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OP-ED: Help Not Death; Marcus-David Peters And The American Mental Health Crisis

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It’s been five months since Marcus-David Peters was gunned down on Interstate 95/64.

Richmond officer Michael Nyantakyi shot Peters twice, after his taser failed to subdue Peters. The entire event came to an end in only 18 seconds. In August, it was ruled that Peters’ death was justifiable homicide. The past few months have not been easy for Peters’ family, nor for those in the community who believe his death was an injustice.

I want to start my commentary by saying that I don’t know. I don’t know what I would have done if I was in Officer Nyantakyi’s shoes. We all like to imagine our own actions in the scenario, but we don’t have the answers, and I’m not a police officer. But I do know that in 18 seconds, a young man’s life was over, and he needed help — not death.

“Help not death” has been the rallying cry of Peters’ family. Peters’ sister, Princess Blanding, has been at the forefront of protests demanding justice for her brother’s death.

There are many shades of gray when we look at this situation, and it’s important to note that the case isn’t black and white — literally. Peters was black; Officer Nyantakyi is black too. But in a  system of law that perpetuates racism and white supremacy, this is still an issue of police brutality.

Mappingpoliceviolence.org shows that 852 people have been killed so far in 2018. In 2017, police killed 1,147 people. Black people made up 25 percent of those killed, despite representing only 13 percent of the population. Less than one percent of officers were charged with a crime.

Last month, Chicago officer Jason Van Dyke was finally convicted of second-degree murder, over four years after fatally shooting 17-year old Laquan McDonald. Timothy Loehmann, who gunned down 12-year-old Tamir Rice, was hired afterward by a police department in rural Ohio. The juxtaposition of these two events show the rarity of cops being held accountable for their actions.

Black people are statistically more likely to be killed by cops than any other race, and the reasons behind this epidemic have deep roots. They stem from a system of oppression that has spanned hundreds of years, and continues to disproportionately affect black citizens.

When a black person encounters the police, they’re often not given the same benefit of the doubt a white person would. Many cases have shown that under similar circumstances to those in which black citizens are killed, white suspects are spared their lives.

For example:

  • Nikolas Cruz, who murdered 19 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last February, was arrested without incident.
  • Dylann Roof was brought into police custody, without any fuss, after murdering nine innocent black churchgoers during a prayer service.
  • Lance Tamayo pointed his pistol at police officers and children in a park. It took the police over an hour to get Tamayo to put his gun down. Officers eventually shot him, but not lethally — and he was given only a three-month sentence.
  • 19-year-old Austin Harrouff killed two strangers, and was found by police biting the face of one of his victims. Police used stun guns and a dog to try and subdue him. When those methods didn’t work, they physically pulled Harrouff off the victim.

In all of these situations, and many more, white people were subdued by police while committing dangerous crimes. Instead of resorting immediately to fatal weapons, officers tried alternative methods to spare the suspects’ lives.

In body cam footage from officers on the scene, Peters is heard saying, “I’m going to fucking kill you” to Officer Nyantakyi — and while Nyantakyi rightfully felt his life was in danger, I still have to wonder why Peters was killed when confronted with similar (and greater) threats by white citizens, police have repeatedly found ways to let them walk away with their lives.

Consider the case of Joseph Houseman, an open-carry advocate, compared with Richmond’s Marcus-David Peters.

During his encounter, Houseman said to police, “I can threaten you. I can threaten your family. I didn’t threaten your family, I said I could.”

The confrontations were similar — both raising threats to law enforcement — but the outcomes for these white and black citizens were not. Houseman failed to comply with officers, and refused a breathalyzer test. Houseman was armed, and threatened officers; he was disarmed, then let go, with his gun returned. Peters was both unarmed and naked, and threatened officers; he was killed on the spot.

Then there’s mental health, cited by families of victims in many cases. In a Washington Post study, it was found that in the first half of 2015, 25 percent of people killed by police were identified as mentally ill.

While the media tends to label white killers as lone wolves with mental health problems, black and brown people’s mental health isn’t brought into the picture. More than 16 percent of the black population has a diagnosable mental illness. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), black folks are 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems.

But America isn’t talking about mental health in the black community. In cases like that of Somali-American Shukri Ali Said, reaching out for help can actually cost their lives: when Ali Said’s parents called the police seeking help for their daughter, she was shot and killed by Georgia officers.

In Virginia, police are offered crisis intervention team (CIT) training, which was designed to give officers tools and information for encountering, dealing with, and helping citizens with mental illnesses. But to be helpful, the police have to actually join the program: As recent as this July, only about 65 percent of Richmond’s officers have chosen to participate (or 490 officers, out of the city’s total 750).

While officers deal with mental health, they are not trained therapists or psychiatrists — but how can they be expected to de-escalate these situations when CIT training is only an option, not a requirement?

Marcus-David Peters was not given a means to obtain help; instead, the first solution police attempted was his death. This was not just “a tragic situation for all parties,” and it shouldn’t be buried along with Peters. It’s time to consider police interactions with people of color, and the implications when mental illness is also involved.

De-escalation and diversity training is not enough. These systems that are killing our citizens need to be confronted before they can be changed.

The Justice and Reformation For Marcus-David Peters movement is proposing the creation of a “Marcus Alert,” to call on mental health professionals as first responders when community members are in crisis. This idea could shape the future of policing, and potentially save lives — the state of things isn’t changing until measures are put in place to start. These structures go back to slave patrols in the 1700’s, and Americans should not forget that the South’s police force was born from slavery preservation. Richmond created its first full-time police force after Gabriel Prosser led a slave uprising in 1800.

Looking into the origins of policing is imperative for change to happen: From Emmett Till, to Trayvon Martin, to Michael Brown, to Eric Garner, to Sandra Bland, to Tamir Rice, to Philando Castile, to Marcus-David Peters.

It’s easy to sweep these instances under the rug. It’s easy to turn a blind eye when it doesn’t affect you personally. It’s easy to dehumanize a stranger — especially when they’re in a cemetery, and can’t defend themselves in court. It’s easy to view the black body as a symbol of threat in a society that has pushed it as such since long before racist 1915 film The Birth of a Nation was screened in the Woodrow Wilson White House.

I’m not pointing fingers or jumping to conclusions without citing facts. I’m asking for empathy towards the black experience — something non-black people will never be able to know firsthand.

I’m asking people to consider that when black people are staring down the barrel of a gun with a cop on the other end, they aren’t given the benefit of the doubt. I’m asking them to ask why we justify the deaths of black children armed with toy guns, like 12-year-old Tamir Rice, but don’t think twice when white children are taught to shoot real weapons at the same age.

I’m asking them to consider why it was that convicted rapist Brock Turner was referred to as “a former Stanford student and star swimmer,” while Trayvon Martin’s high school suspensions were used as justification for his murder.

I’m asking them to realize that black people can no longer “comply” and “follow the rules” when white people are calling the police and having us shot in our own homes. I’m asking them to understand that race-based traumatic stress is real, and that, while black people do persevere and conquer, we’re still out here dying.

This is bigger than one black life lost at the hands of police brutality.

Note: Op-Eds are contributions from guest writers and do not reflect RVA Magazine editorial policy.

Top Image by Lindsay Eastham

Marcus-David Peters Shooting Declared an “Act of Justifiable Homicide” by Commonwealth Attorney

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In a report released Friday morning, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring said he will not pursue criminal charges against the officer who shot and killed Marcus-David Peters on I-95 on May 14.

Herring described the event as “an act of justifiable homicide,” and said the use of force was “reasonable and necessary” given the unusual circumstances of the event.

Richmond Police Department also announced today in a press release that the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office completed their portion of the investigation of the Peters shooting, who was shot after allegedly showing signs of mental instability. The investigation now must be completed by RPD Internal Affairs using the report submitted by the Department-generated Force Investigation Team (FIT).

“The review of this incident by Commonwealth Attorney Michael Herring and his staff is a critical phase in the criminal investigation of this incident,” said RPD Chief Durham in a press release. “I appreciate the thorough efforts of Mr. Herring and his staff and we respect the decision they have made. This incident will forever remain a tragedy for all those involved.”

Peters, 24, was naked and unarmed during the incident, but charged the officer, who deployed his taser gun. After the taser proved ineffective and Peters threatened to kill him, Richmond Officer Michael Nyantakyi pulled his weapon. Peters died early the next morning.

“Mr. Peters’ altered mental state, his nudity and the fact that he was unarmed are all mitigating factors,” reads the Commonwealth Attorney’s report, co-written by Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney LaToya H. Croxton. “However, there should be little question that the officer reasonably feared that Mr. Peters’ aggression and apparent insensitivity to pain foreclosed lesser interventions and therefore constituted an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.”

This decision comes after months of activism from citizens and community leaders, spearheaded by Peters’ sister, Princess Blanding, who had no faith Herring would “make the right decision, which is to charge the officer.” She and other activists argue that Peters needed “help, not death.” Peters was a high school biology teacher who hoped to dedicate his life to youth in need.

His autopsy report found Ritalin present in Peters’ system, a drug commonly used for ADHD and narcolepsy. Peters did not have a prescription for the drug.

Officer Nyantaki has been on administrative leave since the shooting, but will now be placed on administrative assignment in non-public contact position until the investigation is complete.  

No Real Solution In Sight for Violence in Shockoe Bottom

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Violence continues to disrupt Shockoe Bottom businesses as two shootings, an armed robbery and a street shooting, both occurred within four days of each other between the 1800 and 1700 blocks of Main Street.

Six people were injured during the armed robbery at Liquid Café in Shockoe Bottom this past Saturday morning, shortly after 5 a.m. A street shooting took place outside Plush Restaurant and Lounge the previous Wednesday, wounding three and resulting in the arrest of 25-year-old Darroll G. Allen of Chesterfield County.

The man was said to have been kicked out of the club, later returning with a firearm and injuring one of the bouncers at the club. He was charged with felony malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, but the two suspects involved in Saturday’s armed robbery remain unidentified. None of the injuries from either incident were considered life-threatening.

“I am certain that we can all agree that this increasing gun violence in Shockoe Bottom is unacceptable. This cannot be the norm,” said RPD Chief Alfred Durham in a statement after the shooting. “Someone knows the perpetrators of this crime and we need the public’s help. We need people to call us when they hear or see something. We are already working with several stakeholders in the Shockoe Bottom community and we will continue to develop public safety strategies to reduce violence and bring a sense of calm to the area.”

Image may contain: 2 people, outdoor

According to Department Spokesman Gene Lepley, these strategies will include increased police presence on weekends and potential road closures to allow for pedestrian-only walking areas in particularly busy street sections, such as the 1800 block of Main Street.

Liquid Café is not active in the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association. Virginia ABC Spokeswoman Dawn Eischan said both Plush and Liquid Café are under investigation, and Virginia ABC is working with Richmond Police. Plush’s wine and beer license is suspended until further notice, and their liquor license has been revoked.

“Virginia ABC believes that there is a continued threat to public safety at this establishment and these actions are necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public,” said Eischan.

Local business owner William “Mac” McCormack is relieved after learning Virginia ABC’s decision, as he and several other business owners in the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association have contested the licenses of several Shockoe Bottom clubs in the past.

“We felt [these clubs’] level of promotion was not conducive to the neighborhood,” said McCormack. “No matter how much effort we made with the ABC Board, they were still granted the license. They’ve had a continuation of violence the last couple years. It drives me a little bananas as a business owner because we’ve been trying to prevent these types of nightclubs from opening because there’s this kind of violence that happens outside of them.”

McCormack is particularly frustrated with the response from the City of Richmond as well as RPD over the past eight years, as their reactions to violence have been to increase police presence and introduce road blockades rather than rezone, revoke business licenses, or decrease maximum occupancy limits in nightclubs. According to McCormack, preventing access to local business caused by the blockades have directly affected his sales. Total sales over his 21 years of businesses average $650,000 to $700,000 per year, yet after introducing blockades, sales dropped to $62,000 in one year.

He hopes that in the future, all Shockoe Bottom businesses will focus on their local community and take responsibility for the neighborhood around them.

“As a neighborhood, we are working hard on trying to make some changes but we’ve been trying to make these changes for eight years,” McCormack said. “The city’s answer is to obstruct our businesses with blockades, and I don’t know if that’s a good answer.”

However, the owner of Plush nightclub, Juan Wilson, feels he’s being unfairly targeted.

“I’m big on accountability. If something were to happen in my venue, it’s a different story, but when something happens on the city streets or sidewalk, we have no control over that,” Wilson told WTVR in a recent interview.

The Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association held a meeting earlier this week with business owners, but according to WTVR, Wilson said he was not invited to the meeting.

Can Restorative Justice Help Fix a Damaged System?

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In the wake of the shooting of Marcus-David Peters, who was shot and killed by a Richmond Police Officer on I-95 after appearing unstable, demands from community organizers and local citizens have introduced the notion of using restorative justice within law enforcement reformation.

These demands have forced RPD (Richmond Police Department) and Richmonders alike to ask what type of reformation do we need, and how would restorative justice help ease complicated situations between law enforcement, victims, and even criminals. Princess Blanding, Peters’ sister, said she is calling for reformation within the Richmond Police Department after the death of her brother.

“The Richmond Police Department needs to take accountability and ownership in regards to what happens and acknowledge that things went wrong, so we can move forward in preventing this from happening again,” Blanding said.

Protest for Justice for Marcus-David Peters

Blanding and other activists hosted a community meeting at Second Baptist Church on June 30 to discuss these reformations. They had publicly and personally invited Chief Alfred Durham and Mayor Levar Stoney to the meeting, but neither appeared.

Blanding said Stoney contacted the family on the day of the meeting to say he would not be able to attend, but is keeping the Peters family in his thoughts and prayers. Stoney’s press office said in an email that the mayor would consider engaging with the family at the appropriate time, but he is not able to talk about the investigation until it is completed.

Blanding said she received no response from Durham; however, Durham said he would hold a community meeting about the investigation, once the case is handed over to the Commonwealth Attorney. Blanding said the invitation requested both Durham and Stoney to attend the meeting in order to listen to community concerns, but were never asked to speak.

Daniel Foxvog, executive director of The Virginia Center for Restorative Justice (VCRJ), said it is critical that the victims’ needs are recognized in any instance of harm.

Restorative justice is a term that has appeared more often in Richmond, but is a relatively unknown practice within the criminal justice system. Since its creation in the 1970’s, the field has been an alternative approach to the court system, but has only recently been pushed into the widespread narrative of criminal reform. VCRJ has worked to provide this alternative approach for juveniles, especially.

Judy Clarke, founder and immediate past executive director of the Virginia Center for Restorative Justice, said the center focuses on training volunteers to become restorative justice facilitators. The volunteers work to receive statewide security clearance through the Virginia Department of Corrections and Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice.

The center also organizes ‘circle processes’ and restorative justice conferences. The ‘circles’ and conferences are where the major rehabilitation happens–they are conversations between offenders, victims and their communities about the impact the offender’s crime had on all parties involved.

Foxvog said there are two key principles to understanding the most effective form of restorative justice: addressing harm and the need and obligations following that harm. Foxvog said that crime, and other types of violence, creates harm that victims and offenders should be discussing to address the harm’s impact.  

“When someone is burglarized or hurt there are needs that result in that, needs of the victim, the direct victim, the person who has lost property or suffered physical damage,” Foxvog said. “There’s also the needs for the community, for safety, for well-being, for trust, for being able to have senses of wholeness.”

Chief Durham

The offender has needs as well, Foxvog said, that could have contributed to the crime committed. Restorative justice works with each party to reconcile conflict and built a new sense of healing, trust, and penitence. The ideal outcome of restorative justice is that the offender never commits crime again.

Clarke said the center is in four Virginia State Prisons: three female adult prisons and one male prison. The center also has a diversion program for juvenile offenders, which helps juvenile offenders create solutions for their actions rather than go to jail by offering counseling resources.

VCRJ connects with cases on a referral basis. Referrals usually come from an intake or probation officer, either before or after a decision has been made in court. The center first sends a letter to the victim and the offender, then meets with victims who respond to the letter and listen to their needs and priorities. Next, they meet with the offender to gather their version of events, what led them to commit the crime, and the impact the crime had on them. Oftentimes, the offender has already admitted guilt.  One of the last steps is to join both parties.

While the center has been recognized in juvenile courts, they are not recognized in civil or district courts, meaning alternatives to jail provided for juveniles through the center are not currently available to adults. Clarke has requested that Foxvog, who became executive director on July 1, pursue getting recognized in those courts with Mike Herring, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney. They hope that in future, methods like restorative justice can be used to remedy some of the pain and confusion both for offenders and victims, like those in the Marcus-David Peters case.

“I would also say that for police departments and law enforcement agencies being able to have a relationship of trust with the communities is very critical,” Foxvog said. “It’s critical for them to be able to function and it’s critical for the communities themselves to be able to trust the police departments, and officers, and for everyone to be able to be treated with respect.”

Foxvog and Clarke rely on volunteers to make the center work. The center offers training and opportunities for volunteers to participate in conferences and jail programs in individual areas.

RPD to Release Body-Cam Footage of Marcus-David Peters Shooting

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*This is a developing story. 

The Richmond Police Department (RPD) announced yesterday that it will release the “body-worn” footage of the officer-involved shooting last Monday, which ended in the death of school teacher, Marcus-David Peters. A press release issued by the RPD said, “Continuing its commitment to transparency, the Richmond Police Department plans to release the body-worn camera video of the police-involved shooting last Monday. Chief Alfred Durham has offered the first opportunity to show the video to the family of Marcus-David Peters.”

According to the statement, the footage will be released once the family of Peters has had a chance to view it. “My primary concern during this difficult time has been for the family and for my officer,” said Chief Durham in the release, going on to say the family remains “greatly affected” by the “tragic loss of life.”

The RPD has said that the footage will be made available to the public during a press conference once the family has had a chance to view it. Subsequently, they have also announced that the department will review their training “covering the use of deadly force.” The press release also alluded to the fact that the video will help clear up any misinformation surrounding the case and that “the facts are what should matter”.

Durham finished by saying, “The Richmond Police Department has worked hard to develop trust with the community…I hope that by releasing this video we can maintain that positive relationship.”

RPD Press Release

Photo by City of Richmond

Richmond After Hours: Riding with the Richmond Police Department

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Richmond After Hours: The Police 

What goes on when the rest of Richmond hunkers down? By shadowing late-night shifts in the shadows of late nights, we learn a little more about what makes this city tick.

Series 1: Richmond Police in Shockoe Bottom 

11:00pm

Uber drivers block the road intermittently as bar-goers flood the streets, headed to their next destination while avoiding the looming storms that the warm summer night promises to bring.

I hop in an unmarked Chevy Impala at the corner of East Cary and South 15th streets, right in the heart of Shockoe Bottom, not really knowing what to expect. It’s late, but the Richmond Police Department (RPD) has already been monitoring these streets for two hours, and we’ve got at least another four ahead of us.

Riding with the Richmond Police Department

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For the past 4 years, every Friday and Saturday night, Lt. Erlan Marshall and Detective Amos Jones have managed the 10th to 19th street blocks of The Bottom in downtown Richmond.

The Bottom is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods – lying just east of downtown and hugging the James River’s most distinctive bend. It’s no surprise that this area – easily walkable and chock-full of bars, nightclubs, and restaurants – is a weekend destination for Richmonder’s looking to socialize, drink and explore downtown. With those types of venues, the neighborhood has seen ebbs and flows of crime and violence over the years.

Lt. Erian Marshall and Detective Amos Jones

Patrolling these late-night pedestrian-packed streets started as an overtime gig for one of the officers – promising a bit of extra cash for extra hours worked – but turned into a mission of sorts for these veterans of the RPD.

“Sometimes you start doing things maybe because you need some extra money or something like that, but then once you get into it, you start really enjoying what you do,” said Marshall.

Marshall has worked in the RPD for 20 years, moving through various positions before settling with a spot in the Special Operations Division, which also specializes in the management of major events. Jones, a Detective in Personnel, has dedicated over 25 years to the RPD.

“There were officers [in the Bottom] before I started coming down here four years ago, but when I started, I began doing things a little bit differently,” said Marshall. “We like what we get out of it. We like the results we’ve seen. This is one of those things that evolved into something really important. It is a big need right now because as soon as one incident happens, we get a lot of kickback from surrounding communities.”

And the kickback has been strong recently. More so, after a triple shooting and homicide on the 1800 block of East Main Street on June 18 near the Farmer’s Market. Shortly before 3 am, officers were called to the area for a report of two persons who had sustained gunshot wounds. While units were on the scene, a second call was received for a third victim, who was tragically pronounced dead at the hospital sometime later.

The incident marked the first murder investigation in Shockoe Bottom since 2011.“There was a big uproar from the local business community,” said Marshall.

As we looped around the 17th Street Farmer’s Market, Marshall pulled over to fix a sign that had been misplaced. The area is blocked off for a $3 million renovation that is currently underway, with plans to reopen the central part of the market as an open-air pedestrian plaza.

Marshall, taking a step back to survey the sign once more, went on to explain, “We had a lot of noise to respond to. We’ve been looking at the way things have happened and the cause of incidents happening…sometimes things happen that we cannot prevent.”

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12:30am

“Tonight seems slow to me – what about to you?” Marshall asked Jones as we walked down an alleyway and turned into the street. The pair stopped every few feet to check-in with the on-duty officers at each bar, shake hands with the club owners, and greet local residents on the street. Although they gather in this area for different reasons, they’re all regulars.

“This is the action area. This is where you’ll find things happening,” said Jones.

Historically speaking, Shockoe Bottom has been unfortunately stereotyped as an area strewn with violent crime. However, in more recent years, most of the activity Marshall sees around the bars is negligible; amounting to drunk in public charges, cars that need to be towed, and resolving misconstrued arguments.

“There used to be quite a lot of violence down here,” said Marshall. “Now it stays pretty quiet as far as violence goes. We can’t say in the last four years that we’ve had any major experiences.”

In order to deter violent activity, the RPD began to place extra officers in the area. Each weekend night, there are overtime shifts available – 11 on this night – for officers who would like to volunteer. Some nights are lower staffed than others, but Marshall claims there is a strong following of officers willing to step up.

“Public safety is the main concern down here; we try to make sure everyone gets home safe. For the last several years, it has been working, crime has kept decreasing,” he said.

It’s now pushing 1 am on a mid-summer Friday, and the most ‘action’ we’ve seen is a group of drunk college kids screaming at each other, a distressed friend of a friend who got kicked out of a bar, and a few illegally parked cars. It’s the dead part of the night–the part of the night when people stop going to bars, but haven’t started leaving the bars. Because of this, some of the streets are nearing an unexpected silence and causing an uncanny feeling of mystery; this is Richmond after hours.

Checking in with Bars and Clubs at the Bottom

That silence might offer some modicum of progress at least down at the Bottom. Yet Richmond is still experiencing an uptick in crime, which has been heavily reported on in recent months. There were 61 homicides in the city of Richmond in 2016. And as reported as early as February, in the first 36 days of 2017 violent crime was up 25 percent.

1:30am

Last call, and closing time. People begin to meander out of the bars in the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Main Street. If they don’t leave now, they’ll be kicked out soon. It’s still quiet though – with the exception of a few squealing girls who are running by to escape the summer rainstorm. They are followed by a group of people crowding around a wing place for a late-night snack.

“Apparently these places down here do more business per hour in the last two hours than any other time,” said Marshall as he points to competing corners boasting a wing and pizza place. “They make all their money at night.”

Most of those customers make short business of their search for food, because the streets are starting to shut down.

As a part of the initiative to decrease the potential for violence, the officers working under Marshall begin blocking the streets surrounding some of the more popular bars. Westbound traffic and northbound traffic are blocked, and traffic is forced eastbound towards Dock Street and out of the Bottom. It’s an orchestrated process – with all moving parts (eight police cars to be exact) working together to get the job done seamlessly.

As for the area’s previous reputation for violence, Marshall specifically refers to the “cruising” trend. This consisted of cars riding aimlessly through the busy areas of town, which the Shockoe Bottom structure and culture seemed to incubate for several years in the late 90s and early 2000s when the area was even more robust with business and late-night activity.

“These days, we are having more violent crime problems in the government housing areas. That’s mainly where you see the crime rates increasing and that’s what contributes to those city-wide numbers people hear about,” said Marshall.

This is reflected in the city’s crime statistics. According to the Richmond Times Dispatch homicide database there have been another 61 homicides in Richmond since January this year, forcing the city to acknowledge new solutions and initiatives are needed to reduce crime.

“Downtown is really a melting pot of people, and a lot of times, all of those people don’t understand the things we prevent,” added Jones.

2:30am

Marshall shows no signs of fatigue- even as he mentions that he will be up again in a few short hours to work the Richmond Jazz Fest in the morning. “This my norm,” he said. “I’m used to it.”

Although these late hours are “normal” to him, the majority of Marshall’s time is spent in his daily assignment. In the Special Operations Division, violent crime is not a daily occurrence. Marshall’s day-to-day team in the RPD works traffic, motorcycles, horses, the K9 units, the aviation unit and the homeland security unit.

As the tactical Lieutenant, Marshall specializes in the K9 and Aviation units. This means managing protests, official visits by political figures, and other special events. Given the nationwide political and racial controversies that have arisen in the past few years (most notably in law enforcement and police culture), Marshall has witnessed the conversation first-hand and has watched change occur.

End of the Night

“We have not had many of the problems you see throughout the rest of the nation. We have specific training that deals with different cultures, but I think it mostly has to do with our general training,” said Marshall. “Most of the crime we see here in Richmond is in predominantly black areas, so we’ve had a lot of exposure to dealing with problems of race and similar concerns.”

Still, Richmond is the former Capital of the Confederacy – a city in the national conversation because of monuments and affordable housing shortages – so those issues cannot be ignored. As Police Officers and African American residents of the area, Marshall and Jones said they are fully aware of that, but that does not deter them from continuing to follow their mission to make Richmond a safer place for everyone.

“In this job, we just want to be sure that everyone has a good time and gets home safe; we’re here to keep the peace. Any night could be a very active night or a very quiet night. To make it simple, I’ll quote Forrest Gump: ‘It’s like a box of chocolates.’”

*Photos by Leslie McCrea