Open High Students Lead RPS Walkout On Monday

From Times Dispatch article:

A group of students from Open High School is planning to lead a march on City Hall on Monday to protest the physical condition of school facilities in the city of Richmond.
The students plan to walk out of class at 8:30 a.m. and begin the mile-plus march from Oregon Hill toward downtown. They should reach City Hall by 9 a.m. and plan to hold a peaceful demonstration.

“It’s a way for the public to see the faces of students of Richmond Public Schools,” said Isabella Arias, a senior at Open.
She said the idea came up early this month after media reports of several particularly decrepit school buildings.
In a Facebook event called “RPS Walkout,” Arias and other organizers cited several specific problems, including roof failures at Fairfield Court Elementary and Thompson Middle schools and rodent problems at Carver Elementary and Armstrong High schools.
“When we read that, we were really horrified at how terrible the conditions are,” she said.
“These conditions continue to worsen as time passes and are simply disregarded by school officials, City Hall, the mayor and many others,” the organizers say on Facebook.
“Funds could be allocated to repair our dilapidated schools (as was done for the Redskins training camp) if those in charge saw it as a priority. Instead however, the officials of Richmond brush off the needs of RPS students.
“We are not their priority. They fail to see the value in our education or even our general well-being. They must be reminded of our numbers so that they may see our value.”

VCU Sign Saga Continues

The Times Dispatch this morning has an article on the continuing controversy regarding VCU’s billboard signs. Here is an excerpt:

In another skirmish dealing with Monroe Park, a Richmond official has proposed revoking Virginia Commonwealth University’s permission to put up directional signs near the city-owned park that abuts the VCU campus.

Two signs, one at North Belvidere and West Main streets and another near the intersection of North Laurel Street and South Cathedral Place on the western side of the park, would have to be removed under legislation introduced by City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, 5th District.

The sign on Laurel is affixed to a traffic pole, while the one on Main is freestanding on the sidewalk. Agelasto took more issue with the latter, saying the sign measures 4½ by 9 feet and creates visibility issues.

“I’m concerned about the traffic accident counts increasing as a result of a large, overly sized wayfinding sign at an intersection that was already having significant accidents,” Agelasto said.

A City Council committee voted Monday to ask Agelasto to withdraw the proposal until the city has had more time to analyze traffic data to determine if Agelasto is correct that the signs pose a hazard. Both the city traffic engineer and a VCU official disagreed with the notion that the signs are creating problems.

However, last night neighbor Todd Woodson reported that “due to interference from Graziano and Baliles, the bill on revoking the permission to put the signs up has been stricken.”

Getting Ready For April 12 Clean Up

PTTG FLYER FINAL

Councilperson Parker Agelasto has purposely scheduled his 5th District Clean Up the same day (Saturday, April 12) as VCU’s Paint The Town Green event.

I have heard that St. Andrew’s Church will be joining in- from Deacon Barbara Ambrose-

St. Andrew’s will have a clean up day at the church on Saturday April 12. Perfect timing for us to prepare for all the festivities of Holy week! We will hold a prayer service at 8:15 or 8:30 and would love to invite the other volunteers to join us. We are also talking about having some refreshments available for volunteers if they want to take a break. If you want to forward this e-mail to whoever is heading up the neighborhood effort, feel free to do so.

VCU Drone Warfare Event On Wednesday

From the FaceBook event page:

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The Arab Student Association at VCU is hosting an event to raise awareness regarding the illegal use of drone strikes still taking place in countries such as Yemen, Pakistan,Somalia etc. We have guest speakers coming to inform you of the reality of these drone strikes that continue to happen until today. It will be in the form of a discussion panel. You all get to engage and ask our guest speakers all the questions you have. Admission is free. The event will be in the Richmond Salons located upstairs in the student commons.