Good morning, RVA: 3,931↗️ • 38↗️; a bunch of Council updates; and critical snow day news

Good morning, RVA! It’s 32 °F, and it’ll get a little warmer today, but not much. Expect highs in the low 40, and probably no rain for the foreseeable future—that’s something! However, early this morning, keep an eye out for icey, slippery sidewalks if you’re out and about.

Water cooler

The Richmond Police Department are reporting a double murder on the 4300 block of Chamberlayne Avenue yesterday afternoon. Officers found Sandra Powell-Wyche and Curtis Wyche in a residence shot to death. Police have made two arrests related to this murder.

As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 3,931↗️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 38↗️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 292↘️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 135, Henrico: 91, and Richmond: 66). Since this pandemic began, 508 people have died in the Richmond region. Hmm…so those statewide new case numbers jumped right back up to around 4,000. I don’t know what that means, and it’s so hard to see trends when you’re sitting smack in the middle of one. However, looking across the Commonwealth, the seven-day average of percent positivity has crept all the way up to 11.3%, and we’re seeing that reflected locally, as well (Richmond: 6.01%; Henrico: 8.46%; and Chesterfield: 10.20%). I’ve been keeping an eye on the color-coded map of the 14-day case incidence rate—which is new cases per 100,000 people—and the entire state is deep red except for two localities (Cumberland and Sussex). Similarly, watching the color-coded map for percent positivity has been like watching a terrifying red tide wash across the state from west to east. Anyway, depressing numbers today. Not depressing: Audrey Roberson received VCU Health’s first dose of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday. Her reaction in that photo is perfect and emotional.

City Council’s Finance and Economic Development committee meets today and you can find their full agenda here (PDF). They will consider a bunch of housing-related papers that remind me I still have a ton to learn about “housing,” even after several years of trying to do exactly. For example, I probably need to learn more about the plans behind RES. 2020-R069and RES. 2020-R070, which approve RRHA to issue a total of $24.5 million in bonds for projects on the Southside. Also, are dedicated revenue streams a good idea or a bad idea? ORD. 2020–214 would implement the Mayor’s plan to take all new real estate tax generated by properties rolling out of tax exemption and put those revenues into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Staff estimates that this would create an annual $2 million revenue stream for the fund. I did get a good laugh at RES. 2020-R068, which plainly reminds us that resolutions are, ultimately, non-binding: “To reiterate the request made in Res. No. 2020-R053, adopted Sept. 28, 2020, that the Mayor propose, for the Fiscal Year 2021–2022 and for every fiscal year thereafter, a budget that includes funding in the amount of at least $10,000,000.00 for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.” This makes you laugh, too, right? A resolution to reiterate a previous resolution?? Classic. Anyway, I joke, but you should read the staff notes on this one as they point out some issues with the aforelinked ORD. 2020–214.

Roberto Roldan at VPM reports that City Council’s Governmental Operations committee approved a new, police-free slate of candidates for the task force working to put together a Civilian Review Board. This new list, which you can find at the bottom of the story, will still need to get full Council’s approval. Also, make sure you read Roberto’s final line: “One task force position set aside for a resident of Richmond’s public housing communities did not receive any applicants and has not been filled.” I wonder, to paraphrase Del. Price from yesterday, has the City done the necessary outreach to fill this position? Or nah?

Mayor Stoney sent this open letter about legalizing marijuana to the Governor yesterday. The Mayor says any resulting tax revenues should be used for, first, “complete and total expungements for those currently incarcerated for or living with the consequences of a possession conviction,” and, second, to take “intentional steps to avoid regulatory biases that could perpetuate the very injustice that legalization advocates seek to end.” The Governor responded with “I am committed to putting equity first as we work to legalize marijuana. Today, I announced $25 million for expungement reforms, and made clear that half of revenues should go towards Pre-K for all at risk three- and four-year-olds.” I’m still having a little bit of a hard time believing how fast all of this is moving!

Critical snow day update from Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras: “Finally, with a major storm hitting the Northeast tonight, I’ve received a lot of questions about snow days – namely, will we have them? Well, we might. Here’s the rule we’ll follow this year: as a matter of equity, if it snows so much that our buses can’t deliver meals in the morning, I’ll call a snow day. No child should be required to hop onscreen for several hours of virtual classes with an empty stomach.” Empathetic as always, and good news for RPS students wishing for snow.

COVID-19 testing events hosted by the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts continue as we head into the winter holidays. Today, you can head over to Second Baptist Church (3300 Broad Rock Boulevard) from 2:00–4:00 PM for a free community testing event.

This morning’s longread

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Ghosts of Segregation

Wow, these contemporary photos of reclaimed and forgotten “Colored” entrances and white-only space are amazing. How many doorways have I walked past in Richmond, not knowing the role they played in our segregated past? More photos over on the photographer’s website.

The photographs are also a testament to the endurance of the racial inequalities that have plagued American society, projected backward and forward in time. The deaths this year of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, among many other Black Americans, prompted a long-overdue national reckoning, spurring one of the largest movements in U.S. history. And these pictures prove that if you look carefully enough, you’ll find that the evidence of the structures of segregation — and the marks of white supremacy — still surrounds us, embedded in the landscape of our day-to-day lives.

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