RVA Mag

Richmond, VA Culture & Politics Since 2005

Menu

Social Distortion’s Mike Ness Fights Trump Supporter at Concert

|

Topics: , , , , , , ,

Video has just surfaced of Mike Ness, legendary frontman of California punk band Social Distortion, taking swings at a concertgoer over an on-stage disagreement about politics last month at the Ace of Spades club in Sacramento, California. The clip shows 56-year-old Ness making aggressive hand gestures towards someone in the audience before taking off his guitar and jumping into the crowd.

The man allegedly assaulted by Ness, Tim Hildebrand, claimed he suffered two black eyes, a busted lip, and a concussion. Reports also have Ness spitting in the direction of the man before the beating took place.

According to CBS 13, the fight was due to Hildebrand heckling the singer after he made some disparaging comments about President Trump at the show. Telling the network affiliate, Hildebrand said, “I pretty much said, I pay for your music, not your politics.” He also told reporters that he stood in silent protest for two songs with his middle finger held high.

Once jumping into the crowd, the video shows Ness throwing some blows while being egged on by the audience. At one point, a concertgoer yelled, “Fuck yeah, Mike.” Hildebrand is a Republican and a farmer from the nearby town of Galt. The Daily Mail has reported that after the scuffle, he was escorted out by police where a report was filed. James Mauldin, who was interviewed by CBS 13, said the incident was “…a little bit excessive.” The band at this time has not commented on the incident.

Punk’s not dead.

 

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

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

White Supremacists at Unite the Right

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.

Counter-Protestors in Richmond

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.

Abigail Spanberger

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.

Comedy in the Era of Trump: A Chat With David Cross

|

Topics: , , , , ,

Stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director – the list of David Cross’ talents are near endless. He’s done it all, from entertaining on stage with his unique brand of political comedy, to small screen portrayals of iconic characters like Tobias Fünke in the Emmy-award winning TV series Arrested Development. On the big screen, he’s recently been in Spielberg’s newest biopic, The Post, and appeared in his own independent film, Hits, which he wrote and directed.

Stand-up, however, is where Cross truly shines, and in this political climate, his humor and cynical observations are needed now more than ever. RVA Mag had the chance to catch up with Cross ahead of his show in Richmond next month as part of his “Oh Come On Tour,” his first since his 2016 tour, “Making America Great Again.“ Make sure t0 catch Cross at the Dominion Energy Center on Saturday, August 4.

This article originally appeared in RVA #33 Summer 2018, you can check out the issue here, or pick it up around Richmond now. 

RVA Mag: You’re coming back to the capital of the Confederacy. We’re looking at a statue of Jefferson Davis from our office window — how does that feel?

Cross: I [was excited to] come back and eat at that deli….please help me out with that. Perly’s? Oh man, it was the best. You are never really in a place for too long, if you can squeeze out two meals you are lucky.

RVA Mag: Has your comedy changed in the era of Trump?

Cross: You can’t craft a lot of bits about something Trump said or did because every outrageous moment is replaced by an increasingly outrageous moment within hours or days.  My take has been to talk less about him, and more about his fans and the people who love him.

I try not to do anything too specific and timely because two weeks later, I have to drop the bit.

RVA Mag: Is it harder to tell jokes?

Cross: I think comedy is harder in the overall sense that the helplessness and loss of feeling of any kind of anchor to normalcy, reality, or to what America was up until a couple years ago, has altered our ability to focus and enjoy things the way we did prior to that. There is a lot of stuff you can joke about that feels almost irresponsible and dismissive; like ‘why are you focusing on that’ because these awful things are happening to innocent people.

People are understandably upset, and feel that they are treading water trying to get air, asking, “What’s happening?” It is one horrifying thing after another – if you care about people other than yourselves. I should qualify this: If you are concerned with other groups of people, other than straight white Christians, then you are going to be upset. If not, things are going great.

Cross performing on his Oh Come On Tour. Photo Courtesy of Just For Laughs

RVA Mag: What’s a coping mechanism in this political climate?

Weed is the first answer. I don’t know how you cope with it. You try to fight it.

Cross: Do you worry that mocking Trump voters emboldens them?

I wouldn’t say I worry about it, but I am aware that that might be a response to what I am doing. But also, that ship has sailed a long, long, long time ago. I find this idea that gets picked up and pushed around as not having as much weight as the people that come up with those ideas [think]- this sounds like a David Brooks idea!

The things I’m saying or feeling, I would not pull back on or edit myself because I thought, “Oh no, what if I make Dan and Margaret from Bloomington upset.” I am not going to be the one that pushes them over the edge.

RVA Mag: On the flip side: Are you finding it challenging to play to a young liberal audience?

Cross: That is 100 percent true. I have experienced this on my last tour. One of the worst shows I had in a place I am not going back to was in Northampton, Massachusetts, which is a very liberal town. I have always had problems, even when I was opening for headliners and no one knew who I was. I really grew as a comic in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is also very liberal, and I go to San Francisco, and always had problems with that very attitude you are talking about, where you say a word and they just shut down.

They don’t listen to the bit, they don’t listen to what the context is; they just heard the word, concept, or phrase and then shut you down by saying you are a racist, homophobic, you are whatever they want to apply. It is definitely a much stronger presence now than there ever was.

How do I reconcile it? I don’t, really. I do my stuff. Most people, by far, 90 percent of people get the context. Funny is subjective, I can’t fault someone for going “that’s not funny.” But if they think it is offensive or shouldn’t be said, there are tons of stuff you can look at and cherry pick and say, “You said this word or you said that thing, and I don’t like the joke.”

RVA Mag: You’re headed for Europe on this tour. How does it feel to be an American ambassador in the era of Trump?

Cross: I went to Europe on the last tour, and we are very alien to them. Most people really like America and like Americans, but they are just perplexed and head-scratching. [They wonder], “You have most of the money in the world, but have one of the highest illiteracy and teen pregnancy rates; you allow automatic rifles to be sold to people who shoot people up and kill children and don’t do anything about it. You work really hard and don’t make that much money and you aren’t happy.”

[Europeans] are right. They’re like, “We don’t have the money you have, but we’re happy with our lives.” They have universal healthcare, no one goes broke if they get sick. They have three months of maternity leave, and are unionized, and have six times the vacation days as Americans. They get a month off with their families.

RVA Mag: Do Europeans understand the redneck character you sometimes play?

Cross: I think they see it as a caricature that is pretty common. It is an easily gettable person.

Interview By: Landon Shroder and David Streever. Photos by Daniel Bergeron

Election Watch 2018: Meet Richmond’s Newest Political Analyst

|

Topics: , ,

On election night, while many are concerned with their choice of diviest bar, Chaz Nuttycombe goes through his Snapchat, reminding everyone to vote. He isn’t concerned with their choice, he checks his bias at the start of every snap. He raises awareness for voting, the one right Chaz feels is vital to a sustainable legislative process.

“I communicate with people more with Twitter and Snapchat than I do with text.” he said. “I think social media is the new frontier for engaging with young people.”

Nineteen and fresh out of highschool, this Montpelier teenager is the quintessential millennial at face value: young, active on social media, plays video games. But this millennial has an interesting passion–one that will bring Chaz on with RVA Magazine as a new featured columnist in time for upcoming midterm elections.

Rather than Instagramming or chasing love, Chaz spends his free time running political data analysis with profound accuracy. Chaz represents a new movement in the millennial generation: They don’t wait to be invited to the grown-up table, but take initiative in representing the communities we live in and replace patience with initiative. “With the energy the president has, I feel like as a progressive, you have to have the right energy to fight back,” he said.

As a Hanover County resident, Chaz grew up in a conservative atmosphere with many of his friends and family holding conservative views. He first took notice of these political leanings at 13 during the 2012 presidential election. “I think it’s a little bit weird to be a conservative millennial,” he said. “When you look at the Republican party’s platform, I think that conservative millennials are not driven by policy, but rather being unique. Most millennials are Democratic, so I feel young conservatives are concerned with being an edgy counter-culture type. They’re like hipsters, pretty much. I’ve never had a fluid debate with a conservative young person, they don’t care about economics or medicare. They just like sticking it to the libs and the culture.”

Despite their difference on politics, Chaz said his dad, an ardent conservative and Virginia Tech alumni, has been very supportive of his civic activism. “Back when I couldn’t even drive, my dad would take me to the events,” he said. “They’re glad I’m going out and being active. I think that’s something our youth today definitely need to do more of. [My dad] agrees with me on gun control issues.”

Only recently jumping into the political arena after Trump’s inauguration in 2016, Chaz has been involved with several state legislative campaigns as democratic pundit, helping campaigns through his political predictions. He joined Tom Perriello’s campaign in 2017, where he flourished as a sociable, data-savvy activist. Fast forward to 2017, when he began looking at predictions from Trump and Clinton’s campaigns within their margin of victory. It turned into fascination.

Although Perriello lost the race, Chaz gained a strong interest in political data, following sites like Flippable and Decision Desk. His predictions outperformed those of organizations like Cook Political and Daily Kos, though he humbly says this was simply a home field advantage. “I know the state politics pretty well,” he said.  “I’m pretty good at predicting what swings right now, in the Trump Era.”

Where are they swinging? “All left, on all levels, especially here in Virginia.” And according to Chaz’s districts, he’s not too far off. For Chaz, reputation and accuracy is everything. “My political views don’t factor into my ratings.” he said. “I’m clearly aware where Democrats do well and where they don’t, but I’m able to seperate my biases from my analyses.”

But Chaz isn’t unwilling to listen to multiple points of view. Del. Buddy Fowler, a hardcore conservative and Chaz’ current representative, sat down with him and sought middle ground on local issues. “I feel like that’s something we need more of in this country, to at least be able to start a conversation and find common ground,” he said.

As an activist, Chaz works with state and local campaigns (such as Tim Kaine’s) covering counties in Hanover, Henrico, and Goochland as a Democratic pundit on the front lines and on Twitter. “In order to be able to do my job well as a pundit, I always need to be out there where the politics are,” he said.

And he’s not even that good at math. “Just political math,” Chaz said, emphasizing that aside from a baseline background in math, it’s all about proper research. “I look at past statewide results, past district level results, county precincts, candidate quality, money raised, national party targeting–you’ve got to get as much information as you can.”

Chaz says he’s not savvy enough to predict his own formula, but instead ditches the chalkboard and janitor routine to utilize the ‘margin of victory’ statistical method, avoiding assumptions by evading probability methods. “I don’t use the word ‘safe’ like a lot of pundits do when talking about a [congressional] seat,” he said. “There is no such thing as a safe seat. I use the word ‘strong,’ which I find to be much more appropriate and accurate.”

This ideal was one Chaz learned from experience. “There were two seats in 2017 for the Virginia house–one was Glenn Davis’ seat that was decided by less than a 4 percent margin of victory, the other was Joshua Coles, which had a lot of controversy with split precincts that was decided by less than a hundred votes. Those were my only blunders that year.”

I asked Chaz if he has someone he looks up to, and his response surprised me. “Kanye West,” he said. “Obviously I don’t agree with all of his political opinions, but his Twitter is very entertaining.” We delved in discography, discussing Kanye’s newest releases and discrepancies over Kanye’s best work. This was the first time anyone insinuated that I’m getting old.

So I asked, why Kanye? “There’s no mood I can’t be in to enjoy to Kanye. He’s a genius in the musical sense, in that he is narcissistic, but [he also talks] about self-love, a recurring philosophy in his work I love to live by.” Chaz understands that message and wants to propel it through his work.

Now that Chaz is graduated and has a passion for politics, Chaz plans to attend J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College for two years before transferring to the UVA political science program. “They have a really good program. Larry Sabato [UVA political science department head]–he follows me on Twitter.”

Even with a clear path and a sizable social media following, Chaz isn’t too sure where his trail will take him after school. “I’m not sure after graduation where my path will take me, definitely somewhere in politics, maybe teaching, I don’t know,” he said. “I’m just thinking about the campaigns right now.” While he looks to be hired in the August Batch for the Kaine campaign, right now he’s just enjoying his summer vacation.

Over the summer, you’ll hear more from Chaz in his upcoming column, offering analysis and election projections from Virginia and beyond in the midterm elections.

Finding the Metapolitics With Hoax Hunters

|

Topics: , , , , , , ,

Dormant, the latest extended play release by Richmond band Hoax Hunters, addresses blurred lines between art and politics. The band’s previous release, 2017’s “SAD!” was a reaction to the virulent political discourse of the 2016 presidential election, but their latest work takes a more nuanced approach to the topic.

The new tracks are ostensibly about art and culture, and were originally written as a lighthearted counter to their aggressive 2015 record Clickbait, but its release was put on hold as the 2016 election progressed. Vocalist and guitarist PJ Sykes, who is also a political activist, said that the songs on the record didn’t match the urgency of the political moment.

Instead, the band released “SAD!”, a turgid, punk influenced number that purposefully steals part of the guitar line from Black Flag’s “Rise Above”, and samples the voice of Dave Brat, U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 7th congressional district. Sykes volunteered with Eileen Bedell’s campaign to unseat the incumbent Brat in 2016, although they were ultimately defeated by a large margin.

“That song was directed at [Brat], but also at Trump and the people he brought into power,” he said. “It’s straightforward, we just want to be part of the conversation.”

Shortly after the election, Sykes was forced to step away from his activism due to a cancer diagnosis. As of now he has beat the disease, but the time he spent in recovery allowed him to take a step back from his political work and see the bigger picture. This prompted him to revisit the songs on Dormant, and reassess the relevancy of art and culture in the current political climate.

“I still think it’s important to take a break and enjoy life,” he said. “What matters the most, after taking care of each other with shelter and food and that sort of thing, the only thing that matters to me is art and culture. It seems almost better to celebrate that right now.”

For Sykes, the end result of his activist work is to get back to creating. The lyrical topics on Dormant range from surrealist painting to connecting with people over art objects, and draws a line between his activism and art.

The band expertly mimics the sound of 80s and 90s noise rock and punk, sharing sonic similarities with indie bands like Sebadoh and Royal Trux, or more current bands like Estrogen Highs. The band uses lo-fi recording techniques to give the guitars a chainsaw-esque buzz that also brings the sound in line with early punk and hardcore acts. “Teenage Message”, the first song on the EP, features Ottawa, Ontario-based singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist Catriona Sturton on harmonica. Sturton was formerly a member of Canadian power pop band Plumtree.

As DIY punk and indie subcultures sink further into media’s long tail, the tendency to create in a bubble has become commonplace; Hoax Hunter’s willingness to engage with political and cultural topics in a meaningful way while still retaining some artistic merit is atypical of Richmond’s DIY subcultures, and sets them apart from much of the local enclave.

Yet Dormant may be the bands final release. Sykes said that Hoax Hunters is going on an indefinite hiatus after they play several shows this summer in support of the release. He has several other music projects lined up that he will begin working on in the fall, but nothing concrete. His political activism has slowed recently, but he said that he has been able to continue his spat with Brat by volunteering with Abigail Spanberger’s current campaign for U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 7th congressional district.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Mocking Immigrant Children is a New Low, Even for The Richmond Times-Dispatch

|

Topics: , , , , ,

Today’s print edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch features an editorial cartoon mocking the separation of families at the southern border, and I am utterly outraged. Unless you think the forced separation of children from their parents is somehow acceptable, featuring this cartoon is absolutely disgraceful. 

The audacity of Richmond’s major newspaper to publish a cartoon poking fun at a situation, which has seen over 2,300 children removed from their parents, diminishes the very real pain of these families and attempts to normalize inhumane “zero tolerance” immigration policies. Showing a cartoon as low as this one is not only a blow to the immigrant persona, but is also an attempt to “other” the experience of immigrants who are seeking asylum from violence.

Mayor Stoney even tweeted a photo of the cartoon and called the image “shameful.”

The cartoon suggests to families attempting to cross the border one piece of advice that might ultimately “solve” this crisis; “Step 1: Stay Away” and underneath it, reads, “The End.” To suggest that a crisis as major as this one could be solved by a two-word, eight-letter proposition is a pitiful oversimplification of a very serious, complex problem. The most ironic part? I wonder how many refugees and illegal immigrants wouldn’t have to flee their countries if the U.S. hadn’t destabilized nations by propping up right-wing dictators in favor of U.S. interests; for example, U.S.-backed Guatemalan President Jacob Árbenz and the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua.

I am ashamed that something so ignorant and racist would be published in a newspaper associated with my city; a city that claims to be progressive. 

RTD tweeted in response to the immense amount of public disapproval the cartoon received. The tweet reads, “There’s been much social media chatter about a cartoon on the #RTD editorial page implying immigrants can avoid illegally entering the country. We publish many columns, editorials, and cartoons that criticize Trump’s immigration policies and support immigration. We love balance!”

 

Let’s get one thing straight here: this cartoon is not “balance.” This cartoon is xenophobic, shameful, and pathetic. It renders the situation of these immigrant families as invalid and oversimplified. What is there to joke about when thousands of immigrant children are being ripped from their families and left to live in cages?

Placing ridicule on children who have lost their parents and been forced apart from their families by this country’s administration is absolutely horrifying. The United States of America has been at the forefront of traumatizing tens of thousands of immigrant children crossing the border and part of RTD’s response is a cartoon mocking them? This cartoon was published in the editorial section of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, which I acknowledge is a separate entity from the paper as a whole. However, publishing this content in print shows a serious lack of judgment and a tone deafness we have come to expect from RTD.

Our nation is housing children in converted Walmarts and letting them sleep in cages with foil blankets. There are recordings of young children crying for their parents from tent camps. Absolutely nothing is funny about this crisis. And to ridicule thousands of families fleeing horrifying circumstances is cruel and uncalled for.

I am disappointed, frustrated, and downright insulted that this content would ever be published in Richmond’s newspaper. It is impossible to say the illustrator of this cartoon has any idea what compassion or true American ideals are. The US consistently prides itself on equality, justice, and acceptance, but when its citizens see no problem mocking suffering children, is it really our place to take pride in those ideals anymore?