8 pm Curfew

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As reported from VPM News:

After a second night of protesting the death of George Floyd in Richmond, Gov. Ralph Northam authorized an 8 p.m. curfew Sunday in the city. The Virginia National Guard is also on alert and will step in if the city needs assistance.

Overnight Saturday, hundreds of people marched near the Capitol and on Broad Street. Police officers were seen in riot gear, dispersing the crowd with what appeared to be pepper spray. After midnight, the Daughters of the Confederacy headquarters on Arthur Ashe Boulevard was set on fire. The building was tagged with graffiti, along with Confederate statues on nearby Monument Avenue.

“I hear you. I know your pain is real. We have all seen too many people harassed, abused, and killed by law enforcement officers, in too many places, for too long—just for being black. I also know that others are exploiting this pain and are now causing violence,” Northam said in his first a statement on the demonstrations over the weekend. He released a statement Friday about the deaths of Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

The curfew lasts from 8 p.m. Sunday through 6 a.m. Monday. City officials say it applies to public spaces. People may only be out in public to go back and forth from work, seek medical attention or assistance from first responders.

Local Businesses Damaged During Protests

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While many Oregon Hill residents sympathize with the recent protests, many are also saddened by damages experienced by local businesses during them. The Tech Exchange on W. Cary was broken into and several thousands of dollars in merchandise broken or taken. Some businesses in VCU area experienced broken glass and significant damages. The closest bicycle shop to Oregon Hill, Balance, on Broad Street, was destroyed.

Brown’s Island Protest Today

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Downtown Richmond has been rocked by protests against the murder of Minneapolis citizen George Floyd and police brutality across the nation in general. While there was a peaceful protest Friday evening that started in Monroe Park, a later riot the same evening burned a police car and a GRTC bus. Richmond is not alone, as cities across the United States have seen protests and riots which some have called a national uprising. All of this is happening as the COVID-19 pandemic is still a threat.

Rainy Day Mulch Sprinklers

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Citizens continue to press for a full audit of the Monroe Park Conservancy.

At the same time, there is late notice of a Black Lives Matter protest in Monroe Park this evening, in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Coming Down Saturday

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Dominion Energy confirms that its old downtown headquarters at 7th Street and E.Cary will be imploded Saturday, May 30 around 7 a.m.

If you are watching from outside, wear a mask- to lower the chances of spreading viruses and lower the chances of breathing in any dangerous building dust.

Congratulations To Jane Ruggles!

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Admittedly, there are times in the neighborhood when all the young energy seems to be about VCU student residents, but ever since the pandemic shut down the schools, the absence of Open High students has been palpable.

So it was wonderful to see the Richmond Free Press’ photo gallery of Richmond high school valedictorians this week. And in particular, it was very nice to recognize Open High’s representative, Jane Ruggles.

JANE RUGGLES, Open High School, 4.9483 GPA. Attending the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in the fall, where she plans to major in biology and environmental science. Daughter of Sandra Lambert and Jeffrey Ruggles. “For me, the silver lining of this pandemic has been the ability to spend time with my family before going to college. I was very busy before the pandemic and I have tried to be thankful for this time. I’ve also been happy to see how my school, classes and friends have stayed in touch although separated.”

REMINDER: TONIGHT, 5th District Facebook Live

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Does not have quite the same ring as ‘Saturday Night Live’, but ‘Stephanie & Amy’ might still be the best pairing since Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

From the Facebook event page:

Dear 5th District Residents,

We will be holding our second Facebook Live meeting on Thursday, May 28 at 6pm. The agenda will include COVID information, businesses relief efforts, extended tax deadlines, budget review, and community outreach/volunteering while practicing social distancing.

Please comment in the event if you have a specific topic you would like covered. If we can not get to it we will try to include it in the June newsletter and on social media.

We’ll be loading a bunch of PSAs in this event for review and sharing.

We are thinking of all of you.

Best,
Stephanie & Amy

Antique Cars Today, Virtual Memorial Day Ceremony Tomorrow

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From Neighbor and OHNA President Todd Woodson:

Hope you are having a blessed Memorial Day Weekend!

Today (Sunday) between 1:15-1:45, a group of about 30 Vintage cars will be driving down 300 block S Cherry on a road rally from the Antique Auto Club.

Well worth a walk over to see.

Also, tomorrow, our neighbor the Virginia War Memorial will be holding its annual Memorial Day service. Due to the current stay-at-home orders, they regretfully cannot host their annual Memorial Day events open to the public. The Virginia War Memorial instead invites you to this year’s Memorial Day Ceremony “virtually” at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, May 25. To watch, connect on their website.

Mask Up!

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Saw this report from a friend:

A face-masked walk on Belle Isle yesterday was a real eye opener for me. It was really crowded with people, uncomfortably so even for non-covid times, and I estimated that maybe 1% of the people had masks or any coverings on their faces! I fear that this does not bode well for our community…

Regardless ofwhat the government does, its important to recognize that the coronavirus pandemic is still raging and is still in danger of intensifying.