Ralph Northam

State of Emergency Called Ahead of Unite the Right Anniversary in Charlottesville

RVA Staff | August 8, 2018

Topics: Charlottesville, Governor, Ralph Northam, State of Emergency, Unite the Right, virginia, white supremacists

*This is a developing story.

Governor Ralph Northam has declared a state of emergency in Charlottesville ahead of the one year anniversary of Unite the Right. The white supremacist rally held on August 12 last year left one person dead and another 30 wounded when James Field Jr drove his car into a group of counter-protestors. The announcement released earlier this afternoon stated, “These state of emergency declarations will enhance planning and cooperative response efforts that have been in development since March.” According to the statement, the declaration allows various state agencies to perform “actions outside of the scope of normal operations” as a way to make sure resources are available to both local government and residents.

According to CBS 6, the Virginia State Police Superintendent has said that 700 state police will be activated in and around Charlottesville to prevent any incidents over the course of the weekend.

Last August, the city of Charlottesville and the Charlottesville Police Department took a hands-off approach to the event, which ended in street brawls, confrontations, and the eventual vehicular attack against counter-protestors. Charlottesville Police Chief Alfred Thomas resigned last December shortly after the release of a highly critical report that listed serious planning failures.The consultant hired to evaluate planning for the event, former U.S. Attorney Tim Heaphy, found that the city failed to both coordinate and communicate proper instructions in advance of the rally.

The man behind the attack, James Fields, Jr. of Ohio, has been indicted on 30 charges including federal hate crimes, and is awaiting a November trial. Several memorial events have been planned this weekend in Charlottesville. Jason Kessler, the man who organized Unite the Right last August, will be holding another rally in Washington, DC on Sunday. The National Park Service released a list of speakers who will headline the event which included, neo-Nazi Patrick Little, KKK Grand Wizard David Duke, Simon Roche, Kevin Cormier, Avialae Horton, and Corey Mahler.

A map of the security planning for this weekend has been released by Solidarity Cville in a tweet just two hours ago.

They also released a list of instructions indicating what is allowed and isn’t on the downtown mall over the course of the weekend.

The One Year Anniversary of Unite the Right is Here. A lot Has Happened

Madelyne Ashworth | August 7, 2018

Topics: abigail spanberger, Anti-Racism, black lives matter, Confederate monuments, Corey Stewart, Crying Nazi, CSA II The New Confederate States of America, DACA, Dave Brat, David Duke, Dreamers of Virginia, Identity Evropa, Jason Kessler, KKK, Monument Avenue Commission, Parkland Florida shooting, Ralph Northam, trump, Unite the Right, white nationalism, white supremacy, zero tolerance policy

RVA Tank, Parkland Shooting, Democratic-nominee Spanberger, families separated at the border, KKK effigies, Governor Northam, punching Nazis, getting punched by Nazis.

It’s been a long year.

As we approach the one year anniversary of Unite the Right, the alt-right rally held in Charlottesville on Aug. 12 last year that ended with the death of counter-protester Heather Heyer, it’s hard to ignore the tension in the air. Whether that tension has increased or decreased, or the political dissension within our country is better or worse, Americans are certainly motivated. We’ve seen protest after protest, breaking news stories flying in each day with news of Russia, North Korea, Robert Mueller, Corey Stewart, and Jason Kessler.

The white nationalist movement has not slowed down, nor has it given up. Identity Evropa came to Richmond to pick up trash in hopes of normalizing their cause. The FBI has as many open cases concerning white supremacist propaganda online as they do for ISIS. And Unite the Right is happening again, but this time, its headed to Washington, D.C.

Here is a brief roundup of events from the past year to get you up to speed on the white nationalist movement in Virginia in preparation for this weekend’s latest appearance from our best-known racists (this list may not include every event related to white nationalism in Virginia):

August 2017: Jason Kessler, online blogger, and white nationalist, successfully organizes an alt-right rally called Unite the Right on Aug. 12 in Charlottesville, in the name of protecting the Confederate statues in two local parks. Several physical altercations occurred during the rally, and attendees were armed with bats, guns, or other weapons.

James Alex Fields, Jr., a white nationalist, drove his vehicle into a crowd of counter-protesters after the rally was deemed unlawful by police. His attack killed Heather Heyer and injured multiple others. Fields was part of Vanguard America, a white supremacist organization. He was placed in jail and denied bail.

President Trump suggested the blame for the violence rested with “many sides.”

September 2017: The Dreamers, young first-generation immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals act, mobilized after Trump’s threat to end the program. Long marches between Charlottesville and Richmond as well as Charlottesville and Washington sprung up as September clung to summer temperatures. DACA was rescinded later that month by Trump, but at least temporarily upheld by the Supreme Court.

An activist group hung Ku Klux Klan effigies in Bryan Park.

The New Confederate States of America planned a rally in Richmond to support Confederate statues on Monument Avenue, claiming to be motivated by the Monument Avenue Historical Commission convened in June by Mayor Levar Stoney and tasked with providing recommendations for what to do with the statues. The rally took place on Sept. 16, attended by over 400 counter-protesters, a heavy police presence, and a small handful of CSA members who arrived in twos and threes. The CSA was severely outnumbered in what RVA Mag called a “win for Richmond,” as the protest ended peacefully.

Later that month, the FBI claimed white nationalists are just as dangerous as Islamic terrorists.

October 2017: At the beginning of the month, a circuit court judge in Charlottesville handed down a ruling signaling that the Commonwealth’s laws protecting war memorials could be retroactively applied to Virginia’s Confederate monuments.

The City of Charlottesville and several small businesses in the area filed a novel lawsuit to prevent future militia groups from entering their city again. This lawsuit is ongoing and continues to seek a verdict in August of 2018. Six defendants have settled since May 2018.

White nationalist Richard Spencer held a torch-lit rally in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, glorifying the Robert E. Lee monument and mimicking a similar torch-lit rally held on UVA’s campus the night before Unite the Right. Around two dozen white nationalists were present.

Jason Kessler began a new white nationalist group called New Byzantium following Unite the Right. It’s one of many new alt-right groups that continue to crop up to this day, largely spread through online forums.

November 2017: In a Democratic sweep, Ralph Northam became the new Governor of Virginia, joined by Justin Fairfax as Lt. Governor, and Mark Herring as Attorney General. It was a significant Democratic victory similar to the victory of then-Senator Obama when he won the presidency in 2008. The blue wave was accompanied by a new wave of female representatives in the General Assembly, the largest number of women to be elected to the GA in Virginia’s history. This included the first Latina women, the first Asian-American, and the first transgender woman to win a seat in the GA.

January 2018: Chris Cantwell, the notorious “Crying Nazi,” faced up to 20 years in jail for pepper-spraying counter-protesters at a torch-lit white supremacist rally on UVA’s campus the night before Unite the Right. At the beginning of the month, he attempted to sue anti-fascists, claiming that they discharged the pepper spray against themselves.

Thousands of women come to Richmond for the one-year anniversary of the Women’s March.

March 2018: Deandre Harris, a black man viciously beaten by white nationalists during the Unite the Right, was charged and then acquitted of assault by the District Court in Charlottesville. During Unite the Right, Harris was assaulted by six men with wooden pikes in the Market Street Parking Garage, eventually sustaining a spinal injury and receiving 10 staples in his head.

June 2018: Nathan Larson, a self-confessed pedophile and white supremacist, runs for Congress in Virginia. Previously an accountant in Charlottesville, Larson is running as an independent. Jason Allsup, another white nationalist who attended the Unite the Right rally, was elected as a Republican official in Washington state. This marked the beginning of many white supremacists and anti-Semitic candidates running on the Republican ticket in America ahead of midterm elections. This trend continued with Corey Stewart, Virginia’s Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. He appeared on CNN and struggled to answer questions about his past ties to white supremacists and anti-semites. He continues to be aggressive online and has not revoked his white nationalist ties.

Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s 7th District, wins a huge primary victory and will run against Dave Brat in the fall for the congressional seat.

President Trump begins his “zero tolerance” immigration policies and enacts legislation that separates immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. National and international outrage sparks protests throughout the Commonwealth, including one outside Dave Brat’s office, who publicly supported Trump’s decision.

The National Parks Service approved an application submitted by Jason Kessler for another alt-right rally to be held in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 11 and 12 this year. This will come to pass this weekend in Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C.

Identity Evropa visited Richmond for a little community service by picking up trash around town in an attempt to normalize their organization and beliefs. In Lexington, local restaurant owner Stephanie Wilkinson refused to service White House Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders at her restaurant, The Red Hen. It was followed by five days of protests against and for her restaurant. In one instance, someone threw chicken feces on their storefront window.

July 2018: The Monument Avenue Commission recommended that the Jefferson Davis monument be removed from Monument Avenue, with Mayor Stoney’s approval. Later in August, an unknown individual vandalized the Robert E. Lee monument with red paint, writing “BLM” (Black Lives Matter) on the statue’s base. This is only the latest act of vandalism concerning the statues over the past year.

Chris Cantwell, the aforementioned “crying Nazi,” was barred from entering the Commonwealth for the next five years. He plead guilty to assault and battery for spraying two anti-racist activists with pepper spray the night before Unite the Right.

August 2018:

Now that August approaches, we look to another year that will hopefully not result in death or injury. Jason Kessler will be in D.C. this Sunday, Aug. 12, in Lafayette Square to march and protest in the name of “white civil rights.” Regular faces like Kessler, Spencer and former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke are said to appear and speak, although the movement has suffered serious divisions and other prominent white nationalists are disavowing Kessler.

A vigil will be held on Saturday, Aug. 11, in Charlottesville at 5 p.m. for Heather Heyer, in remembrance of her life, as well as an anti-racist march the next day in an attempt to heal from the events of last year.

Stay with RVA Mag on Instagram (@rvamag) and Twitter (@RVAmag) for updates on these events this coming weekend.

The Bachelorette Came to Richmond: Part Tone Deaf, Part Guilty Pleasure, and Entirely Obvious

Madelyne Ashworth | July 3, 2018

Topics: Ralph Northam, richmond, RVA, The Bachlorette, TV in RVA, virginia

My summer Monday night tradition for the past several years: drive to my mom’s and make dinner with my grandmother, crack a bottle of wine, plant on the couch by 8 p.m. and glue our faces to the TV to watch 25 men battle over one lucky lady (I’m a purist, I don’t watch The Bachelor. The Bachelorette is where it’s at.) My grandmother and I will pick apart each guy, make our guesses at who this season’s bachelorette might choose, wait for the Most Dramatic Season Finale, and sometimes my mother will begrudgingly sit on the couch and make comments about how stupid the show is until she falls asleep.

So how excited were we when we could participate in our favorite pastime watching our favorite show in our very own hometown (after the initial shock of asking, um, why Richmond)?! This show has taken lucky ladies like Kaitlyn Bristowe (my personal all-time favorite bachelorette) to Scotland, Rachel Lindsay to Spain, and JoJo Fletcher to Thailand. And apparently the producers over at ABC were like, “Hey, let’s throw a dart at a map of America.” This was confirmed when at the beginning of last night’s show, they were careful to show a map of the US with a star over Richmond just to make sure you knew where the River City actually is.

Beautiful scenery of the capitol building, the Richmond skyline, and the iconic James River (and no doubt very, very strategically, not a single shot of Monument Avenue) filled my heart with pride for our little city. This season’s bachelorette Becca Kufrin took her male suitors on a historical tour of our city, checking out St. John’s Church and the Edgar Allen Poe Museum. The editors especially wanted to drive home the point that we are the most hipster city on this side of the Mason Dixon, complete with shots of the Quirk Hotel and a date at the Poe Museum’s hipster-goth-themed ‘Un-Happy Hour’ – you better believe I’m proud as hell about that, too.

No, they didn’t go to the best spots nor did they delve into the culture of this city–staying safely in the Art District and visiting beautiful historical sites–but it’s a reality TV show that (until recently, sort of) avoided people of color and focuses on superficial beauty aesthetic, so I didn’t expect any better, nor was I surprised.

Until the group date: Becca took her pack of boys to Richmond’s Capitol Building for a tour with presidential re-enactors and followed-up with a surprise mock-political debate on the steps of the same building. And Governor Ralph Northam moderated. Welcome to Virginia, I guess?

The debate, which was styled similarly to ‘The Dating Game’, posed questions like, “What is your ideal date?” and “How do you envision your future with Becca?” The men even donned suits for the occasion. If you’re into the drama, the debate quickly deteriorated into a poorly concealed fight between two contestants, Chris and Lincoln, over who lies to Becca more.

I couldn’t help but cringe while watching this petty, worthless drama play out on the steps of our capitol building in a city that is experiencing very real, visceral conflict that is truly affecting people’s lives. Yes, it’s a fun, silly show that I’ve always described as my ‘guilty pleasure,’ but somehow the way the show positioned a “political” debate over a real-life woman within a city and a state that holds a crucial role in many upcoming elections and has, in many ways, lead the charge on the East Coast in regard to activism and accountability in Trump’s America felt utterly tone deaf and altogether uncomfortable. There was no winner in this debate.

When the episode ended, I was relieved. Both because she sent Chris home and knowing the cast, crew, and producers of The Bachelorette had gotten the hell out of my city. On to next week.

And in case you’re placing bets, my grandmother’s money is on Jason. She’s usually right.

Students March to Statehouse, Commemorating Victims Of Columbine On National School Walkout Day

David Streever | April 20, 2018

Topics: General Assembly, gun control, Justin Fairfax, Mark Herring, National School Walkout Day, public safety, Ralph Northam, State House

Roughly 200-300 people turned out for a student-organized rally on Brown’s Island today following a national school walk-out commemorating the Columbine shooting 19 years ago.

Richmond police provided a heavy presence at the rally and temporarily closed streets for a march to the state house steps, where speeches and musical performances continued before Governor Ralph Northam and Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax came out to give speeches of support.

On Brown’s Island, popular Instagram user Jessica Universe played acoustic guitar and sang an untitled song written for the event before Hermitage High School junior Sam Alburger addressed the crowd with some goals from the student movement.

“Like all of you, I’m ready for some damn common sense,” Alburger said, asking for consistent national background checks while criticizing politicians who he described as looking to score political points at the expense of addressing gun violence.

One of the many speakers that followed Alburger, Ta’Quan Grant, took up a popular theme with his fiery speech, addressing everyday gun violence from the perspective of “a public school student who grew up in Section 8 housing.” The candidate for Richmond School Board in the 7th district talked about facing regular gun violence, including a handgun he said someone pointed at him, before ending on a hopeful note. “Don’t fight for victory,” he told the crowd, because “We’ve already won. Fight like you already got it.”

Richmond Police Captain John O’Kleasky spoke with RVA Magazine to praise the students who he’s worked closely with as they planned their rally, saying, “They get an A+. We’ve been really impressed by their passion and maturity, and it’s been an honor to work with them.”

At the capital, the student speakers were joined by political leaders, including Osita Arebu, senior policy advisor to Mayor Levar Stoney. Arebu apologized for Stoney’s absence and shared his support. Like many of the speakers, she brought up common gun violence, including suicide and city shootings, and quoted Martin Luther King, Jr., on economic inequality in the cities, adding, “This is not just a gun control issue, this is a justice issue.”

The last student speaker was Carlos Brown, who gave an impressive speech with an off-the-cuff delivery-style, suggesting a bright future as a public speaker. Employing repetition to great effect, Brown talked about all the reasons he’d rather be in school today, before advocating political actions to address government inaction. “If your congressman won’t meet with you, vote them out,” he said, before listing victims of violence including Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and the students of Parkland and Columbine.

He finished his speech with a callback to his opening, saying, “I wish I was in bio class right now, because that would mean we’d be living in our dream America,” a place free of random gun violence and school shootings, where people have equality and safety.

Before Northam took the stage, Lori Haas, the Virginia state director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence shared her own story as the parent of a student who was wounded at Virginia Tech. She recounted a call from her daughter 11 years ago, remembering that she said, “Hi mommy, I’ve been shot”.”

She proposed a series of solutions involving political engagement before saying, “I know people wish this wasn’t a partisan issue, but it is.” Haas pointed to the opposition in the government to gun regulations as almost universally a Republican problem and described Virginia as having “the poorest gun laws in the country,” before asking for better tracking of weapons that have been sold.

Northam Addressing the Student Activists

Haas invited members of Virginia’s House of Delegates and State Senate to join her before introducing Northam, who she praised for taking a strong stand on background checks even as a first-time State Senator from the rural Eastern Coast of Virginia.

The governor used his address to praise the students gathered and ask when will the marches and rallies lead to real, substantial change. “How many lives will we lose to preventable gun violence until we take measures to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them?” the governor asked.

Although he said he’s been disappointed, the governor struck an optimistic note, which he credited to the students assembled, saying, “After years of politicians failing to protect our students, you are taking measures into your own hands.”

Before wrapping up his speech, Northam drew laughs with cheeky praise for the assembly. “As governor I have a responsibility to tell you to stay in school,” he said, pausing for the laughs. “But I can’t think of anything you’d be learning that’s better [than this].”

Some of the best photos of the day can be found below:

Photos by Landon Shroder

The State Of Medicinal Marijuana In Virginia

Ash Griffith | April 20, 2018

Topics: CBD, decriminalization, medical marijuana, Medicinal, Ralph Northam, THC, Virginia NORML

Ever since Gov. Ralph Northam signed HB 1251 in February, there has been a lot of contained excitement and talk in the Commonwealth. This has come from many different legislative viewpoints and policy perspectives. HB 1251 is officially a game changer, which now allows doctors to recommend cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC-A) oils to patients with a diagnosed condition or disease that could benefit from them. Yes, that’s right, oil, not the plant itself, and just recommend, not exactly decriminalized.

Even though the feedback surrounding the legislation has been mostly positive, especially since the bill was approved with a startlingly unanimous 40-0 vote, there has still been a lot of misconceptions and confusion. Despite having a Democratic governor in the office, it’s still important to know the rules to play the game, more so when it comes to marijuana legislation.

Executive Director of Virginia NORML, Jenn Michelle Pedini, is no stranger to the game, and is very quick to help correct the misconceptions people have been making since the house bill was introduced and passed. One of the largest misconceptions is that cannabis oil is now legal, which is inaccurate. Rather what was passed and expanded on was something known as an affirmative defense.

“It doesn’t make something legal,” said Pedini. “But provides a defense that is acceptable for certain possessions.” Under this model, law enforcement cannot pursue arrests for medicinal usage, but they can still arrest a person should they chose to. Does it necessarily preempt arrest? No, but should it? Absolutely. It doesn’t necessarily preempt that.”

While conversationally everyone throws around the phrase “legalized”, which isn’t completely inaccurate in that it relays certain information, it is still not correct in regards to what the actual legalities are. Out of the 30 states where medical cannabis laws are in effect, medical cannabis is only recommended, but never prescribed which is why the affirmative defense clause is in motion so that if a patient is caught transporting medicine across state lines from a reciprocity state they are less likely (but not guaranteed, interestingly) to be arrested for what is effectively drug trafficking.

So if that’s the case, how close are we to taxing and adult regulation in Virginia?

“Marijuana number one is schedule one, but even if it were on a different schedule, there are still specific restrictions on marijuana itself from the DEA,” said Pedini, when asked how marijuana scheduling works at a federal level. “Removing [it] from the controlled substances act would be helpful and allow for further testing, but the type of testing that we’re talking about is testing that would allow for the pharmaceuticalization.”

This brings up another aspect of the medicinal marijuana conversation. For anyone who has paid attention to the news in the last year, they will be firmly aware of the opioid crisis that has permeated throughout the US. It is has become so entrenched that it is even affecting how doctors are prescribing medication to their patients. Yet one of the strongest arguments in place right now for the legalization of medical marijuana is that it has the potential to mitigate some of the crisis surrounding opioid addiction.

Pedini doesn’t disagree with this defense, who said the data and research in place to support this hypothesis doesn’t lie. If anything it poses a larger question of why this has not been considered sooner.

One of the most famous compounds in marijuana, THC, halts the rapid increase of opiate receptors. Doing so allows patients who need to use opiates to use the same amount consistently, instead of steadily wanting more and more when they don’t need it. Similarly to when you’ve just had surgery and get that first morphine drip and you feel fantastic, and then four hours later you want a little more.

“It’s because of these simple biological mechanisms are why people ‘substitute’ cannabis for opiates. There was this sort of trope for a while of ‘well they’re just substituting one drug for the other,’ and ‘they just want to get high’,” said Pedini. She also talked about the perception of “moral failure” and how the idea of “swapping one out for the other” has had a detrimental impact on considering marijuana as an acceptable alternative to opioids.

In the US, there are nine states in total that tax and regulate the adult use of marijuana such as Colorado and Vermont.

Having a democratic governor such as Ralph Northam has made a positive difference in the fight for medical marijuana, and bodes well for the future of regulated adult use in Virginia; there are still many legislative hurdles ahead. Among those things is successfully implementing state-wide medical regulation and a shift in federal policy at a national level.

Pedini was also clear about this. “Virginia’s policymakers will not pass any law that remains in conflict with federal law. “You can safely assume that they’re going to require a shift in federal policy first in order to tax and regulate marijuana for adult use in the Commonwealth,” she said. When is this likely to happen? According to the experts like Pedini, probably not until the next presidential election.

Virginia continues to move forward with tiny, more progressive steps, such as electing two Democratic governors in a row in favor of marijuana reform. Movements such as passing a bill which expands the affirmative defense for possession from only intractable epilepsy to any diagnosed condition make it clearer that a future that states such as Colorado and Vermont experience may not be so far away after all.

Image By Vivienne Lee

Protesters Call Attention to Sexual Assault on the Pipeline Outside Governor’s Office

Madelyne Ashworth | March 9, 2018

Topics: AG Mark Herring, Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Governor Northam, Mountain Valley Pipeline, pipeline protests, Ralph Northam

In a continuation of weekly protests outside Gov. Ralph Northam and the Attorneys General’s offices, about 10 anti-pipeline protesters gathered Wednesday morning to voice concerns over the possible increased sexual violence toward women during the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP).

The group, organized by local advocates Stacy Lovelace and Jessica Sims, delivered a series of letters both to Gov. Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring, including their concerns over an increase of male pipeline construction workers.

“The first impact that would disproportionately affect women would be the arrival of ‘man camps’ in the areas,” Lovelace said. “The vast majority are male workers. They work 12-hour days, they’re socially isolated, and they end up becoming centers for these men to start sex trafficking. Violence and rape go up, violence against women increases, and this has predominantly affected Native women and girls up to this point. These are the camps that will be coming to Virginia.”

Writers and feminists like Gloria Steinem have written editorials for several publications, including The Boston Globe, citing an increase of sexual violence and sex trafficking due to the large concentration of isolated male pipeline construction workers along these paths.

These workers live in temporary trailer parks often in abandoned or rural areas. Housing is not provided by the companies, and workers are instead charged a monthly rent in addition to the cost of parking the mobile home. Money is tight, which leads to less than ideal living conditions, which according to Vice, contributes to the increased sexual violence. Working conditions are also poor, as the likelihood of death increases seven times when working with oil rigs or natural gas.

The correlation between increased rape and oil fields became so pertinent, the Department of Justice began soliciting grant research in August of 2016 to study the impact. In a statement, the Department of Justice theorized, “oil industry camps may be impacting domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the direct and surrounding communities in which they reside.”

Protesters outside the Governor’s Office

When construction work occurred in the Bakken oil fields, local victim advocates from the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations reported a doubling in the number of hotline calls to victim-service providers for sexual assault, sex trafficking, and domestic violence. Virginia advocates like Lovelace and Sims fear this type of violence may come to the counties along the ACP and MVP.

“Northam ran his campaign claiming to be a strong advocate for women’s rights,” Sims said. “This is a way for him to prove that. He is a doctor and his oath, ‘to do no harm,’ needs to sway his decision and his understanding that this [pipeline] is immediately doing harm.”

Sims said the women plan to continue holding these protests every Wednesday until “the pipeline project is shut down.”