Category Archives: editorial

Review Of City’s Planning Review

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Laurel Street neighbor has a critical review of all of the flaws in the City’s proposed zoning “pattern book” for Oregon Hill, as well as the consultant’s $1.2 million contract that includes no public engagement in the development of the “pattern books” for 10 neighborhoods.

All this before this comes up as a topic at the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA)’s online Zoom meeting tonight.

Hello All,
Please find the very troubling FOIA information that I received from the city regarding the “pattern book” zoning information now compiled by the city for Oregon Hill and several other neighborhoods. (Please see links from the city below.) To make it easier to download, I have also made screen-saves from just the Oregon Hill portion of these large files. (Please see attachments to this e-mail.)

I am extremely concerned about the large amount of incorrect information in this “pattern book” for Oregon Hill. As you may know, we strongly requested that Oregon Hill representatives participate in the compilation of the “pattern book” and to meet with the consultants in order to share our wealth of information about the neighborhood. This request was flatly denied by city Planning Director Kevin Vonck, who stated that the consultant preparing the “pattern book” for Oregon Hill would NOT return calls from representatives of Oregon Hill because it would generate “billable hours” for the city.

As a result, the “pattern book” for Oregon Hill is an embarrassment of inaccurate and misleading information. This very troubling because the city undoubtedly will try to use this misinformation to justify changing the neighborhood’s appropriate Residential R-7 zoning.
I will try here to summarize some of the significant incorrect information in the “pattern book” that the city and consultants created to describe current zoning conditions for the Oregon Hill neighborhood:

-In the “pattern book” report on Oregon Hill, the basic map and boundaries of the Oregon Hill Historic District are not even correct. The study did not include the 3-1/2 blocks of Oregon Hill north of the expressway between Cary and Idlewood Streets that include R-7 and B-3 zoning.

-The “pattern book” does not even correctly provide the “Current Zoning” in Oregon Hill. The “Current Zoning” illustration does not show the Business B-1 zoned areas of Oregon Hill and, therefore, those B-1 properties are shown as non-conforming with the R-7 zoning “Due to Use.” (Did the city’s consultant not have access to the City Zoning Map?)

-The dates for Oregon Hill homes in the “pattern book” are grossly inaccurate in the “Historic Pattern” and “Historic Context” illustrations. The block study for the 300 block of Cherry and Laurel shows all but four houses constructed in the 20th century, when, in fact, all but one house was constructed in the 19th century. The “Historic Pattern” for the neighborhood inaccurately shows most houses constructed in the 20th century rather than the 19th century. (Does the city not have access to the Oregon Hill Historic District nomination to the National Register of Historic Places which correctly shows the construction dates for every building?)

-Most damning is that the “pattern book” does not even illustrate that, regarding two of the most important metrics of the R-7 zoning, Oregon Hill is approximately within 99% conformity with the 35 foot “Height” limit and probably within 90+% conformity with the “55% Maximum Lot Coverage” rules. (Why was the study tasked with emphasizing only non-conformity to zoning?)

-The “Parcel Size” and “Parcel Frontage” non-conformity with the R-7 zoning is inaccurately shown throughout Oregon Hill. The R-7 zoning allows for a reduced lot width of 18 feet and minimum lot size of 2200 square feet for the many single-family attached homes in Oregon Hill. On just my block face alone on the 400 block of Laurel, my home and five other attached single-family houses are shown on the “Nonconformity” map as nonconforming to the zoning “Due to Form” when actually the properties fully conform to the zoning.

-The “Block Setbacks Analysis” illustration incorrectly implies that the Oregon Hill streetscapes do not meet setback requirements, while in fine print their own note indicates that the diagram “… is not accounting for zero setback on attached buildings.”

-The illustration of “Special Use Permit” applications in Oregon Hill implies that it is somehow undesirable that there were 18 Special Use Permits in the neighborhood. In fact, the Special Use Permit process has worked well; it has allowed the neighborhood to achieve remarkable successes in negotiations with developers, including the 6 SUPs shown for the Overlook, Parsons Row and Victory Rug condominium developments. Because Oregon Hill is adjacent to VCU, it would be disastrous for our fragile historic district if the zoning rules were loosened so that no SUP’s are ever required.

-The “Nonconformities” illustration incorrectly classifies many Oregon Hill properties as nonconforming “Due to Use.” The condominiums at the Overlook and the Parsons Row as erroneously listed as nonconforming “Due to Use” when, in fact, they are single-family attached homes. The study incorrectly classifies such properties as 316 S. Cherry, 411 S. Cherry, and 712 Spring, that have long ago been converted to single family homes, as nonconforming “Due to Use.” The study also incorrectly classifies the former Mama Zu restaurant site at 501 Pine as nonconforming “Due to Use” when it is within the appropriate B-1 Business zoning.

In summary, because the city refused to allow neighborhood representatives to participate in the process, the “pattern book” data for Oregon Hill is embarrassingly flawed. The “pattern book” conclusion that Oregon Hill is nonconforming with our R-7 zoning by 82% due to form and usage is grossly inaccurate and must be corrected.

With all of its inaccuracies, in appears that the main purpose of the “pattern book” is to justify rezoning the neighborhood.

While no zoning is perfect, the R-7 zoning rules do a very good job in supporting Oregon Hill’s historic fabric in form and function. The R-7 zoning has allowed the historic Oregon Hill neighborhood to thrive and has admirably protected the historic streetscapes from inappropriate development. In the most important metrics of height, maximum lot coverage and usage, the neighborhood conforms to the R-7 zoning to a remarkable extent, well-within the 90th percentile.

As befitting the rare 19th century Oregon Hill Historic District, the stated intent of the R-7 Single- and Two-family Urban Residential District per city code Sec. 30-413.1 is to “preserve and enhance the established character of older urban residential neighborhoods… characterized by a mixture of detached and attached single- and two-family dwellings situated on small lots with narrow yards and modest setbacks. The district regulations…are intended to encourage continued improvement and efficient use of existing residential buildings and their accessory structures, while ensuring that infill development will be compatible with the established character.”

One thing that the “pattern book” study does get correct, as shown in the “Residential Topology” illustration, is to illustrate that it is beyond dispute that Oregon Hill is a Residential neighborhood. The Residential R-7 zoning is the appropriate zoning for the neighborhood.

Sincerely,
Charles

City of Richmond, Neighorhood Scale Analysis for Oregon Hill [excerpt from city wide scale analysis]

City of Richmond, Block analysis of Oregon Hill [excerpt from city wide block analysis]

Editor’s note: From the beginning of the City’s re-zoning push, the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) has been steadfast in defending itself.

2024 OHNA zoning resolution

Whereas, the Oregon Hill Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic places and the Virginia Landmarks Register as a rare intact historic district built as a working class neighborhood, and
Whereas, Oregon Hill is a built-out neighborhood of two-story dwellings and businesses with great density, having the majority of the homes attached on one or both sides, and
Whereas, Oregon Hill residents fought long and hard to obtain our current R-7 residential zoning, and
Whereas, the current R-7 zoning with a 35 foot height limit matches the neighborhood’s historic fabric and helps to protect the historic character of Oregon Hill, and
Whereas, the current R-7 zoning has allowed the Oregon Hill Historic District to thrive, with very few empty lots, and
Whereas, Section 17.05 of the Richmond City Charter states that a duty of the Planning Commission is to, “… preserve historical landmarks …”, and
Whereas, Oregon Hill is adjacent to and has faced encroachment by the adjacent Virginia Commonwealth University, and
Whereas, the City of Richmond values the character of its unique historic districts which make Richmond a special place to live, and must protect the character of our historic district through appropriate zoning,
Therefore, be it Resolved that the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association strongly urges the Richmond Planning Commission and the Richmond City Council to respect and maintain the R-7 zoning or its equivalent with a 35′ height limit within the Oregon Hill Historic District, in keeping with the current designation’s purpose in preserving the character of older urban neighborhoods in the city’s inner areas.

Keep The Pressure On

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Richmond residents right now are happy to hear that we no longer have to boil City water (but maybe still conserve somewhat)!

Many are glad to have water at all after a catastrophic failure at a city water treatment facility on Monday. The crisis made some national news, but was easily eclipsed in the media by the horrific fires in Southern California. The whole region is relieved and thankful to public servants who quickly addressed the situation before last night’s snow storm made the situation worse. The volunteers and mutual aid groups have earned credit and sincere applause as well.

New Richmond Mayor Danny Avula also deserves credit for how calmly and carefully he has handled this beginning-of-the-year crisis. Despite some small miscommunications, he has been very present and willing to answer questions to the best of his knowledge. He has also not been afraid to let reporters know when he does not know something and has expressed his willingness and desire to get answers. Avula won the mayoral election in part because of his experience in public health (including during the height of the pandemic) and holding press conferences and his confidence shows.

These accolades aside, citizens are rightly asking for a full investigation and report on why this water crisis happened, what exactly transpired, ‘lessons learned’, and what is necessary to keep it from happening again. The real challenge though, is getting recognition that is latest fiasco is emblematic of what has plagued Richmond, and indeed, this whole country, for far too long – putting PRIVATE, corporate priorities over PUBLIC, citizen priorities. Will new Richmond leadership change the pattern?

After all, we have seen this too many times before. In one memorable example in 2014, conditions and maintenance at Richmond Public Schools were in crisis, while the Mayor and City government were celebrating their investment in a new practice field for the Washington Redskins football team. At that point, Open High students lead a city wide walkout in protest.
Of course, I could bring up many other prior and recent examples as well- Center Stage, anyone?

Some would argue that RPS and Richmond leaders never really learned the lesson about the importance of maintenance and disaster recovery for schools until historic, treasured Fox Elementary School burned down. This week, the City was gearing up for a bigger celebration of Fox’s replaced cupola when the water crisis broke out.

This website has brought up many times before the need for complete reform of the utility department, which the City has treated more like a ‘cash cow’ than a vital service. I went as far as writing then-Governor Northam about the need for drastic reform. I have also written about how, stuck under corporate control, the City has been held back from renewable energy and other needed technologies that could greatly benefit everyone. Imagine if the City water plant had distributed solar and micro-hydro as backup power supplies.

More specific to the water treatment facilities, read the narratives, even in what was supplied to the Planning Commission last June. The language is completely clear regarding pumping and electrical problems at the station. Why wasn’t this taken care of?

Today, citizens are wondering if new corporate priorities distracted Richmond officials from maintaining and modernizing the City’s water utility. After all, City leaders, including Oregon Hill’s own councilperson, Planning Commission, have fallen all over each other in their rush to support and promote one of the latest PRIVATE, corporate projects, a new riverfront amphitheater. $36 million in tax relief! That money could have gone a long way towards fixing and promoting disaster recovery at the PUBLIC water utility! Citizens know the local corporate media will not bring up such correlations, even as small businesses, like local restaurants, have had to close because of the lack of water, never mind the suffering of Richmond residents.

Richmonders can take some cold comfort in knowing that we are not alone. Many made the connection to the water disaster in Flint, Michigan, that began in April 2014 when that city switched its drinking water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The Flint River water was not properly treated, which caused pipes to corrode and release lead and other contaminants into the drinking water. The reality is that many municipal water systems across the country are dealing with neglect.

One Richmond-area friend has this scary thought – “Just Thinking about the Water Thing in Richmond Virginia, what is happening now. What could be Very Wrong with 4 aging Nuclear Reactors in the State of North Anna one and Two North Anna is on a Fault Line and With Surry County One and Two Of Dominion Power.”

IT’S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT CITIZENS KEEP THE PRESSURE ON GOING FORWARD. Everything should be on the table for close examination, not just technical matters, but City priorities, budgeting, personnel, contracts, ACCOUNTABILITY. Some right-wingers want to blame one administrator and DEI policies, which is dumb, given the breadth of the matter. Officials and reporters may purposely dive into the technical minutia, and some of that is absolutely necessary, but as with the schools, as with the homeless, as with far too many other issues, citizens are wise to keep the bigger picture in mind – understanding that our government is putting PRIVATE, corporate priorities over PUBLIC, citizen priorities. Will new Richmond leadership change the pattern? There are ways to do this, there are even ways to codify this…so…

KEEP THE PRESSURE ON (and watch the money!).

Election Thoughts (2024 Edition ): There Is Still Time To Do The Right Thing

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Warning: The following post contains strong political opinions from outside of the corporate media. If you can’t control yourself, don’t read them. As this is an editorial, the standard disclaimer is in effect: this does not portend to represent the views of all Oregon Hill residents.

It has been two weeks since Election Day. The majority of neighbors and City residents voted for the Democratic Party presidential candidate Harris and she did win Virginia’s electoral votes. However, in what was a shock to some and unsurprising to others, she convincingly lost the national popular vote and the electoral vote. Experts note that turnout in the seven swing states at the heart of the election was even higher than in the rest of the country.

While many Democrats would like to try to blame Greens, Russians, and others for their loss, as they have obnoxiously and wrongly done in the past, they simply can’t when faced with the facts. As a Green, I can take comfort in that I voted against both sides of the corporate duopoly (both Democrats and Republicans) – my hands are clean. I voted, but I did not vote for Biden/Harris, Trump, or genocide, and I give my utter appreciation to the courageous Jill Stein and her electors/petitioners for that opportunity. I sincerely hope everyone still has that opportunity in the future.

I could go on and revisit ‘Election Thoughts’ from 2016 and discuss needed election reforms, but instead, let’s concentrate on the current international moment:

While the contentious Presidential election is over, there’s still time to do the right thing. Speaking of facts, according to a new United Nations Special Committee report, Israel’s war conduct in Gaza “is consistent with the characteristics of genocide,” including mass civilian casualties and using starvation as a weapon. American corporate media downplays the situation, even as more children and noncombatants die from U.S. bombs. Something for Americans to think about as they decorate their homes with Christmas nativity scenes – there are thousands of Middle Eastern families looking for refuge and none of the carnage and displacement will bring back the victims of the Hamas October 7 attack of the previous year.

If Democrats were smart, they would press (baby boomer) Biden to resign NOW before Trump takes office and then quickly announce a sea change in foreign policy under (gen X) Harris, demanding that Israel end the war and allow Palestinians to return to north Gaza or else IMMEDIATELY lose all financial and military support (over $250 billion). After all, the Israeli government has ignored all previous ‘guidance’ and warnings from the current president. The Biden administration so far has done nothing in response and lamely clung to policies that support war and, yes, genocide. Its doable- President Reagan did it with one phone call back in 1982. We are constantly being told we are ‘the most powerful country on earth’, so surely we can adjust foreign policy. Harris lost the election, yet she could still gain more hearts and claw her way to higher moral ground with a last minute generational shift in regard to other nations.

Sure, President Trump, once he is back in power, will likely rescind any such large moves to ‘the left’, though he would have to expend some time and energy to explicitly change back the policy and be forced to retrench his own hardline position in support of Israel’s right wing government. That alone might make it worth it from a pure ‘resistance’ strategy point-of-view.

Also, an alteration in foreign policy would let American voters know that election campaign mistakes can be corrected and signal that a new Democratic leadership can abandon the ‘war party’. More importantly, the rest of the world would learn that arrogant “American exceptionalism” does not apply to genocide and this country is still capable of change for the better and bigger picture.

However, as a Green I am very doubtful that the Democratic Party is capable of even this reform as it is too tied to its own hubris, militarism, war-profiteering, and lobbyist money. I gave up on it a long time ago and urge others to join the voter revolt and build something new. We need left wing populism to counter the right wing populism (Trumpism).

Sadly, it’s too easy to predict that this country, under the corporate duopoly, will continue to ignore many young people and go further down a right wing path of fascism and war. Next up, we will see if Ukraine goes from a ‘conventional’ battlefield to a nuclear one.

Virginia War Memorial Veterans Day 2024

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Today at 11 am, the Virginia War Memorial hosts the 68th annual Commonwealth’s Veterans Day Ceremony at the Virginia War Memorial, honoring Virginia’s men and women who have served and who are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces.

There will be guest speakers, patriotic music, and the winners of the annual Virginia War Memorial’s Student Essay Contest will be formerly announced. The event is rain or shine and ceremony will be held in the Virginia War Memorial’s E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheater.

It’s important to remember that the historic Oregon Hill neighborhood used to extend to this area, and that Belvidere Street used to be a one lane, residential street similar to what Laurel and Pine streets are.

Oregon Hill residents are respectful and thankful to our veterans for their service and sacrifice.

Yet… I also took the above photo this morning, partly because it shows the yet-to-be-unveiled new traffic light for the pedestrian crossing, but also because the shrouded figure reminded me of the infamous and damning Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse.

Many Oregon Hill residents are concerned about the longterm and increasing militarism and war promoted by BOTH sides of the corporate duopoly (Democrats AND Republicans), despite public opinion against it.

When will the politicians read and listen?

Let’s hope Veteran’s Day ceremonies remain nonpartisan and nonpolitical in a solemn spirit, but let’s also remember the recent Halloween Parade’s theme, “A Funeral March for Silence”.

Community Hospital Saved!

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A welcome follow up to a previous editorial–

As written in RVA Magazine–

As reported by Richmond BizSense yesterday, Virginia Union University’s decision to revise its apartment plans and fully preserve the Richmond Community Hospital building represents a major win for community activism. This victory is largely credited to the grassroots efforts of locals Viola Baskerville and Farid Alan Schintzuis, who formed the ‘Save Community Hospital‘ group. Their efforts began with Baskerville’s letter to the Richmond Free Press in February. Shortly after, Michael Paul Williams’ editorial in the Richmond Times-Dispatch further amplified the issue, bringing it into the spotlight and rallying broader community support.

It should be noted that Farid Alan Schintzius also is one of the citizens who tried to prevent the Jacob House from being moved from its original location (possibly an “Underground Railroad” site) and ultimately helped save the Jacob House itself. He also deserves credit for helping found community radio station WRIR.

Oregon Hill can only hope that these senses of historical preservation and community activism will also be felt during the City’s rezoning process, as the City begins to truly enact its Richmond300 Plan.

2024 OHNA zoning resolution –
Whereas, the Oregon Hill Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic places and the Virginia Landmarks Register as a rare intact historic district built as a working class neighborhood, and
Whereas, Oregon Hill is a built-out neighborhood of two-story dwellings with great density, having the majority of the homes attached on one or both sides, and
Whereas, Oregon Hill residents fought long and hard to obtain our current R-7 residential zoning, and
Whereas, the current R-7 zoning with a 35 foot height limit matches the neighborhood’s historic fabric and helps to protect the historic character of Oregon Hill, and
Whereas, the current R-7 zoning has allowed the Oregon Hill Historic District to thrive, with very few empty lots, and
Whereas, Section 17.05 of the Richmond City Charter states that a duty of the Planning Commission is to, “… preserve historical landmarks …”, and
Whereas, Oregon Hill is adjacent to and has faced encroachment by the adjacent Virginia Commonwealth University, and
Whereas, the City of Richmond values the character of its unique historic districts which make Richmond a special place to live, and must protect the character of our historic district through appropriate zoning,
Therefore, be it Resolved that the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association strongly urges the Richmond Planning Commission and the Richmond City Council to respect and maintain the R-7 zoning or its equivalent with a 35′ height limit within the Oregon Hill Historic District, in keeping with the current designation’s purpose in preserving the character of older urban neighborhoods in the city’s inner areas.

Of course, a lot of Richmonders overlook the small places that families lived in like the historic John Miller House. “John Miller, a free black cooper and minister, built this house about 1858. It is significant as a rare surviving antebellum house in Richmond constructed by and for a free African American family. More than two thousand free blacks lived in Richmond at the time of the Civil War; at least two hundred of them were homeowners. Miller was an influential member of the small free black community that existed in present-day Oregon Hill. Originally erected at 614 S. Laurel Street, the dwelling moved to its present location in 1917, two blocks to the west of here at 617 S. Cherry Street, by Richmond businessman Moses Nunnally.”

Mayoral Election RCV Poll

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Screenshot

We know we cannot count on the corporate media to supply alternatives, so we have to take it upon ourselves (the WRIR lesson)….
As stated here previously, Paul Goldman deserves a lot of credit for almost single-handily obtaining the 10,000 signatures needed to make the City charter change for voting Mayor at large in the first place, but it’s past time for more electoral reform. We know we need to update and strengthen the City’s Board of Elections anyway, so we might as well join other cities around the world in enacting RCV/IRV.

Ranked choice voting (RCV) — also known as instant runoff voting (IRV) — makes our elections better by allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference.

RCV is straightforward: Voters have the option to rank candidates in order of preference: first, second, third and so forth. If your first choice doesn’t have a chance to win, your ballot counts for your next choice.

RCV works in all types of elections and supports more representative outcomes. RCV means better choices, better campaigns, and better representation. That’s why it’s the fastest-growing voting reform in the nation…

Except, of course, in decidedly unprogressive Richmond, VA, where City Council tossed it aside.

UVA, GMU, JMU, and Washington & Lee use it for their campus/student government elections, but VCU, UR, and VUU are still behind the times, despite the offered prize.

Anyway, back to challenging the status quo… Note that this is just a poll, of course, and that according to the current Mayoral election rules, the winner is not who wins the popular vote. It’s not who gets the most votes, it’s who gets the most votes out of five out of the nine City Council districts. Which does makes an expensive runoff election a distinct possibility… a problem that RCV could solve.

But for now, vote in this ‘mock election’. Just don’t forget the real stakes involved and tell your favorite candidate to do the required homework…

Solidarity With Assange

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Julian Assange during a 2014 press conference attended by international media

On October 1, 2024, Julian Assange broke his silence. The WikiLeaks founder testified before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) about the chilling effect his detention and conviction has had on human rights. When Assange was detained, The Committee previously found he met PACE’s definition of a political prisoner. Assange’s testimony marked his first substantive, public comments in over half a decade. Other than his remarks at his sentencing hearing, the public has largely not heard from Assange since his 2019 arrest.

For what it is worth, this ‘community news site’, even in its mostly ‘amateur’ status, declares its solidarity with Julian Assange. Hopefully, this site will not get targeted by the C.I.A. for doing so. It is more noteworthy and distressing that local ‘professional’ journalists have not done more to declare their solidarity.

It’s also an election year, and, incredibly, Donald Trump is running for re-election as President of the United States. What is sad and remarkable is that many citizens still don’t know or have forgotten that Assange revealed how Trump was made into a serious political candidate in the first place. The reality is that much of the ‘transnational repression’ we have seen from the U.S. government in regard to Assange is most likely not instigated from the WikiLeaks publication/documenting of U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, but from their revelations on the amount of triangulation involved in American politics.

It’s noteworthy that one of Oregon Hill’s previous Halloween parades (2013) was in honor of whistleblowers Assange, Manning, and Snowden.

When journalism is criminalized, as in Assange’s case, things get truly scary.

Mandatory Homework for Mayoral Candidates

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Photo by Julia M Cameron via Pexels.

New school year, but you know the drill…

If you are a candidate for political office (state or City), and in particular a City mayoral candidate, please submit via official campaign email to info@oregonhill.net both a pledge (to defend the neighborhood from more VCU disrespect and encroachment, to recognize the demands already made to Richmond300 and the City of Richmond’s Planning Commission, and to do everything in your power to get VCU to make a written Memorandum of Understanding (aka MOU or commitment) to Oregon Hill, including but not limited to requesting a meeting with VCU Board of Visitors), but also a description of how you personally plan to defend and help this historic neighborhood if you win your election. In other words, what will you do to protect and defend, but also help and improve the Oregon Hill neighborhood.

This work will be accepted up to October 15. Late work will NOT be accepted. Grades will NOT be on a sliding scale.

By October 16, neighbors will know who NOT to vote for. We are looking for candidates who we CAN vote for. And make no mistake about it, Oregon Hill votes strongly and can be a deciding factor for the 5th District.

This comes at a time when the historic Oregon Hill district is under incredible pressure from developers (and let’s make no mistake about it, some of these people are little better than gangsters) and a new, corporate, riverfront amphitheater. Neighbors see the high-rise apartment buildings in Manchester and Scott’s Addition and don’t even recognize those neighborhoods anymore.

Neighbors are also watching the campaign contributions and making lists. Many of you may have taken part in the OHNA zoom meetings, but we know talk is cheap. Let’s see how your writing fares.

Historic preservationists have worked tirelessly to protect this small neighborhood’s historic streetscapes for decades. If you believe in historic preservation, now it is a good time to make the commitment.

“No Votes For Genocide VA”

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This yard sign appeared on W.Cary Street.

From corresponding website:

Since the start of the Israeli genocide of Palestinians, residents have been demanding Richmond City Council call for an immediate ceasefire and acknowledge and divest all city funding tied to Israel. Citizens have been drafting resolutions, meeting with council members, and attending and speaking at countless biweekly public meetings.

Richmond City Councillors have refused to take action. Richmond’s Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, and both Senator Tim Kaine and Senator Mark Warner, have also refused to take action to divest from Israel and protect Palestinian lives. They ignore our pleas and continue to send billions of dollars of military aid and weapons to Israel.

As Pennsylvania Congresswoman Summer Lee stated, “Opposing genocide is good politics and good policy.” It’s time to tell our representatives that actively opposing genocide is not only a moral imperative, but a political necessity.

We are joining the growing number of people across the United States working to send a clear message to all candidates and elected officials on local, state, and national levels who are unswayed by our appeals to their humanity – we will NOT support you while you continue to support genocide. #NoVotesForGenocide

It’s worth mentioning that according to recent polls, over two-thirds of voters want any administration to work towards a permanent ceasefire and de-escalation of conflict in Gaza. That goes along with last year’s “Banner of The Year”.