City Council passed a resolution apologizing for demolishing Vinegar Hill. (Background.) #
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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So why didn’t the Daily Progress attribute the source of Ms. Lugo’s quote:
Mister Cellophane
Shoulda been my name
Mister Cellophane
‘Cause you can look right through me
Walk right by me
And never know I’m there…
(“Mr. Cellophane” from the stage musical “Chicago”)
Now let’s see some substantive action out of the Dialogue on Race and the City Council to make some changes. Talk is good and helpful as a first step. With our ugly history of race relations in this town, there should be some substantive, budget commitments to fixing and improving the problems. Let’s build some institutions in this town to address racial discrimination! These problems won’t go away if we just all get together and hold hands and sing songs. The churches tend to be the most segregated places. Local groups can’t handle the problem, so hopefully the City will step up and make commitments to dealing with the issues, I mean real budget commitments. Equity is not free, it takes resources to build it. Dialogues are good, more public art related to diversity is good, economic summits are good, Forums on the achievement gap are good. But all of these types of responses are not enough and reflect no permanent, long-term commitment to institutional responses to racism.
We should have a permanent Commission on race relations. There should be a permanent curriculum in all our schools tackling the history of race relations and what to do, there should be permanent policy calling for annual multicultural training for educators, city employees, and non-profit service providers. There should be jobs training projects, etc. These things won’t be budget neutral.
It will take grass roots activism and political will by our City Councilors.