A Holly Street neighbor reported that around 6:30 this morning, 4 Black males were spotted breaking into a vehicle on the 800 block of Holly street. When confronted, they fired a gun while running off/ driving off. Police responded. If anyone has any information, please contact police.
Starts at 10 am and the weather has been planned beautifully…
From the Facebook event page:
Our in-person, socially-distanced ceremony to recognize the Class of 2020! Wear your cap, gown, and facial mask. No more than 3 people per car, and no more than 1 car per graduate. Receive your diploma and have your picture taken! Meet in the OHS Parking Lot according to schedule emailed earlier. Decorate cars for a parade down S. Laurel to Overlook. Exit on S. Pine St.
From OregonHill.net to all Open High grads, CONGRATULATIONS!!!
From this 1905 Sanborn (below) it appears that the business on the corner (that comes out to the curb) was at the corner of Canal (now Cumberland) and Cherry! So this is actually a photo of the west side of the 100 block of Cherry. The frame house that still stands on the west side of the 100 block of Cherry (once occupied by the Jenkins family) is the white frame house on the right hand side of the photo. The City Auditorium (now VCU recreational center) is in the background.
Many older residents remember when VCU demolished the three fine brick buildings shown in the photo to the left (south) of the Jenkins House. (The corner store had already been demolished but VCU demolished the neat carriage house show on the map behind the corner store.)
Judging from the poster above, the protests will continue, with some starting in Monroe Park.
Richmond City Council will meet tonight in regular session at 6 p.m.
Council will consider a request from 5th District Councilperson Stephanie Lynch that a process be developed for renaming the Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge.
Other Council business includes a vote on proposed rules for short-term home rentals in the city, a delay in the the city’s C-PACE program, and declaring land once considered for the Navy Hill project as surplus property.
The full agenda and more information can be found by clicking here.
From Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association president Todd Woodson:
Dear Friends and Neighbors
Hope all is well with each of you. We will NOT meet this month. I have asked many of you and most agree that one more month off is a good idea, especially for those caring for children or a parent.
Open High will hold their graduation on June 26th down at the Overlook from 10-2. it will be a drive through and there will be some no parking signs in the area so stay clear if you can. Great news that Clary Carleton has been named permanent principal of Open, and we look forward to working closely with her to make a more productive community/school relationship.
We were given a 200 dollar beautification grant from the City so please let me know any suggestions you may have. Thank you Amy and of course Councilperson Stephanie Lynch!
Also, many thanks to Stephanie Lynch for standing up for us against the Richmond 300 plan, which, as written, would be disastrous for our historic neighborhood. We have made three requests of changes we must see in that document. All have been voted on at our meetings in the past. First, we must be, according to parameters included, Medium Density Residential. This would coincide with the current appropriate R7 zoning designation. The mixed use they want would allow 4 stories on our streets and unlimited height on all corners and major roads. Imagine a 10 story student apartment building at Laurel and China and you get the picture. In addition, the Richmond 300 plan places our historic neighborhood in the VCU “node”, inviting them to come develop inside Oregon Hill boundaries. We’ve asked that this be removed and it be noted that VCU is to respect our boundary. Lastly, we asked that Monroe Park be noted as a City property. Currently, it is within the VCU node as well. Randolph, Maymont and the Fan have all been targeted by this awful Richmond 300 plan. Thank Steph and Amy if you see them. They are all that stands between our historic neighborhood and VCU and developers.
Councilperson Lynch is also working to change the name of the Lee Bridge.
As the dry days of Summer approach, please remember our new trees! Fill a gatorbag (attached to trees) so water can drip into the soil at the best rate. The trees will love you for it!
Finally, the movie Just Mercy (2019) is available to see Free of Charge on youtube, Google play and Amazon for this month only. A story on the fight for justice in Alabama. Watch the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVQbeG5yW78
Please take care of yourselves and your neighbors and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Todd.
Here’s an excerpt:
In the early 19th century, Magdalen Societies began to appear in cities all over America, the first being founded in Philadelphia in 1800. These charities sought out “fallen women,” like sex workers, to rehabilitate into moral rectitude. Magdalen members believed that once these women were quarantined from the people and associations of their sinful lives, they could be reformed. This moral quarantine came in the form of housing, meals and a strict schedule, which often included prayer and training in handicrafts. In 1874, the Magdalen Association of Richmond opened such a home on Spring Street, in Oregon Hill, in the 1819 Parsons House. Their stated mission was to provide “shelter and reformation for fallen women.” Within ten years, the mission of the home had narrowed somewhat, as a refuge for unwed mothers.
Speaking of the Valentine, it recently joined other local cultural institutions in a joint press release that clarifies their commitment to staying safe during the pandemic…face masks and social distancing still in effect!
“As our Commonwealth enters into Phase 2 and our city prepares to, we want to assure all attendees that we are committed to providing everyone with safe, secure, and supportive access to our facilities. In the midst of a pandemic and a region-wide reassessment of our fraught racial history, we believe our cultural resources play an important role during these uncertain times. While we anticipate most sites will open in some capacity by early July, we will continue to use these shared principles and the facts on the ground to ensure the best experience for our visitors.”
I am doubtful that this will get endorsed by the James River Association or The Valentine Museum, but it could still be provoking… and trailer includes an Oregon Hill Overlook setting…
This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Please go over what can be recycled. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.
If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.
In recycling news, Virginia has joined eight other states in pushing back on the U.S. EPA’s moves to relax environmental oversight due to the new coronavirus pandemic. Attorneys general for New York, California, Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Vermont, Oregon, and Virginia raised the issue in a brief sent June 8 to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. This is a good time to review the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the waste and recycling sector.