicky Jones.

Note: Greg McDougald and Marc Jackson became NBA draftees after transferring from VCU to Oral Roberts and Temple universities, respectively.

NBA contract ever signed by an undrafted player. u Hyland is one of two athletes with state connections to be drafted last week in the NBA’s

Isaiah Todd, of John Marshall H.S. fame, drafted in NBA’s second round The Wizards’ first round choice Isaiah Todd’s friends and fans from (15th overall) was 6-foot-7 forward Richmond won’t have too far to travel Corey Kispert from NCAA runner-up to see him play professionally.

Gonzaga University.

The 6-foot-10 former John Marshall Todd is at least the second player High standout will start his NBA career from John Marshall High to be drafted. with the Washington Wizards.

In 1981, the New Jersey Nets picked Todd was drafted by the MilwauEdmund Sherod, who played collekee Bucks with the first pick of the giately for Virginia Commonwealth second round (31st overall) and was Isaiah Todd University, with the 72nd overall pick quickly traded on draft night to the in the fourth round.

Washington Wizards.

Sherod played one full season in the NBA Originally from Baltimore, Todd lived three years in Richmond, playing as an eighth-grader for with the New York Knicks in 1982-83, averagHenderson Middle School and as a freshman and ing 6.3 points and 4.9 assists. u sophomore for John Marshall High School.

Cameron Thomas was another athlete with In 2018, he led Coach Ty White’s Justices to the State 3A title with a 63-42 win over Western state connections who celebrated on NBA Draft Night.

Albemarle at the Siegel Center.

Thomas was the 27th overall pick of round Todd then transferred to Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C., for his junior one by the Brooklyn Nets. Playing as a freshman this past season for Louisiana State University, and senior seasons.

Among the nation’s top recruits, he originally the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 23 points and made signed with the University of Michigan’s Coach first team, All-SEC. Thomas grew up in Chesapeake and began Juwan Howard. But instead of enrolling at Ann Arbor, Mich., he signed to play with Ignite of high school at Oscar Smith High School before transferring to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of the NBA G-League.

In his one season with Ignite, he averaged Wilson, Va., for his final three seasons.

He left Oak Hill as the prestigious program’s 12.3 points and 4.9 rebounds.

There’s plenty of room for growth. Todd will all-time scorer. Thomas played for former VCU Coach Will Wade at LSU. not turn 20 until October.

round one.

The New Orleans Pelicans selected the University of Virginia’s Trey Murphy III with the 17th overall pick. According to the rookie pay scale, Murphy will be guaranteed $2,470,700 for his first season.

From Durham, N.C., the 6-foot-8 Murphy played two seasons at Rice University before transferring to U.Va. last season. In his one season as a Cavalier, he averaged 11.3 points and 3.4 rebounds while hitting an eye-popping 43.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Murphy chose to enter the draft even though he had one remaining season of eligibility in Charlottesville. u Rather than attend the NBA draft in Brooklyn, Hyland celebrated with former and current teammates, friends and family, most notably his mother, Marshay Hyland, who calls her son “Shon” rather than “Bones.” The gala watch party was held at House of Laffs in downtown Wilmington, near the playgrounds and asphalt courts Hyland grew up on.

Hyland was confident he would hear his name called in round one. His outstanding sophomore season at VCU – he was Atlantic 10 Player of the Year—followed by a scintillating showing at the Pre-Draft Combine vaulted his name

to many teams’ first round wish list.

Hyland interviewed with Denver Nuggets head Coach Michael Malone and other team officials, but never had an individual workout with the Northwest Division club.

He was scheduled for a solo workout in mid-July but passed due to a slightly tender ankle.

At St. GeorgesTechnical High School in Middleton, Del., Hyland became the Hawks’ alltime scorer (1,857 points) and was Delaware State Player of the Year as a senior. He was rated a consensus four-star prospect (on a 1 to 5 scale) and considered area schools University of Delaware, St. Joseph’s, Temple and LaSalle before signing with VCU Coach Mike Rhoades.

Had he decided to finish his eligibility at VCU, Hyland might have been the Rams’ all-time scorer as well.

In his two years wearing jersey No. 5 for the Rams, Hyland scored 279 points (9.0 average) as a freshman and 467 points (19.5) this past season.

With similar production for two more years, about 70 games, that would mean another 1,400 points, rocketing his total well past 2,000.

Eric Maynor (2005-2009) is VCU’s all-time scorer with 1,953 points, while Len Creech (1964-1969) is the all-time, RPI-VCU Rams scorer with 2,019 points.

But instead of going to class and collecting records, Hyland put his name in for the draft despite many feeling he was too inexperienced and too frail at a willowy 6-foot-2 and 169 pounds. He’s not called “Bones” for nothing.

While it may be a stretch, Hyland often is compared to Steph Curry’s size and skill level coming out of Davidson in 2009. Curry,

the seventh overall pick in 2009, was 6-foot-2 and 181 pounds at his pre-draft physical.

Also at the Combine, Hyland’s wingspan was measured at 6-foot-9, seven inches longer than his standing height, and he was the fastest competitor in an agility run.

For VCU, he hit 40 percent of his 3-pointers, many from well past the arc, and isn’t expected to be too troubled by the NBA’s longer distance. The college distance is 22-1¾ while the NBA is set at 23-9.

In Denver, Hyland will join a squad that was 47-25 this past regular season before defeating the Portland Trail Blazers and losing to the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs.

The Nuggets feature three primetime players in 6-foot10 Nikola Jokić (NBA Player of the Year with a 26.4 scoring norm), 6-foot-10 forward Howard Porter (19 points per game) and 6-foot-4 guard Jamal Murray (21.2 average).

Backcourt veterans include Monté Morris, Markus Howard, Facundo Campazzo, Austin Rivers and Will Barton, who wears the same No. 5 Hyland wore at VCU. If Denver decides their top rookie needs more work, the franchise’s G-League affiliate is the Grand Rapids Drive in Michigan.

Hyland becomes just the third player from Delaware to be an NBA first round draft choice. Others were Terence Stansbury (from Newark, Del.) in 1984 and Donte DiVincenzo (also Newark) in 2018.

From Wilmington’s Howard Career Center, A.J. English went on to star at Virginia Union University and was the 37th player (second round) taken in the 1990 draft.

Coincidentally, English was among Hyland’s early tutors in the Wilmington youth leagues.

August 5-7, 2021 B1

Richmond Free Press

Section

Happenings

B

Personality: Ronnie Hicks Spotlight on board president of the Woodland Restoration Foundation For years, Woodland Cemetery languished in neglect.

Largely because of the age and infirmity of its owner and caretaker at the time, the historic cemetery became overgrown despite its founding by crusading Richmond Planet editor John Mitchell Jr. and it being the final resting place of approximately 30,000 African-Americans, including such notables as tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr. and the Rev. John Jasper, founder of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church in Jackson Ward.

Ronnie Hicks is one of many who has taken to the grounds in recent years, looking to rectify that neglect.

The Chesterfield resident is board president of the Woodland Restoration Foundation, a nonprofit that acquired the 30-acre cemetery in mid-2020 and is dedicated to its restoration and preservation.

Mr. Hicks’ commitment to the project speaks volumes about the work being done on the historic site situated at 2300 Magnolia Road on the border of Richmond and Henrico County.

“We are stewards of our communities and we should hold ourselves accountable for preserving this important piece of our history,” Mr. Hicks says.

The roots of the foundation began in 2018 when efforts to reclaim and improve the grounds by local elementary teacher Kathleen Dooley Harrell and other concerned residents drew greater attention and community efforts to help Woodland Cemetery. This eventually led Marvin L. Harris, a real estate broker and leader in local efforts, to preserve these sites to form the Woodland Restoration Foundation and purchase the cemetery with the help of private donations and the Henrico County government.

Mr. Hicks got involved with Woodland Cemetery when the cleanup crew he volunteered

with at nearby Evergreen Cemetery, led by Mr. Harris, realized that Woodland could use some help as well.

As board president of the nonprofit foundation, Mr. Hicks oversees the group’s ongoing mission and solicits needed supplies for their restoration and preservation work. His duties also include managing the operations of the organization.

While he carries a number of important responsibilities, Mr. Hicks is quick to stress the major contributions of other volunteers, as well as the potential for many more people to get involved.

“Everyone, no matter the skill level, can come out and contribute in some way,” Mr. Hicks says.

The foundation’s major goal is the complete restoration of the chapel at Woodland Cemetery, which had been used most recently as the cemetery office and to store equipment.

The foundation also wants to build a visitors’ center where the 104-year-old cemetery’s history, and that of other cemeteries, can be presented.

To meet those goals, the foundation wants to bring greater community awareness to Woodland Cemetery and share the need to reclaim the site and other historic Black cemeteries across the nation.

The foundation also seeks local and federal assistance in the form of legislation that would perpetually fund the cemeteries and preserve them.

So far, efforts are going well, according to Mr. Hicks, with a 10-year plan in place to improve Woodland Cemetery. In terms of challenges, Mr. Hicks sees funding as the major obstacle the foundation is facing, making donations that much more critical.

It helps, Mr. Hicks says, that Woodland Cemetery wasn’t in quite as poor a shape as some others when recent restoration and preservation efforts

Chandler.

Woodland Restoration Foundation is: A nonprofit centered on the restoration and preservation of Woodland Cemetery, a historic African-American cemetery.

When and why Woodland Restoration Foundation was founded: In 2020, for the acquirement and preservation of Woodland Cemetery.

Location of Woodland Cemetery: 2300 Magnolia Road, Richmond, Va. 23223.

began.

But he’s also aware that other historic Black cemeteries deserve the same level of care, and he is hopeful that Woodland’s restoration process and its promotion can inspire others to get involved elsewhere.

“I view all of these places the same. They are the final resting places for our loved ones,” Mr. Hicks says. “It is important, no matter how big or small, that those places be preserved and that we find ways to do it.”

Meet a dedicated volunteer, preservationist and this week’s Personality, Ronnie Hicks: No. 1 volunteer position: Board president, Woodland Restoration Foundation.

Date and place of birth: Oct. 8 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Where I live now: Chesterfield County.

Education: High school diploma, dental technology school and Medical Corpsman School, U.S. Navy.

Occupation: Assistant general manager, Costco Wholesale.

Family: Married, with three children, Ryan, Miles and

Woodland Restoration Foundation’s mission: To restore this historic African-American resting place from years of neglect.

Why I became involved with Woodland Restoration Foundation: I migrated from Evergreen Cemetery after our cleanup crew, led by Marvin Harris, saw that our efforts were needed as well at Woodland Cemetery.

Woodland Restoration Foundation serves: The individuals and families of approximately 30,000 people interred in Woodland Cemetery.

No. 1 goal or project: To complete restoration of the chapel and build a visitors’ center where the history of this and other cemeteries can be learned.

Strategy for achieving goal: To bring awareness to the community through the media and other platforms throughout the country of the need to reclaim these historic places that dot our landscape, and to seek local and federal assistance for legislation for perpetual funding to preserve these historically important places.

Brief history of Woodland Cemetery: In 1891, the Greenwood Memorial Association

purchased 30 acres of farmland known as the “Hedge Plains” on the northern edge of the city to use as a cemetery. After some opposition from white land owners, the cemetery was closed down. In 1917, led by Richmond Planet editor John Mitchell Jr., the Woodland Cemetery Corp. was founded and acquired the Hedge Plains to open as Woodland Cemetery.

A series of sales left it in the hands of the UK corporation by 1973. By that point, time and vandalism had taken a toll.

In 2018, Kathleen Dooley Harrell, a local elementary school teacher, led a renewed cleanup effort assisted by Henrico County and Richmond city cleanup crews. Soon after, she was joined by Marvin Harris, who had successfully re-started the reclamation of Evergreen Cemetery. In 2020, Marvin Harris launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the purchase of Woodland Cemetery from the Entzminger family. The Woodland Restoration Foundation was formed and successfully acquired Woodland later in the year with the assistance of Henrico County.

Cemeteries are: Holy ground and an important part of everyone’s history.

Importance of maintaining Black cemeteries: We are stewards of our communities and we should hold ourselves accountable for preserving this important piece of our history.

Names and locations of other local Black cemeteries: African Burial Grounds, Barton Heights cemeteries, Evergreen and East End, Maury and Mt. Olivet, Bishop’s/St. Joseph’s.

All are located in the Greater Richmond area.

How families can benefit from involvement with the Woodland Restoration Foundation: They get to see in real time the restoration of the final

resting of many of their loved ones, as well as the satisfaction of knowing that they were a part of it.

Upcoming events: Weekly cleanups, usually on Saturdays.

Most large cleanup efforts will be posted on the website. Everyone, no matter the skill level, can come out and contribute in some way.

How I start the day: Thankful that I have been given another gift — time.

Three words that best describe me: Caring, selfless and humble.

Best late-night snack: Ice cream.

How I unwind: By working outside, and exploring new techniques for cooking on the grill.

What I have learned about myself during the pandemic: That during times of extreme adversity, I can find the strength to forge ahead.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Race radio-controlled cars.

Quote that I am most inspired by: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe Jr. At the top of my “to-do” list: Retire.

Best thing my parents ever taught me: The importance of looking forward not backward.

Person who influenced me the most: My grandfather.

Book that influenced me the most: “To Die for the People”

by Huey P. Newton.

What I’m reading now: “The Lodge and the Craft: A Practical Explanation of the Work of Freemasonry” by Rollin C. Blackmer.

Next goal: Create a publication of grassroots resources in the community.

Henrietta Lacks’ family hires Ben Crump for legal battle Free Press wire report

BALTIMORE The family of the late Henrietta Lacks, who unwittingly spurred a research bonanza when her cancer cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951, has hired a prominent civil rights lawyer to seek compensation from pharmaceutical companies.

The relatives of Mrs. Lacks, a native of Roanoke who later grew up in rural Halifax County, have hired Ben Crump, a Florida-based attorney who has represented the families of a number of Black people who have died at the hands of police and vigilantes in recent years.

Those clients include the families of George

Floyd, Trayvon Martin and Breonna Mrs. Lacks became known in 2010 Taylor. with publication of Rebecca Skloot’s The Baltimore Sun reported July best-selling book, “The Immortal Life 29 that a lawyer for the Lacks famof Henrietta Lacks.” An HBO film ily said a legal team is investigating by the same name, featuring Oprah lawsuits against numerous potential Winfrey as Ms. Lacks’ daughter, was defendants. released in 2017.

Cells taken from Mrs. Lacks at As the book relates, Mrs. Lacks Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, was under anesthesia on an operating where she lived with her husband and table at Johns Hopkins Hospital in children, have been widely used in Baltimore one day in 1951, undergoMrs. Lacks biomedical research. The so-called ing treatment for cervical cancer. A HeLa cells became crucial for key developments researcher had been collecting cervical cancer in such areas as basic biology, understanding cells to see if they would grow continuously viruses and other germs, cancer treatments, in in the lab. So the surgeon treating Mrs. Lacks vitro fertilization and vaccine development. shaved a piece of tissue from her tumor for

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that project.

Nobody had asked Mrs. Lacks if she wanted to provide cells for the research. She died Oct. 4, 1951, leaving a husband and five children.

She was 31.

Bioethicists have said taking cells without a patient’s permission was commonly done in those days.

Since then, her husband, David Lacks, died in 2002, while two of her children died in 1955 and 2009.

In 2021, the Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act became law, requiring a federal study about barriers to participation by underrepresented groups in federally funded cancer clinical trials.

Richmond Free Press

B2 August 5-7, 2021

Happenings Blanche Moore named Henrico County Christmas Mother

By Ronald E. Carrington

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free press

Blanche Moore

Blanche Moore has been selected to a very exciting and much needed Henrico County volunteer position – the 2021 Henrico County Christmas Mother.

She is the fourth African-American to be named to the honorary post by the Henrico Christmas Mother Council since the program’s start in 1942.

Mrs. Moore, who began volunteering with the nonprofit in 2015 after her retirement from Henrico County Public Schools, was surprised when the council asked her to be this season’s Christmas Mother.

“It was a total shock,” Mrs. Moore said.

“I was surprised, yet elated, that I was the one they chose.”

Mrs. Moore has lived in the county with her husband, Dr. Roland Moore, for 48 years and is familiar with the program that provides toys, books, new clothing, food and other items to families in need, senior citizens and disabled adults during the holiday.

She said Fairfield District Supervisor Frank J. Thornton was instrumental in getting her involved with the council, whose members work year-round to make sure Christmas is happy for those the program serves.

“He actually contacted me as the group was trying to fill a volunteer slot,” said Mrs. Moore, a graduate of Virginia Union University. “Mr. Thornton gave them my name. In turn, they called me to become an annual member of the Christmas Mother Council.”

In the six years since, Mrs. Moore has held several leadership positions with the managing council, including recording secretary, historian and co-chair of the books committee.

The council members are involved in fundraising, attending promotional events,

visiting schools to raise awareness of the Christmas Mother program and to generate support from students, families and staff to ensure each participating family enjoys a holiday shopping experience during the first two weeks of December marked by dignity, cheerfulness and excitement.

Families and individuals must live in Henrico to receive help through the program.

They also must apply in person during October and provide documents showing income and other qualifications.

Donations from the community are used to purchase the toys, books and gifts that are set up in the Christmas Mother warehouse on Dabbs House Road, across from the Henrico County Eastern Government Center, where families come and select presents for their children.

Last year, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Henrico Christmas Mother program served 1,582 county families, 2,662 children, and 752 seniors and disabled adults.

This year’s goal is 1,700 families, Mrs. Moore said.

“I have written a lot of solicitation letters and attended a lot of meetings,” Mrs. Moore said of the preparation that leads up to December.

In August, her work steps up even more as Christmas Mother when she will begin speaking at schools, churches, social, fraternal and community organizations to engage them in donating.

Beginning in September, Mrs. Moore will participate in various parades in Sandston, Varina and finally in Richmond’s televised Holiday Parade as Henrico’s Christmas Mother 2021.

The program was founded 79 years ago

by Mittie McGraw Nelson, a Varina teacher,

who saw it as a way of neighbors helping neighbors during World War II. She involved her students in the effort by asking them to donate canned goods for the food baskets that were distributed to those in need, along with clothing and toys.

Henrico’s first African-American Christmas Mother was Charlotte Melton in 2000, followed by Ethel Jackson in 2005 and Dorothy M. Tatem in 2010.

Mrs. Moore is happy to follow in their footsteps. She retired from the Henrico school system’s central office as an account clerk with the Title I program, helping to manage close to $8 million in grant money for the school system.

She and her husband have two children, Tamra Moore, 41, of Richmond and Chris Moore, 36, of Atlanta, and four grandchildren who range in age from 6 to 21.

She has volunteered for more than 40 years with a variety of civic and church organizations, including Senior Connections, the Capital Area Agency on Aging, and First Shiloh Baptist Church of Mechanicsville, where she worked with the youth and finance ministries. Mrs. Moore attends St. Peter Baptist Church in Glen Allen, where she helps with the missions and evangelism ministry and the homeless.

Mrs. Moore is available to speak to community organizations by contacting her at bmoore@henricochristmasmother.org Donations to the Henrico Christmas Mother program may be made online at henricochristmasmother.org or by mailing a check to Henrico Christmas Mother, P.O. Box 70338, Henrico, Va. 23255-0338.

Families and individuals in Henrico County requesting help should visit www. henricochristmasmother.org/applyforhelp. html.

New TV show ‘Johnson’ offers glimpse into Black male perspective Free Press wire report

LOS ANGELES Deji LaRay remembered when television shows like “Sex in the City” and “Insecure” captured the essence of friendships among women, but then realized hardly any maledriven stories were being told in the same manner.

Mr. LaRay saw a lack of shows from the perspective of Black men and decided to create his own. He teamed up with retired NFL running back-turned-actor Thomas Q. Jones to develop the new series “Johnson,” which premiered Sunday on Bounce TV. Cedric the Entertainer, star of “The Neighborhood” on CBS, is a co-executive producer.

The series revolves around

four lifelong friends—all sharing the same last name Johnson but not related. The lead characters are specifically written from the Black male point of view to explain why men make certain decisions that revolve around friendships, love and heartbreak.

Mr. LaRay said he wanted to insert “real, heartfelt and honest” conversations that men would have in the man cave or pool hall.

“I felt like it was time to tell a story about men that I knew,” said Mr. LaRay, who played roles in “Bosch,” “Age of the Living Dead” and “Greenleaf.”

The actor chose the show’s title because the surname Johnson is one of the most common within the African-American community.

“I just felt like there wasn’t really a balance when it came to showing the Black male perspective on things that really matter, such as love and marriage and religion and politics,” he continued. “This was a way to create an unfiltered voice and give other cultures and Black women a chance to peel back those layers and see how we really feel about certain topics.”

Cedric the Entertainer said he was hooked by the story’s premise after reading the first draft. He felt compelled to work on the project after meeting with Mr. Jones then seeing Mr. LaRay’s “sincerity of what he wanted to accomplish.”

The legendary comedian said “Johnson” offers another glimpse of Black men who he says are sometimes depicted in

DeWayne Rogers/Bounce TV via Associated Press

Derrex Brady, from left, Thomas Q. Jones, Deji LaRay and Philip Smithey in a scene from “Johnson,” on Bounce TV.

society as violent alpha males, gang members and drug dealers.

He said the series highlights strong-willed men who are allowed to show their vulner-

Vanderbilt launches James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements

a compromise plan offered him the opportunity to complete his degree, Rev. Lawson enrolled at NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Boston University.

Vanderbilt University anHe has since donated a signounced the launch of the nificant portion of his papers to James Lawson Institute for the Vanderbilt University.

Research and Study of Nonvio“As (Rev. Lawson) has taught lent Movements, honoring the throughout his career, there can 92-year-old influential activist be no meaningful change and who taught nonviolence to progress — no bridging the protesters during the civil rights divide in our nation — without struggles last century. reconciliation and forgiveness,” The university said July 23 Mark Humphrey/Associated Press that Rev. Lawson has influenced The Rev. James Lawson speaks during a July 17 celebration Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said in a statement. “our collective conscience” of life marking the one-year anniversary of U.S. Rep. John Most recently, Rev. Lawson through his ministry and faith- Lewis’ death in Nashville, Tenn. lobbed pointed criticism toward based nonviolent organizing.

The institute will begin operations this fall, hosting workshops, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee during a recent celebration honoring seminars and learning opportunities to train community orga- another civil rights pioneer, the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, on the first anniversary of his death on July 17. nizers.

“You have a hole down the middle of your soul,” Rev. While a divinity student at Vanderbilt University, Rev. Lawson was instrumental in training area college students in nonviolent Lawson said of Gov. Lee to applause and cheers. “You act like methods during the civil rights struggles that drew sit-ins at you act because you are moving in the wrong direction of your own life.” segregated lunch counters in downtown Nashville.

Rev. Lawson did not specify what exactly Tennessee’s govRev. Lawson’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement in Nashville and elsewhere resulted in a vote by the executive com- ernor had done to prompt the rebuke. Gov. Lee’s office did not mittee of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust to expel him in 1960. While respond.

Free Press wire report

ability similar to male leading roles in films such as “The Wood,” “The Best Man” and “The Brothers.”

“We want people to find themselves in this story,” he said. “I want people to see that this does really represent my friend group. Everybody over here don’t fight. All my partners aren’t hard. I got a friend who falls in love every time he sees a woman.”

Along with Mr. LaRay and Mr. Jones, the series stars Philip Smithey, Derrex Brady and comedian D.L. Hughley. The first season touches on several hard conversations including self-confidence, mental health and racism.

Mr. Hughley said he was proud to work on the series because it dispels several stereotypes about Black men.

“The one misconception is that we’re not human, that we don’t love, that we don’t take care of our children,” said Mr. Hughley, who plays a preacher turned podcaster and mentor of the four friends. “I think this gives you another vantage point.”

Mr. Jones said the idea for “Johnson” was pitched to several networks but found a “perfect home” at Bounce TV. He said the network, which targets African-Americans, afforded them more creative control than elsewhere.

“We wanted to make the show the way we wanted to make it,” said Mr. Jones, who played in “P-Valley” and “Luke Cage.”

“Otherwise, it wouldn’t be any different than other ones that

you’ve seen. That’s why we are proud and happy to be a part of the Bounce family, because they allowed us to do that.”

Eric C. Rhone, a co-executive producer on the show, said pitching the idea for a series with four Black male leads is typically a challenge. But he said delivering the idea of their project was an easy one to sell to David Hudson, head of original programming at Scripps Networks.

“The reason he got it is because he’s an African-American man,” Mr. Rhone said. “I think what happens in Hollywood, a lot of Black projects start out being really real, truthful and reflective of our culture. But by the time it’s sold, and other people get their imprint on it, it oftentimes come out on the other end or what’s aired is not the original project. It’s not the same content. It’s not the same cultural experience.”

Mr. LaRay said it was imperative to maintain creative freedom to tell the Black male’s perspective along with giving women on the show a powerful voice, too.

“In reality, we are nothing without our women,” Mr. LaRay said. “This isn’t just a show where a bunch of guys are giving their opinions on everything. Nah, this is us trying to come to some sort of a resolution or a common ground on a lot of controversial topics. Yes, things haven’t been traditionally balanced on a lot of shows. But we want to make sure that it was balanced.”

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We provide: Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Getting ready for school The Broad Rock Sports Complex on Old Warwick Road in South Side became a festival of sorts last Saturday as the venue for RPS Summer Fest. The event, sponsored by Richmond Public Schools, featured games, entertainment, food and information on how to enroll students in school this fall along with other community resources. Barber Alonzo Bosher trims the braids of Tyler Sims, 5, as he gets ready for class in September. This was the second Summer Fest hosted by the school system. The first was held July 24 at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.

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Obituary/Faith News

Robert P. “Bob” Moses, who crusaded for civil rights and later math education, dies at 86 Free Press wire report

Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Honoring a Buffalo Soldier Descendants of Moses Bradford Jr. of Henrico County, a Buffalo Soldier who served in the 25th Infantry during the Spanish-American War, place a wreath on his grave during a twilight memorial service at the Sons and Daughters of Ham Cemetery near Bandy Field in Henrico County on July 28. The family members, from left, Diane Winston Jones, Linda Truman Nash and Spencer Truman, participated in the local commemoration on National Buffalo Soldiers Day, which honors the contributions of some of the earliest African-American troops in the U.S. military. The commemoration included a three-volley salute by members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9808 in Mechanicsville, and a flag presentation, below, by Najiek Harris, 15, left, and Christian Hicks, 13, of Scout Troop 432 in Church Hill. Pvt. Bradford, who fought during the Battle of El Caney in Cuba on July 1, 1898, suffered a heat stroke while in Cuba and was returned home as a casualty of war. He was honorably discharged from the military in 1899, and went on to live to the age of 55, succumbing in 1925. His government-issued gravestone is one of only two left in the historic African-American cemetery that is located on an acre of land purchased by the Ham Council in 1873 and now is listed with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

Robert P. “Bob” Moses, a civil rights activist who was shot at and endured beatings and jail while leading Black voter registration drives in the South during the 1960s and later helped improve minority education in math, died Sunday, July 25, 2021.

He was 86.

Mr. Moses worked to dismantle segregation as the Mississippi field director of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, during the Civil Rights Movement and was central to the 1964 “Freedom Summer” in which hundreds of students traveled to the South to register voters.

Mr. Moses started his “second chapter in civil rights work” by founding in 1982 the Algebra Project, thanks to a MacArthur Fellowship.

The project included a curriculum Mr. Moses developed to help struggling students succeed in math.

Ben Moynihan, director of operations for the Algebra Project, said Mr. Moses’ wife, Dr. Janet Moses, told him her husband died in Hollywood, Fla. Information was not given as to the cause of death.

“Bob Moses was a hero of mine. His quiet confidence helped shape the Civil Rights Movement, and he inspired generations of young people looking to make a difference,” said former President Obama on Twitter.

Mr. Moses is the latest African-American leader of that era to die in the past year, including Rep. John Lewis, Vernon Jordan, the Rev. C.T. Vivian, Charles Evers and Gloria Richardson.

“He was a strategist at the core of the voting rights movement and beyond. He was a giant,” Derrick Johnson, president of the national NAACP, wrote on Twitter.

Mr. Moses was born in Harlem, N.Y., on Jan. 23, 1935, two months after a race riot left three dead and injured 60 in the neighborhood. His grandfather, William Henry Moses, had been a prominent Southern Baptist preacher and a supporter of Marcus Garvey, a Black nationalist leader at the turn of the century.

Like many Black families, the Moses family moved North from the South during the Great Migration. Once in Harlem, his family sold milk from a Black-owned cooperative to help supplement the household income, according to “Robert Parris Moses: A Life in Civil Rights and Leadership at the Grassroots,” by Laura Visser-Maessen.

Mr. Moses didn’t spend much time in the Deep South until he went on a recruiting trip in 1960 to “see the movement for myself.” He sought out Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta but found little activity in the office and soon turned his attention to SNCC. “I was taught about the denial of the right to vote behind the Iron Curtain in Europe,” Mr. Moses later said. “I never knew that there was (the) denial of the right to vote behind a Cotton Curtain here in the United States.”

The young civil rights advocate tried to register Black people to vote in Mississippi’s rural Amite County where he was beaten and arrested. When he tried to file charges against a white assailant, an all-white jury acquitted the man and a judge provided protection to Mr. Moses to the county line so he could leave.

In 1963, he and two other activists, James Travis and Randolph Blackwell, were driving in Greenwood, Miss., when someone opened fire on them and the 20-year-old Mr. Travis was hit. In a press release from SNCC, Mr. Moses described how bullets whizzed around them and how he took the wheel when Mr. Travis was struck and stopped the car.

“We all were within inches of being killed,”

Mr. Moses

Mr. Moses said in the 1963 press release.

A recurring theme in Mr. Moses’ life and work was the need to listen and work with the local populations where activists were trying to effect change, whether that was registering Black voters in some of the most staunchly anti-integration parts of Mississippi or years later working with students and teachers to come up with ways to improve math knowledge.

In an interview with the National Visionary Leadership Project, he talked about the need for civil rights workers to earn the trust of the local population in Mississippi.

“You had to earn the right for the Black population in Mississippi to decide that they were going to work with you because why should they risk everything to work with you if you were somebody or a collection of people who were just not serious?” he said.

He later helped organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which sought to challenge the all-white Democratic delegation from Mississippi to the 1964 Democratic National Convention. But President Lyndon B. Johnson prevented the group of rebel Democrats from voting in the convention and instead let Jim Crow southerners remain, drawing national attention.

Disillusioned with white liberal reaction to the Civil Rights Movement, Mr. Moses soon began taking part in demonstrations against the Vietnam War, then cut off all relationships with white people, even former SNCC members.

Mr. Moses moved to Canada to avoid the military draft in 1967, then worked as a teacher in Tanzania, Africa, for several years. He returned to Harvard University to earn a doctorate in philosophy and taught high school math in Cambridge, Mass. He later taught math in Jackson, Miss., while commuting back and forth to Massachusetts on the weekends.

The press-shy Mr. Moses started his “second chapter in civil rights work” by founding in 1982 the Algebra Project using money he received through the MacArthur Foundation Fellows program — often referred to as “genius” grants — to improve math literacy among underserved populations. Mr. Moynihan of the Algebra Project said Mr. Moses saw the work of improving mathematics literacy as an extension of the civil rights work he had started in the 1960s.

“Bob really saw the issue of giving hope to young people through access to mathematics literacy … as a citizenship issue, as critical as the right to vote has been,” Mr. Moynihan said.

Ernesto Cortés Jr., director emeritus and senior adviser to the Industrial Areas Foundation that helps develop community organizers, worked with Mr. Moses over four decades during which Mr. Moses would come to seminars and trainings.

Mr. Cortés said Mr. Moses did not talk fast and was very attentive and deliberate. One of the key lessons Mr. Moses imparted was his “steadfastness” — sticking to a goal despite being repeatedly knocked down — and his generosity.

“Bob always looked to develop other people and give them recognition and give them their due,” Mr. Cortés said.

Richmond Free Press

B4 August 5-7, 2021

Faith News/Directory

Hundreds arrested in D.C. at faith-led protest for voting rights Religion News Service

The activists’ efforts have hit roadblocks with some DemoWASHINGTON crats at the national level, parAs police escorted a demticularly U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin onstrator in a wheelchair away of West Virginia and U.S. Sen. from the chanting throng deKrysten Sinema of Arizona. scending on the U.S. Capitol Both Democrats opposed efon Monday, fellow protesters forts to pass minimum wage turned to watch the person go. increases and eliminate the The group paused for a moment, filibuster this year — in Sen. then altered their call.

Manchin’s case, despite a They screamed in unison: meeting with Rev. Barber and “Thank you! We love you!” low-wage workers. The Poor The lone protester nodded, People’s Campaign has since fist raised. The crowd erupted targeted both lawmakers with in applause. protests.

It was a moment that played Rev. Barber was quick to out again and again over the criticize members of both parties course of the afterduring the rally, accusnoon. ing some Democrats of According to U.S. heaping praise on late Capitol Police, more civil rights icon Rep. than 200 faith-led John Lewis but failing demonstrators were to support his vision arrested while prayfor voting rights. ing, singing and pro“Some Democrats testing in the street, told us: ‘If y’all orhoping to draw attenganize, don’t connect tion to voting rights wages to voting rights,’ and a slate of other ” Rev. Barber said. issues participants “I’m too old to play argued impact the that.” poor and low-wage He added: “The workers. same people suppressThe sprawling ing the votes suppress demonstration was your wages, won’t fix organized by the Poor your utility grids, supPeople’s Campaign, press your health care, an advocacy group cut public education, led by the Rev. Wilblock living wages. liam J. Barber II You’ve got to make and the Rev. Liz Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of former the connection.”

President Lyndon B. Johnson, urges the Theoharis. Monday’s crowd to continue to fight for voting rights Rev. Barber also action on the Hill and social justice. Standing with her is the offered his own adapconstituted one of the Rev. William J. Barber II, co-chair of the Poor tation of the Scripture largest mass-arrest People’s Campaign. passage from Isaiah nonviolent protests at 10:1-3: “Woe unto you the Capitol in recent memory and as restrictive. Indeed, Monday’s hypocrites who pay attention to attracted an array of prominent march follows what organizers all of Robert’s Rules (of order), voices, including civil rights called a “season” of similar all the made up rules of the icon the Rev. Jesse Jackson demonstrations organized by Senate and the House, but you and Luci Baines Johnson, the the PPC during the past two filibuster justice. And filibusdaughter of late President Lyn- months in Washington, Ari- ter mercy. And you filibuster don B. Johnson. zona and most recently Texas, faithfully.”

At a rally near the Capitol where activists mimicked the Rev. Barber was briefly immediately before the march, 1965 civil rights march from joined at the rally by U.S. Sen. leaders laid out what they Selma to Montgomery, Ala. The Raphael Warnock of Georgia, a insisted were interconnected group walked 27 miles from senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist issues driving their protest, Georgetown to Austin, Texas, Church in Atlanta where Dr. which centered on voting rights, in late July to oppose voting Martin Luther King Jr. served immigration reform, a $15 an restrictions. as co-pastor with his father hour federal minimum wage and The Rev. Frederick Haynes until Dr. King’s assassination eliminating the U.S. Senate fili- III of Texas, who joined the in 1968. buster that has stymied passage Texas march and has vigorously However, Rev. Barber exof related federal legislation. opposed state elections bills, plained Sen. Warnock would “Filibuster is a sin!” Rev. was among the speakers at the not speak because the campaign Barber declared. “Making es- Washington rally. generally does not let politicians sential workers work during a “President Biden, Democrats address their protests. Sen. Warpandemic — and risk their lives and Republicans, the culture will nock is a champion of the For to save this country — and then put it like this: If you come for the People Act, federal voting not give them a living wage us and we didn’t send for you, rights legislation Rev. Barber is sin.” you don’t want this smoke,” and others praised but Sen. The event also featured said the Progressive National Manchin opposed. music. Singers led the crowd Baptist, whose denominational Among the clergy in the in belting: “Somebody’s hurt- convention is happening this crowd — which also included ing my brother, and it’s gone week. “You don’t want this many red-shirted members of on far too long. And we won’t smoke because we are fighting the labor union Unite Here! — be silent anymore!” The sing- for the soul of this nation.” were the Rev. Patrick Messer, ers changed the lyrics as the song progressed, inserting lines such as “Somebody’s stealing our wages!” and “Somebody’s blocking our voting rights!”

The song echoes the sweeping, evolving agenda articulated by a variety of faith leaders across the country in recent months, particularly those who operate within religious communities of color.

The Poor People’s Campaign has taken a leading role in propelling that agenda this summer in the wake of Republican-led efforts to pass state-level elections bills many activists decry

Photos by Jack Jenkins/Religion News Service

Wendsler Nosie, an Apache activist, speaks Monday during the Poor People’s Campaign demonstration in Washington.

a United Church of Christ pastor who just left a church in Nebraska, and the Rev. Deana Oliva, a Unitarian Universalist minister from Kentucky.

“I’m here because in Jesus’ first sermon, he said the spirit is upon me to bring good news to the poor, and to bring deliverance to the captive,” Rev. Messer said. “We’re here to bring a $15 minimum wage to all workers, restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and pass all the provisions of the For the People Act and end the filibuster.”

Luci Baines Johnson, the daughter of President Johnson who signed the Voting Rights Act into law in 1965, also addressed the crowd at the event.

Ms. Johnson noted she could not speak for her late father, but insisted he would have wanted her to be with activists “in the fight for social justice and voting rights.” After voicing support for the For the People Act and the John Lewis Act, another voting rights bill, she invoked Scripture while calling for bipartisanship.

“In the 1960s, Democrats and Republicans stood up together for social justice,” she said. “It was the right thing then, and it’s the right thing now. Now more than ever before, we need to — in the words of Isaiah — come and reason together to get a more just America for everybody.”

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who also addressed the crowd, bemoaned what he called a nation “in crisis” and voiced a willingness to go to jail for the cause.

He led the group in a calland-response chant: “I am!

Somebody! I may be poor! But I am! Somebody! I may be unemployed! But I am! Somebody!

I may not have health care! But I am! Somebody! Respect me!

Protect me! Elect me! I am!

God’s child!”

Others who delivered either speeches or prayers at the event included prominent Muslim American activist Linda Sarsour, National Council of Churches President Jim Winkler, Simple

Good Shepherd Baptist Church 1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223 s Office: (804) 644-1402 Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You”

Due to the COVID-19 Corona Virus All regular activities have been suspended until further notice.

Visit https://youtu.be/qqzhnIEQyQc for inspirational messages from Pastor Smith

Way founder Shane Claiborne, activist and former chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe Wendsler Nosie and several low-wage workers or people impacted by poverty.

After the speeches, the activists massed into a column and marched toward the Capitol.

Tensions briefly flared with police when they insisted demonstrators stay on the sidewalk for one stretch of their march.

Protesters initially refused, walking past police before a wave of new officers arrived and corralled the group off the street.

Demonstrators took to the street a short time later after processing past the U.S. Supreme Court toward the Hart Senate building. One column of protesters stayed on the sidewalk, but a separate group — including Rev. Barber, Rev. Theoharis, Rev. Jackson and others — positioned themselves in the middle of the road, refusing to move.

As demonstrators sang and chanted, officers began arresting those in the road one by one, carefully leading them away. Cheers rose up as Rev. Theoharis, Rev. Barber and Rev. Jackson were arrested, and they were followed by hundreds more—clergy of multiple faiths, low-wage workers, young activists and elderly people in walkers or wheelchairs.

It remains to be seen how lawmakers will react to the growing protest movement. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio was spotted walking quickly past the protest. When demonstrators shouted for the end of the filibuster, he quickly replied, “I agree with you.”

The mixture of religious and labor demonstrators appeared to be clear in their cause on Monday and dedicated to convincing Congress to support it. One song the group sang seemed to be aimed directly at lawmakers: It simply asked, over and over, “Which side are you on?”

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Riverview

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1408 W. Leigh Street · Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 358—6403

Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor

Sunday School – 9:30 AM Sunday Services – 11:00 AM Via Conference Call (515) 606-5187 Pin 572890#

All church ac�vi�es are canceled un�l further no�ce.

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Sharon Baptist Church 500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org (804) 643-3825 Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor

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Broad Rock Baptist Church 5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 • 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org

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7M\XL &ETXMWX 'LYVGL 8LIQI JSV 1SFMPM^MRK *SV 1MRMWXV] 6IJVIWLMRK 8LI 3PH ERH )QIVKMRK 8LI 2I[ A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone

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Join us for 11:00 AM Worship by going to our website www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

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

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Richmond Free Press

August 5-7, 2021 B5

Legal Notices 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, August 16, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, September 13, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2021-204 To amend and reordain Ord. No. 75-309-302, adopted Dec. 15, 1975, as most recently amended

by Ord. No. 2018-304, adopted Jan. 14, 2019, pertaining to the “Stony Point Community Unit Plan,” for the purpose of amending the development standards, as they pertain to Map Section A- 1 of the Northern Portion of the Plan, to allow for an accessory dwelling unit on the property known as 3417 Stony Point Road. The property is situated in an R-2 SingleFamily Residential District and the Stony Point Community Unit Plan.

The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Residential. Primary uses: Single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space.

Secondary uses: duplexes and small multi-family buildings (3-10 dwelling units), institutional and government. Residential density is typically two to ten housing units per acre. The density of the proposed development is approximately 6 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-205 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1508 Belleville Street for the purpose of a multifamily building containing up to 126 units, upon certain terms and conditions. The properties are situated in a B-7 Mixed-Use Business Zoning District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Industrial Mixed-Use. Primary Uses: Retail/office/personal service, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Secondary Uses: Institutional and government. The proposed density of the development is approximately 164 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-206 To a u t h o r i z e t h e property known as 1005 Chimborazo Boulevard for the purpose of two single-family attached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions.

The property is situated in an R-5 Single-Family Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Neighborhood Mixed-Use. Single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units), and open space.

Secondary Uses: Large multifamily buildings (10+units), retail/office/ personal service, institutional, cultural, and government. The density of the proposed development is approximately 13.5 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-207 To authorize the special use of the properties known at 3114 Groveland Avenue and 3119 Veranda Avenue for the purposes of three single family detached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-5 SingleFamily Residential District.

The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use category for the subject property as Residential. Primary uses: Single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space. Secondary uses: Duplexes and small multi-family buildings, institutional and government. Residential density is typically two to ten housing units per acre. The density of the proposed development is approximately 21 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-208 To authorize the special use of the property known as 3101 East Marshall Street for the purpose of a mixed-use building, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-63 Multi-Family Urban Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Neighborhood Mixed-Use. Single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units), and open space.

Secondary Uses: Large multifamily buildings (10+units), retail/office/ Continued on next column

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personal service, institutional, cultural, and government. The density of the proposed development is approximately 73 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-209 To rezone the properties known as 2400 Afton Avenue and 2420 Afton Avenue from the R-53 Multifamily Residential District to the B-5 Central Business District (Conditional), under certain proffered conditions. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates these parcels as Residential.

Primary Uses: Singlefamily houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space. Secondary Uses: Duplexes and small multifamily buildings (typically 3-10 units), institutional, and cultural. Secondary uses may be found along major streets.

Ordinance No. 2021-210 To rezone the property known as 1003 Commerce Road from the M-2 Heavy Industrial District to the TOD-1 Transit Oriented Nodal District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use of the subject property as Industrial Mixed-Use. Primary Uses: Retail/office/personal service, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Secondary Uses: Institutional and government.

The meetings will be held through electronic communication means pursuant to and in compliance with Ordinance No. 2020-093, adopted April 9, 2020, as most recently amended by Ordinance No. 2021-181, adopted June 28, 2021.

The meetings will be open to participation through electronic communication means by the public and closed to in-person participation by the public.

Less than a quorum of Richmond City Planning Commission members and Richmond City Council will assemble in City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, and most members and other staff will participate by teleconference/ videoconference via Microsoft Teams.

The meetings will be streamed live online at the following web address: https://richmondva. legistar.com/Calendar. a s p x . To w a t c h a meeting’s live stream at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “In Progress” in the farthest right hand column entitled, “Video”.

The agenda for the Richmond City Council meeting is accessible through the City’s legislative website at the following web address: https://richmondva. legistar.com/Calendar. aspx. To view the agenda at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “Agenda” associated with the September 13, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting listed in the calendar.

Interested citizens who wish to speak at the Richmond City Council meeting will be given an opportunity to do so by following the “Formal Meeting Citizen Participation Instructions” attached to the September 13, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda.

Citizens are encouraged to provide their comments in writing to CityClerksOffice@ r i c h m o n d g o v. c o m i n lieu of calling in. The person responsible for receiving comments in writing is Candice D. Reid, City Clerk. All comments received prior to 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 13, 2021, will be provided to Council members prior to the meeting and will be included in the record of the meeting.

Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https://www.rva.gov/ office-city-clerk.

Candice D. Reid City Clerk

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Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER BERNARD STRONG, JR, Plaintiff v.

SUSAN STRONG, Defendant.

Case No.: CL20002491-00 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 17th day of September, 2021 at 9:00 AM and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER BONNIE BUTLER, Plaintiff v.

CLIFFORD BUTLER, III, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21002471-00 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 17th day of September, 2021 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HENRICO ODELIZA DEL CARMEN GUZMAN RODRIGUEZ V. JOHN CAQUIAS GARCIA PLAINTIFF DEFENDANT CL21-4173 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of the above-styled suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the Defendant on the grounds that the parties have lived separate and apart, without any cohabitation and without any interruption, for a period of more than one year, It appearing by affidavit filed according to law that the Defendant, JOHN CAQUIAS GARCIA, cannot be located within the State of Virginia and that his last known address is unknown, it is therefore ORDERED that Defendant, JOHN CAQUIAS GARCIA appear before this Court on or before the 13th day of September, 2021, and do what is necessary to protect his interests in this suit.

Entered: July 12, 2021 An Extract Teste Heidi S. Barshinger, Clerk VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CITY OF RICHMOND ROSA H. MARROQUIN LUNA, Plaintiff v.

MARIO DAVILA PAZ Defendant, CL21-2949 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of the abovestyled suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the Defendant on the grounds that the parties have lived separate and apart, without any cohabitation and without any interruption, for a period of more than one year, It appearing by affidavit filed according to law that the Defendant, MARIO DAVILA PAZ, is not a resident of the State of Virginia and that his last known address is unknown, it is therefore ORDERED that Defendant, MARIO DAVILA PAZ, appear before this Court on or before the 6th day of October, 2021, and do what is necessary to protect his interests in this suit.

A Copy Teste: EDWARD F. JEWETT, Clerk I ask for this: Mary P. Adams, Esq. VSB No. 24551 Hairfield Morton. PLC 2800 Buford Road, Suite 201 Richmond, Virginia 23235 (804) 320-6600 - telephone (804) 320-8040 - facsimile madams@hmalaw.com Counsel for the Plaintiff

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Civil Law No.: CL21-2608 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of the abovestyled suit is to obtain a divorce from the bonds of matrimony from the defendant on the grounds that the parties haved lived separate and apart without interruption and without cohabitation for a period of more than one year, since April 22, 2019.

And it appearing by Affidavit filed according to law that Jeffery Henderson, the above-named defendant, is not a resident of this state and that due diligence has been used by or in behalf of plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city the defendant is, without effect.

It is therefore ORDERED that the said Jeffery Henderson, do appear in the Clerk’s Office of the Law Division of the Circuit Court of City of Richmond, John Marshall Courts Building, 400 North 9th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, on or before 8/30/2021 and do whatever necessary to protect their interests in this suit.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk

the 17th day of August, 2021 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

GROUP, LLC, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that CURTIS MOORE, Registered Agent for C & T GROUP, LLC, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949

Corporation Commission, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that NANCY ANN ROGERS, Registered Agent for 39 FOREVER, LLC, Beneficiary of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 12-11118 on June 8, 2012, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to her last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that SPECIALTY SUPPORTIVE HOUSING CORP, an entity listed as inactive in the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, NANCY ANN ROGERS, Registered Agent for 39 FOREVER, LLC, Beneficiary of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 12-11118 on June 8, 2012, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER NATHANIEL LEWIS, Plaintiff v.

DEBORAH LEWIS, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21002401-00 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 10th day of September, 2021 at 9:00 AM and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER MICHAEL PROKOPUK, Plaintiff v.

CATHERINE PROKOPUK, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21001516-00 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 has been served with the Complaint by posted service appear here on or before the 10th day of September, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Counsel VSB# 27724 The Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ANGEL RIVERA DAVILA, Plaintiff v.

SHERITA TAYLOR, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21002247-00 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 23rd day of August, 2021 at 9:00 AM and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

CUSTODY

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING LYNETTE EILEEN STREATER-HENDERSON, Plaintiff v.

JEFFERY HENDERSON, Defendant.

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER In Re: Raelynn Elaine Deutsch, a minor By Bethany Danielle Duke, Mother and Next Friend, Petitioner.

Case No.: CL21002253-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to obtain the entry of a Name Change Order.

It is ORDERED that the Charles Louis Deutsch, whose whereabouts are unknown, and who is the father of Petitioner Raelyn Elaine Deutsch, a minor, appear here on or before

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PROPERTY VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

HYBERNIA HOCKER WOOD, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL21-2985 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 450 East Ladies Mile Road, Tax Map Number N000-1664/014, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Hybernia Hocker Wood.

An Affidavit having been filed that HYBERNIA HOCKER WOOD, upon information and belief deceased, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that H Y B ER N I A H OC K ER WOOD, upon information and belief deceased, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

WILLIAM A. JOYNER, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL21-3052 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1610 North 35th Street, Tax Map Number E000-1542/022, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, William A. Joyner and Dorothy B. Joyner.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owners, WILLIAM A. JOYNER, upon information and belief deceased, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, and DOROTHY B. JOYNER, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that WILLIAM A. JOYNER, upon information and belief deceased, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, DOROTHY B. JOYNER, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

C & T GROUP, LLC, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL21-2620 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2122 Royall Avenue, Tax Map Number S007-1582/001, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, C & T Group, LLC.

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

LOTTIE F. WADE, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL21-1012 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 3112 Garland Avenue, Tax Map Number N000-1038/007, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Lottie F. Wade.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, LOTTIE F. WADE, who is not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that LOTTIE F. WADE, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

TERRY K. COUSINS, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL21-2621 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 3408 Hazelhurst Avenue, Tax Map Number N000-1351/008, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Terry K. Cousins.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, TERRY K. COUSINS, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to her last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that TERRY K. COUSINS, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

SPECIALTY SUPPORTIVE HOUSING CORP, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL21-2662 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 4711 Castlewood Road, Tax Map Number S009-0459/024, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Specialty Supportive Housing Corp.

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

SHERYL TAYLOR SIMMONS, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL21-2363 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2119 Broad Rock Boulevard, Tax Map Number C009-0420/014, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Sheryl Taylor Simmons and Allison J. Taylor.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owners, SHERYL TAYLOR SIMMONS and ALLISON J. TAYLOR, who have been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to their last known address, have not been personally located and have not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

I T I S OR D ERE D t h a t S H ERY L TAY L OR SIMMONS, ALLISON J. TAY L OR , a n d P a r t i e s Unknown, come forward to appear on or before SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

ASSET PROPERTIES, LLC, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL21-3054 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2304 4th Avenue, Tax Map Number N000-0610/007, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Asset Properties, LLC.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, ASSET PROPERTIES, LLC, an entity listed as inactive in the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that A S S E T P RO P ER T IE S , LLC, an entity listed as inactive in the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

ROBERT L. ACUFF, III, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL21-2100 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2312 East Marshall Street, Tax Map Number E000-0296/017, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Robert L. Acuff, III and Nathaniel J. Acuff.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, ROBERT L. ACUFF, III, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to his last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that said owner, NATHANIEL J. ACUFF, who is not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that THOMAS P. BAKER, upon information and belief deceased, TRUSTEE of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Deed Book 114 page 1379 on March 2, 1987, or his successor/s in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that ROBERT L. ACUFF, III, NATHANIEL J. ACUFF, THOMAS P. BAKER, upon information and belief deceased, TRUSTEE of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Deed Book 114 page 1379 on March 2, 1987, or his successor/s in title, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

VERNON CROCKETT, JR, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL21-2628 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 3928 Stockton Street, Tax Map Number C006-0159/038, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Vernon Crockett, Jr. and Dorothy B. Crockett.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owners, VERNON CROCKETT, JR, upon information and belief deceased, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, and DOROTHY B. CROCKETT, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that VERNON CROCKETT, JR, upon information and belief deceased, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, DOROTHY B. CROCKETT, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

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Richmond Free Press

B6 August 5-7, 2021

Sports Plus

Biles makes comeback, wins bronze on balance beam Free Press wire report

TOKYO Simone Biles isn’t going home with a fistful of gold medals.

A mental block — one brought on by exhaustion or stress or something the American gymnastics star still can’t quite grasp — that forced her to pull out of four Olympic finals saw to that.

Yet standing on the podium Tuesday, a bronze medal hanging around her neck from the balance beam competition and tears in her eyes, the 24-year-old Biles may have claimed something far more valuable: A piece of herself back.

She posted a solid 14.000 score, finishing third on the balance beam behind China’s Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing, who finished No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

Still, the bronze medal — her second medal during the Tokyo games — moved her into a tie with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast – seven. That includes four gold medals.

From the “twisties” that have haunted Biles for a week.

From the endless speculation about her state of mind. From the hype machine — one, admittedly, she fed into at times — that set expectations so high coming to Tokyo nothing short of the impossible would have been enough.

It all became too much.

A week ago, her internal wires got crossed when she hopped on uneven bars during practice. Suddenly, she couldn’t spin.

She could barely move. She still doesn’t quite know why. And if she’s being honest, the wires still aren’t reconnected. She’s not sure when they will be.

“It was something that was so out of my control,” Biles said.

“But the outcome I had, at end of the day, my mental and physical health is better than any medal. So I couldn’t be mad.”

Biles and Coach Cecile Landi adjusted her routine to ease her anxiety, switching out a dismount that required her to twist for one with two simpler backflips instead, a skill she hadn’t done in competition in 12 years, half a lifetime ago. Even with the degree of difficulty lowered, she earned a 14.000, good enough for third place.

Afterward, she chatted with IOC President Thomas Bach then wiped away tears after accepting her seventh Olympic medal, tied with Shannon Miller for the most by an American gymnast.

A wave of relief washed over her following a turbulent eight days that shifted the focus from the Tokyo Games to the mental health of the athletes who compete under the rings.

“We’re not just entertainment, we’re humans,” Biles said.

“And there are things going on behind the scenes that we’re also trying to juggle with as well, on top of sports.”

Biles thought she had it under control. Then the Americans finished a surprising second to the Russian team in qualifying.

She sensed the weight of the world on her shoulders. During the first vault rotation in the team final, the weight became too much. Shaken, she took herself out of the final three team events and watched as her teammates held on for silver.

She then pulled out of the first three individual finals before

David G. McIntyre/ZUMA Press Wire

Simone Biles does one of her signature moves on the balance beam Tuesday during the gymnastics competition at Ariake Gymnastics Centre at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

returning to competition on the balance beam on Tuesday.

On top of that, Biles told reporters after the competition that her aunt on her father’s side died unexpectedly.

“That was another one,” said Coach Landi. “I was like, ‘Oh my God. This week needs to be over,’ ” the coach told People magazine.

“I asked her, ‘What do you need?’ And she said, ‘I just need some time.’ I said, ‘You call me, text me if you need anything, I’ll be here, whatever that is.’ She called her parents. She said, ‘There’s nothing I can do from over here. So I’m just going to finish my week and when I get home, we’ll deal with it.’ ” The decision to pull out of most of the competition made Biles a touchstone of sorts. Yes, there was a lot of support. She felt “embarrassed” when a trip through the Olympic Village in-

cluded a steady stream of people coming up to tell how much she meant to them. There was a lot of hate, too, one of the reasons she moved her Twitter app to the back of her phone, hopefully tamping down the temptation to search her mentions.

“It’s not good for me right now,” she said.

There was no phone in sight when she appeared Tuesday on the floor in a red, white and blue leotard with nearly 5,000 crystals stitched on. If she was nervous, it hardly showed. Biles warmed up and then sat on the floor next to teammate and newly minted all-around champion Sunisa Lee to watch highlights from other sports on a large video board.

Her routine was steady, seemingly immune to the whir of dozens of cameras capturing her every move. Biles made a small hop after landing her double-pike, then saluted the stands. One last bow perhaps, in a career that includes 32 major international medals and a spot atop her sport.

It’s far too soon to think about the next Olympics in Paris.

“I just need to process this Olympics first,” she said.

While she hasn’t officially announced her retirement — Biles hinted that she might want to stick around in some fashion until the 2024 Olympic Games to honor Coaches Laurent and Cecile Landi, who are both French — a long layoff awaits. She’s headlining a post-Olympic tour through the fall. What happens after that is a mystery, even to Biles.

Two weeks ago, she was a heavy favorite to win four golds.

Maybe five. A week ago, her body couldn’t do what she’d long trained it to do. Even on Monday, watching others spin their way through their routines made her want to “puke.”

Tuesday night offered justice of sorts. Five years ago at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she was stunned when her bronze on the balance beam was met with a shrug of the shoulders, proof of the double standard she is held to. She earned another one in Japan under circumstances no one could have envisioned.

“This one is definitely sweeter,” she said.

Even if it’s the last.

Biles receding into the background opened up the door for the teammates who have long competed in her considerable shadow. The 18-year-old Lee, who finished fifth on the balance beam, won the Olympic all-around title. She ended up with three medals in Tokyo, including silver in the team final and bronze on the uneven bars.

Lee became the fifth straight American woman to capture the all-around title. MyKayla Skinner, placed into the vault final after Biles withdrew, soared to silver. On Monday, Jade Carey’s long journey to the Olympics ended with a victory in the floor exercise after Biles gave her a pep talk following a nightmarish vault performance in which she tripped at the end of the runway and narrowly avoided serious injury.

It wasn’t the role Biles expected to fill when she arrived. She did it anyway, repaying those who have spent the last eight years doing the same for her. Asked if there was anything she would change about her experience in Japan, she shook her head.

“Nothing,” she said. “I would change nothing.”

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