The Richmond Free Press newspaper yesterday published an article on the doomed ‘Navy Hill’ project, in which it also confirmed what 5th district residents have already been hearing- ‘business leaders’ who live in the surrounding counties are putting pressure on our City Councilperson though her employer. That’s not just inappropriate, it’s deliberately attempting to subvert democracy. It’s VILE, DISHONORABLE, AND DISGUSTING.

It’s great to see the community-oriented Richmond Free Press buck the system and make this particular story known, but more has to be done to dig this scum out. Earlier this week, we saw more corporate media, notably the Times Disgrace newspaper, run articles that not so subtly conveyed ridiculous threats- that if ‘Navy Hill’ does not happen, sick children would suffer and jobs would be lost and it would all be City Council and ‘activists” fault. Never mind that Richmond schools would again lose or that VCU Medical as a massive nonprofit hospital is not exactly penniless, or that Richmond citizens are under NO obligation to provide sweetheart deals to any corporation and we don’t have to give up more real estate to VCU’s empire.

Now, sadly, this is nothing new for Richmond. Citizens have heard many other tales of infamous arm twisting of decision makers by ‘business leaders’ who want to coerce government. And this sort of thing is happening at every level, from City Council and City department, to Urban Design Committee to even neighborhood association.

It’s part of Richmond’s dirty secret- that while there are good opportunities here with amazing natural and historic resources and Southern charm, the civic scene is one of oppression. Yes, the United States has become a country increasingly under the undue influence of corporations in commerce, society, and government, but Richmond’s top-down, almost aristocratic, corporate rule is overwhelming.

It has been for a long time a deep corruption where public concerns and priorities are thrown aside for corporate ones. Decade after decade, Richmond citizens have seen this again and again in everything from arts, to parks, from riverfront planning to even down to our water utility payments.

It should be made immediately clear that what happened to Councilperson Lynch reflects poorly on ALL of Navy Hill’s backers- Venture Richmond (previously known as Richmond Renaissance), RVA Chamber of Commerce, Retail Merchants, VCU administration, and, of course, the monopoly that controls our State Capital, Dominion. The public should hold them all in contempt until there are sincere apologies.

What should citizens do?

Of course, they should shame these people and groups’ DISHONORABLE AND DISGUSTING arm twisting tactics for this, and previous transgressions.

Last week, the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association, having heard these allegations, immediately voted at its January meeting to oppose the Navy Hill Dominion-VCU coliseum scheme in its current form. Other civic guards should do the same- reject the Navy Hill scheme WITH PREJUDICE and STAND BY AND SUPPORT our PUBLIC officials, at least the ones are honest and have not given in to the corporate slime.

Furthermore, citizens should look to reform measures- not only ones that promote transparency, but ones that beat back corporate influence altogether. On the local level, consider that the City of Charlottesville joined localities all across the nation and passed a resolution in support of the Move To Amend movement, which would overturn the Supreme Court’s terrible Citizens’ United decision and establish that corporations are not people and money is not speech. Why not the City of Richmond? Why not for both the federal AND state constitutions?

Speaking of state, support HB111 in the General Assembly. Let’s take this City and state back from Dominion control!

In the wake of the public exposure of the corporate hegemony, now’s not the time to go on with business as usual, but to revolt and demand better. If RVA is truly going to live up to its potential, we need to throw the corporate welfare mavens out for good!