American democracy is in retreat. Or as Senator Mark Warner told me last week, “There is a shock and awe component to this, as soon as you mount an opposition to one area, they take a shot somewhere else.” He’s not wrong. The examples are becoming too numerous,...
One of the ever-present issues in 2017 is the debate surrounding marijuana decriminalization and legalization. As support for marijuana increases nationally, legislators have been forced to respond by modernizing their positions. Republicans used to be united in their opposition to drug legalization, but it has become a divisive topic in the...
A tidal wave is coming: Since November, this feeling has lingered over political observers across the country. In any case, the 2016 presidential election has sparked one of the most intense political conversations in a generation -- and for many women, a pressing obligation to step in. “You’re either going to be part of the wave, or you’re going...
Things are not looking good for President Trump’s voter fraud commission, also known as the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. Chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Kris Kobach, the commission is now facing at least seven federal lawsuits from various entities. This comes after 44 states have roundly...
On June 22nd, Mayor Levar Stoney announced a commission "to help the city redefine the false narrative of the Confederate statues that line Richmond's grandest boulevard." This announcement was hardly shocking - in a sense, it had been coming for decades - but it was significant for the mayor to publicly assert that some of Richmond’s most famous...
On July 11, white nationalist Jason Kessler held a conference in front of the Charlottesville Police Department. Flanked by bikers from the Warlocks Motorcycle Club, he spoke about his "Unite the Right" rally scheduled for August 12. “Nothing against any other people, against Muslims, against Blacks, whomever, but they have entire continents in...
Mark Holmberg’s most recent editorial, Mayor's narrative about Monument Avenue 'not the whole truth,’ proves he is woefully out of touch with the current conversation. For starters, let me say this: Reducing this city’s ignoble history to a series of blatant generalizations and clichés is not only naive, but highly dangerous. We now live in a...
An event hoping to stop Sharia law from taking over the US ended in a parking lot shoving contest and two arrests at Virginia Beach's Mt. Trashmore this weekend. Along the bottom of the former-trash dump-turned-community park, about 70 people gathered for a "righteous cause." Dressed head-to-toe in red, white, and blue and waving American flags,...
Politics is always at its best when it can be accessible to everyone. A person should not have to be a journalist, hold a PhD in political science, or be linked to special interest to have a candid conversation with their elected officials about what is important to them. Knowing this, having a mayor in Richmond that understands the benefits of...
A group known for spreading anti-Islamic legislation and sentiment across the country is holding a series of rallies in June and Virginia Beach's Mt. Trashmore is on the list as a site set to host one of these events. The group, ACT for America, was created by Christian Lebanese immigrant Brigitte Gabriel. Gabriel has been working since the mid...
