Month: December 2020

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News

False alarm?: CPD refutes racial profiling claims, calls on church leaders to “apologize or be terminated”

Leaders at the Unitarian Church on Rugby Road accused the police department of racial profiling in October. The police department denies the claim. PC: Staff photo

In October, leaders at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charlottesville penned a blog post accusing the Charlottesville Police Department of racial profiling. According to the clergy, CPD unnecessarily detained and intimidated a Black congregant as he was walking to church.

On December 10, Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney held a press conference during which she shared body camera footage, and announced that an internal investigation conducted by her department found no evidence of police misconduct during the October 7 stop.

After sharing the results of the investigation, Brackney demanded that Unitarian church leaders “apologize or be terminated,” calling the church’s claims “baseless and race-baiting.” The press conference drew concern from activists in town, and placed renewed scrutiny on the department’s internal investigations policy.

Profiling incident

In an open letter released October 15, the clergy accused the department of harassing one of their church members, a 63-year-old Black man. According to the church, the man was allegedly surrounded by five police cars after a UVA student called the police on him while he was walking to church. The officers asked him what he was doing in the neighborhood, and demanded his social security number and identification, suspecting him of committing a recent series of break-ins.

The church claimed he looked nothing like the photo of the suspect, but was still interrogated until a white church member came over to investigate the situation. The clergy called on the department to apologize to the man.

After reviewing the 911 call, radio transmissions, and body camera footage, and interviewing the parties involved, CPD’s internal affairs unit concluded that the church’s claims were false, said Brackney last Thursday.

According to audio and visual evidence, the 911 call that sparked the incident was not made by a UVA student, but a teenager. She claimed that a Black man was loitering on private property, and that he had previously broken into a neighbor’s house.

While standing on the sidewalk, the church member flagged down the responding officer because he had seen someone run into the house and assumed the homeowner had called the police. A second officer soon arrived on the scene, and explained he should not cut through private property to get to his church, in light of the recent break-ins.

Body camera footage showed that the church member, who had a tracheostomy and could not speak, was visibly upset. He believed the officers were accusing him of committing the break-ins, which they clarified they were not.

“The thing is, if I lived there, and somebody walks behind my house every day, it would make me nervous too,” said the second officer. “If you’re freaked out, and they’re freaked out, and the common denominator is not to walk through there, then why don’t we do that?”

When the man claimed the police were called because he was Black, the second officer, who is also Black, insisted “it [had] nothing to do with race,” and told the three detectives who arrived on the scene that the man was playing “the race card.” A church member later came over to check on the man, who was never detained or charged with a crime.

Press conference sparks strong feelings

The police department initiated an investigation into the incident after it received the letter from interim lead minister Reverend Dr. Linda Olson Peebles in October, but it wasn’t until a month later, when the letter was shared on Twitter, that the activist community took notice. In late November, the Defund Charlottesville Police Department Campaign and other advocacy groups penned an op-ed in the Cavalier Daily, calling for the firing of the officers involved in the alleged racial profiling incident.

During the press conference, Brackney fired back. The chief listed the names of the church members who signed the open letter, accusing them of leveraging “their privilege and self-serving agendas.” She also called for the activist groups who “co-signed this smear campaign” against CPD to issue apologies.

Shortly before the press conference, Peebles issued a statement to her congregation, expressing the church leadership’s concern over the investigation’s findings. She claimed there were “a number of discrepancies between the testimony of the police and the account of the church member,” but that the church member no longer wanted them to address the situation.

Peebles later said Brackney made “unfair accusations” about the church leadership during the press conference. She claimed the church leadership penned the letter after talking directly with the church member, and had him approve it before sending it to CPD. They also never asked for the officers to resign.

“We are disappointed…as it seems [CPD] has minimized our member’s experience, our concerns, and our right to ask for the police to respond to us without malice,” she stated.

In a statement released December 12, Defund CPD also criticized Brackney for her retaliatory rhetoric during the conference.

“Brackney [attempted] to publicly intimidate those who rightfully questioned and criticized the police,” read the statement. She “intended to discredit the voices and experiences of the Black community…and to silence anyone who might think of filing a complaint against the police in the future.”

Defund CPD demanded Brackney resign immediately for abusing her power, and called on City Council to take action.

Sarah Burke, a member of the city’s initial Police Civilian Review Board, hopes Brackney’s behavior will not deter local residents from filing complaints about police misconduct, which they can also send to the oversight board, with the department.

“When you have a press conference…where the narrative is so spun to be protective of police and critical of anybody who wants to report what they believe to be racial profiling, [that] is part of a bigger pattern of the way people have been silenced historically,” she says. “It begs the question of how impartial the police can be in investigating their own conduct.”

Internal affairs

Usually, the police department publishes the results of its internal investigations on its website, describing the outcome with a single word: sustained, unfounded, exonerated, or not resolved. The department found the church’s racial profiling complaint to be unfounded.

The internal affairs data on the police department’s website was last updated on September 28 of this year, and from January 1 to September 28, the department opened 28 internal investigations. Ten were sustained, meaning the officer “acted in violation of applicable procedures.”

The results of the department’s internal accountability procedures don’t always align with outside sources’ assessments of the incidents.

After officer Jeffrey Jaeger, who is white, slammed a Black man’s head into a fence while responding to a verbal dispute in March, he filed a use-of-force report and was cleared by the department. But when body camera footage from the incident was shown during a trial in July, a complaint was filed with CPD concerning potential criminal wrongdoing. Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Platania reviewed the case and ordered a full-scale investigation, charging Jaeger with misdemeanor assault and battery.

On December 11, Jaeger was found guilty, and handed a 12-month suspended sentence and two years of unsupervised probation, meaning he will not spend time in jail. He appealed his conviction to the Charlottesville Circuit Court, and currently is on administrative leave without pay. As things stand now, the police department’s examination of the incident cleared an officer who was later convicted by a court of law.

In its internal affairs data, the department does not explain the reason for each case ruling, or disclose which disciplinary measures were taken against the officers found guilty of violating department policy, or the law.

The “opacity” of internal affairs investigations has long been a concern for many community members and activists, says Maisie Osteen, a civil rights attorney for the Legal Aid Justice Center.

“In so many cases, the problem [is] the process being so impermeable to citizens being a part of it and understanding it. The public only knows what the police want us to know,” she says, “What comes out of the investigation is a curated lens from the police department—good or bad.”

Osteen has also seen many people hesitate to file police complaints because they are afraid they won’t get taken seriously, nothing will be done, or they’ll face retribution.

“What’s going on right now is showing how necessary it is to create a robust police civilian oversight board,” she says. “[It] adds legitimacy and accountability to both the peoples’ understanding of what’s going on, and the police internal investigations.”

Community activist Walt Heinecke also feels that the internal investigations process has been “pretty tightly held,” especially given the limited advisory role currently afforded to the Civilian Review Board.

Heinecke ultimately hopes that the church member who filed the complaint will appeal it so it can be reviewed by the CRB. (The board will be allowed to independently receive and investigate complaints with subpoena power when new state criminal justice reforms go into effect next year.)

“There may be another version of the story that is possible from a larger review by the [CRB], if asked to review the case, of evidence beyond the edited version presented,” says Heinecke. “If that does not happen, the mistrust of the police by some in the community may be exacerbated.”

Categories
News

In brief: Sheffield resigns, Fellini’s closes, and more

Brad Sheffield PC: Amy and Jackson Smith

In brief

Fellini’s closing

Yet another Charlottesville business has been shuttered by the coronavirus. Last week, the owners of downtown Italian restaurant and music venue Fellini’s announced that December 19 would be the spot’s final day. “We literally tried EVERYTHING,” reads a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page. The owners report that they asked the city to use the sidewalks for outdoor dining, but were not allowed to do so.

Turnover continues

The list of high-profile departures from Charlottesville this year just keeps getting longer. After six years as CEO of Jaunt, Brad Sheffield resigned last week, wanting to take the “next steps” in his career, reports The Daily Progress. Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney is also eyeing a new job—last week, she was selected as one of seven finalists for police chief of Dallas. The new chief is expected to be selected by January 1.

Cut the check

For months, thousands of Virginians have been waiting to receive their badly needed unemployment benefits. After the Legal Aid Justice Center, Virginia Poverty Law Center, and other legal partners threatened the Virginia Employment Commission with a class action lawsuit last month, nearly 80,000 people are now receiving payments while their claims continue to be reviewed.

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Quote of the week

“With this remarkable medical achievement, we are beginning
to see the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.”

—Governor Ralph Northam, as vaccine distribution begins

Categories
News

C-B-Deal with it: Marijuana isn’t legal yet, but C’ville offers plenty of weed-adjacent de-stressing options

Greener Things’ Ross Efaw says hemp flower is one option for consuming CBD.

If you’re anxious about trying CBD for anxiety, you’ve got reasons to chill. One, there’s now sky-high piles of evidence that the stuff works. Two, the governor’s on your side. Ralph Northam announced on November 16 that he supports legalizing marijuana—and CBD, a less potent derivative, has been federally legal since 2018.

A quick primer on the difference: Cannabidiol, or CBD, is just one chemical component of marijuana, another of which is the well-known THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol. That’s the good stuff—er, the stuff that makes users feel euphoric.

“THC gets you high and gives you paranoia if you smoke too much,” says Ethan Pompeo, owner of Green Valley Nutrition, one of a handful of local shops that specialize in CBD products. “CBD equalizes that.”

The mechanism might not be that simple, and studies have been mixed on whether cannabis and CBD can help with serious health issues like high blood pressure and cancer. But researchers and medical professionals have all but reached consensus on CBD’s ability to reduce anxiety and stress. The latest peer-reviewed evidence is a 2019 double-blind study out of Japan, in which researchers found teenagers with social anxiety disorders were less stressed after four weeks of regular CBD consumption.

CBD also passes the eye test, according to Ross Efaw of Greener Things, who has been working in medical marijuana for more than a decade.

“I’ve seen kids with ADHD, and they rely on this stuff for real,” Efaw says. “It is not a joke or a placebo to them. There is no doubt in my mind that it is truly an effective therapeutic.”

Okay, but for the uninitiated, just how does CBD make you feel? Most users describe it as mellowing them out, slowing them down, or just allowing them to lower their shoulders a bit.

“It calms your nerves,” says Joe Kuhn, owner of Albemarle Hemp Company. “It may make you slightly happy or euphoric, but you can still function. You can take it if you are a little nervous about a business meeting, and you’re still sharp as a pin without the negative effects or decrease in ability.”

Pompeo says that for him, CBD has meant the difference between being non-functional and becoming a husband, father, and business owner. He was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder as a child and has struggled with anxiety and motor tics throughout his life. He credits cannabis and CBD, along with minor lifestyle changes, for allowing him to cope. The product gives him “relief without the side effects” of the many pharmaceuticals he’s tried.

De-stressing CBD comes in a variety of forms, including oils, tinctures, capsules, gummies, chocolates, and smokable flowers.

You can also find topical balms and salves, which are intended for dealing with pain relief and physical inflammation rather than stress. The science on the effectiveness of these balms is mixed, though.

Tinctures, concentrated oils dropped under the tongue at roughly 25 milligrams per dose (Pompeo says to start small and work up if necessary), are popular. But so are capsules and gummies, which take longer to act on the body but are more palatable to some users. Whatever you choose, expect to pay about $50 for 30 doses.

Different CBD formulations are more effective for different applications, Efaw says. Terpenes, chemical compounds found in many plants, dictate both the cannabis flower’s aroma and effects. CBD derived from plants with one terpene composition might be best for daytime stress regulation, while a different set of terpenes might calm the mind and induce sleep.

The last rule of CBD? Don’t get too high on your own supply. In Virginia, CBD products are allowed to contain a very small amount of THC in each dosage, so if you want to completely avoid psychological effects make sure you’re taking a zero-THC product—folks at dispensaries can help if you’re unsure—and go into the process with an open mind.

“It’s not a cure-all, but it is helpful,” Kuhn says. “If you are having real emotional issues, you need to see a doctor.”

 

Categories
Culture

Snacks, tracks, and acts to relax with

There’s no better clan than the Muppets to prop you up when you’re feeling down.

This week, our arts and living columnists share the culture that has helped them survive the pandemic.

Something with soul 

Music has always been cathartic for me—as a child, I’d entertain myself (and anyone who would listen) for hours, singing off-key versions of Fleetwood Mac and Janis Joplin classics into my sparkly purple hairbrush. In college, my warm-up ritual before every organic chemistry test involved jumping on my dorm room bed while blasting Devendra Banhart.

Now, in the most stressful or trying times, I have a tendency to turn toward music that makes me feel like a kid again. This year, Texas trio Khruangbin book-ended a chapter of quarantine with two distinct albums brimming with playfulness and ingenuity. Their collaborative EP with R&B powerhouse Leon Bridges, Texas Sun, dropped in February, followed by the release of their third studio album, Mordechai, in late June. I’ve kept both in regular rotation, as I’ve found myself leaning heavily on soul music—or music with soul. It provides warmth and reassurance in a year that feels devoid of heart in many ways.

I’ve also dipped into the archives, looking for anything put out on Motown Records. Willie Nelson’s Stardust has spent a lot of time on my turntable, too. More locally, Richmond quintet Butcher Brown’s new disc, #KingButch, is a stress-alleviating soundtrack chock full of jazz and funk fusion. And when I feel like taking a break from all this and leaving the world behind for a while, I dial up  Lynchburg native Becca Mancari’s disc The Greatest Part—it’s a dreamy pop landscape to get lost in.—Desiré Moses

Gorge yourself 

The holidays are approaching, and many of us have turned to food to manage the stress. And who can blame us? With so much time spent at home these days, I often find myself scouring the cabinets for a low-effort, high-calorie indulgence. But we live in Charlottesville, so there’s no reason we shouldn’t be enjoying quality local food when we gorge ourselves to distract from our anxiety. Happily, our favorite area eateries are here to help.

Guajiros Miami Eatery offers a new item on weekends only: the Coco Chip Cookie. This monstrosity of a dessert is the size of your fist and filled with toasted coconut, dark chocolate, and fine, East-Asian cinnamon. The antioxidants found in the cookie’s dark chocolate have been shown to relieve stress, which is exactly what we need at the end of a year like 2020. And during the week, make sure to check out Guajiros decadent cinnamon buns.

Of course, stress relief doesn’t have to be comforting. Occasionally, the best way to find some perspective is to do something challenging, something you would never normally do, something terrifying to take your mind off the grind. If you’re the type to unwind with a serious adrenaline rush, I recommend The Bebedero’s Scorpion Shot—a swallow of fine Del Maguey mezcal with an actual scorpion in it. You may find that you return with a sense of clarity that comes only partially from the liquor.—Will Ham

Familiar (fuzzy) faces 

Back in the before time, I coped with stress and the holiday season by loading up on the company of my friends. Around them, I can vent, be myself, and not worry about needing to mince words about my crazy family. This winter, I’ve tried to do virtual hangs whenever I can, but it’s not possible to get the same pressure release from an occasional video chat. So I’ve been leaning heavily onto my original social group from childhood: The Muppets.

Kermit, Fozzy, and Miss Piggy have never failed to put a smile on my face and make me realize the world is a little kinder than it might feel when I am down. The punny humor and physical feats are just silly enough to check me out of adulthood for a few moments and enjoy time with old friends. And unlike purely escapist entertainment, The Muppets exist in our own world. They supplement our reality, rather than inventing their own. This makes the inevitable reentry to reality less jarring.

Plus you couldn’t wish for a better clan to help get you through the long, cold winter. While many favor The Muppet Christmas Carol, which is excellent in its own right, I have always favored Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. Essentially a retelling of O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” Emmet Otter is a musical and affectionate look at family and friends making it through the season together. And when I watch it, I feel a little more resilient and a little less alone.—Deirdre Crimmins

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News

Under pressure: Reflecting on the most stressful semester on record

Nicole Ruzek, director of UVA Counseling and Psychological Services, says the university began offering support groups for students concerned about COVID, as well as those in isolation or quarantine. Photo: John Robinson

By Caroline Challe

Mountains of reading, devilish final exams, finding your way into adulthood—college can be stressful under the best of circumstances. This year, coronavirus turned UVA’s public spaces into ghost towns, and rendered many college students’ traditional methods of de-stressing impossible, or at least unwise. (Although it’s true that some students made their way to the bars anyway.)

The weight of social isolation, normally rare in a college environment, served as a new stressor for many students. “One of the biggest issues I faced this semester was the lack of camaraderie,” says third-year Emily Kruse. “I normally like to study in libraries or in more public spaces. Something about seeing my peers working late nights gives me more of a sense of purpose than sitting alone at home.”

For fourth-years, these past nine months were starkly different than the rest of their UVA experience. There were big changes, of course, like online classes and community traditions deferred—but the virus also added a base layer of stress to the social fabric of college life. “I found myself constantly worried,” says Pilar Jimenez Larre Borges. “When I ran into someone or got lunch with people, outside and six feet apart, I wondered if they had COVID-19. Or what if I had it and gave it to them? And then they gave it to someone else?”

As older students adapted to a new type of life at UVA, first years faced a unique set of circumstances. Daniel Bojo says the virus made it hard to develop a social network in a new place. “The biggest challenge of being a first year during this time was reaching out and meeting new people,” he says. ”It’s hard to meet people for the first time on Zoom and only see them online.”

UVA’s Counseling and Psychological Services, the school’s student-focused mental health care provider, has been offering services online since March.

“Students have talked about the impact of remote learning,” says Nicole Ruzek, director of CAPS, “and how it’s been more challenging to find motivation for class and stay on top of course work when everything is online. Some have also talked about increased levels of isolation or loneliness.”

“We added specific groups for students concerned about COVID as well as students in isolation or quarantine,” Ruzek says. “Support groups help students talk about their anxiety in regards to COVID-19, about either getting it themselves or having friends or family who are getting it. Our isolation and quarantine groups give students other people to talk to while they’re going through that experience.”

Services aside, students have found new ways to manage stress this semester. Third-year Jack MacLeod has focused on the little things. “Going on drives out into Albemarle, drinking coffee on my deck, short walks in between classes—it all adds up,” he says.

And new rituals have replaced the old. “My roommate and I started a ‘feelings wall,’” says MacLeod. “At the end of each day, we’d do a little check-in with ourselves on a post-it note and place it on our wall. It started as a joke, but it turned out to be an emotional crutch for me.”

 

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News

Getting a boost: From IVs to beet spray tans, Well Room has something for everyone

Intravenous Nutritional IV Therapy is engineered to make you “immediately feel better,” says Well Room’s Megan Kingdon.

For many, an IV drip connotes extreme sickness. The treatment is primarily associated with hospitals, and the image of fluids being fed directly into someone’s veins often implies a serious health issue. At the very least, IVs tend to make people squeamish.

Megan Kingdon hopes to change these perceptions. In June, she opened Well Room, where you’ll find a variety of “wellness products and services to refresh & vitalize”—including Intravenous Nutritional IV Therapy. The drip options range from Basic to Athlete, cost from $85 to $170, and are engineered to make people “immediately feel better,” Kingdon says.

Although her background is in traditional Western medicine—a certified Nurse Practitioner, Kingdon got her master’s in adult and women’s health at Columbia University—she says her desire to found Well Room came from a dissatisfaction with the “band-aid” culture of American health care. “We’re really good at treating acute illness, but wellness is not something we’re taught to treat.”

Put simply: None of Well Room’s clients are ill, but they could all stand to boost their wellness. And in 2020, who couldn’t?

Kingdon acknowledges that opening a wellness-based business this year has been a double-edged sword. Well Room had a rocky beginning, with a pushed-back March start date in accordance with Governor Ralph Northam’s stay-at-home order, but Kingdon says the business’ services themselves have been in high demand.

And not just the IV drips—because, as Kingdon admits, “there are plenty of people who are not into having a needle put into their arm.” In addition to the intravenous therapy, Well Room offers an infrared sauna, with “rays that penetrate the tissue instead of just heating the air around you,” nitrogen-based cryotherapy, and organic spray tans made with sugar beets. 

All of these services, Kingdon says, are intended to provide people with much-needed “solitude, peace, and relaxation.” Well Room’s customer base has a high level of stress—she estimates that nine out of 10 of her clients’ health histories include anxiety “and often depression as well.”

Aside from this unifying factor, Well Room’s clientele varies pretty widely. Kingdon says the main support for her business comes from younger to middle-aged women, but that some of her patrons are much older or younger—she’s even treated children with cryotherapy for sports-related injuries. She attributes the diversity of customers to Well Room’s “variety of things under one roof” and to her desire to make her business “something for the community…I don’t want it to be something precious.”

For Well Room to become a Charlottesville staple, Kingdon acknowledges that she and others will have to continue working to change thoughts about unconventional medical techniques. “I don’t see the Western training and these other approaches as mutually exclusive,” she says. “I don’t think they have to be at odds with one another.”

So often in Western medicine, she says, the actual root of a patient’s medical problem is never addressed. “We can’t keep letting chronic illness run amok and then put band-aids on it.”

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News

In brief: Kids defend skate park, Hudson announces campaign, and more

McIntire Skate Park, photographed at its opening last year, has been a popular destination during the pandemic. PC: Tristan William

Grinding to a halt

Last week, a final warning was issued to all skaters: If more than 25 people were seen gathered at the Charlottesville Skate Park—or other city parks and recreation areas—over the weekend, the city would consider shutting down all of its outdoor facilities until the declaration of emergency is lifted.

Officials stopped by the skate park throughout the weekend, and noticed an immediate improvement, compared to the gathering of more than 75 people witnessed at the park two weeks ago.

The threat of closing was enough to spark outrage among young skaters.

“There are some ways we could keep it open COVID safe,” said 12-year-old Skippy Norton during public comment at Monday’s City Council meeting. Norton, who claimed they’ve been encouraging fellow skaters to comply with safety rules, said, “If I’m having a hard day, I can go to the skate park and I’ll be happy…And I know it means a lot to a lot of kids.”

“Skating helps a lot with mental health…it can put you in a much better mindset,” added 12-year-old Alice Christian. “I’ve met many people at the park who have made my life a little bit more happy.”

“There certainly was a lot more compliance” with mask wearing and social distancing, said City Councilor Heather Hill during the meeting. “But it really is going to be the onus of the skate community to ensure that they’re following the rules…so [it] can continue to be open.”

Several parents joined the kids in speaking out against closing the park, urging council to consider less extreme measures.

“It’s a lifeline for my children,” said parent Kerri Heilman. “The lack of things they’re able to do, and being able to get to the skate park and be outdoors, it is really great for their mental health.”

“Skating rules!” her 8-year-old child chimed in.

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Quote of the week

“I would not mind spending Christmas with my family.”

—UVA football player Joey Blount, on whether or not he wants to play in a bowl game over the holiday break

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In brief

Sally forth

Unsurprisingly, Charlottesville’s delegate, Sally Hudson, has announced her campaign for re-election. In 2019, Hudson took down former city councilor Kathy Galvin in a primary before running unopposed in the general election. She says her priorities for next session include COVID relief, as well as continuing the work of the last session on education and the environment.

Sally Hudson PC: Supplied photo

Tree time

Charlottesville’s Christmas tree sellers are seeing record sales this year, reports NBC29. With everyone gloomy about the virus and eager to get out of the house, firs and pines are flying off the lots. If you’re hoping to get your holiday decorations set up early, don’t wait around.

Oh, shit

Charlottesville has recently begun wastewater testing to detect coronavirus cases, reports The Daily Progress, in an effort organized in conjunction with the state health department and the CDC. It sounds nasty, but the testing has proven an effective way of detecting the presence of COVID early in the virus’ spread—UVA has been running a successful wastewater testing program at its residence halls since September.

It takes two to HueHuetenango

At Monday’s City Council meeting, counselors decided to begin the process of becoming sister cities with HueHuetenango, Guatemala. The 120,000-person city is located in the west of the country and is known for a distinctive set of Mayan ruins nearby. Familial bonds between municipalities aren’t formed overnight, though—for the first three years, the two cities will just be “friendship cities,” says the commission.

Categories
News

Seasonal strain: Dealing with the winter blues

The cold, dark days of winter bring an added level of stress for people who are already struggling. PC: File photo

There’s no question that the pandemic has spiked everyone’s stress level. Millions of people have lost jobs. Parents are struggling to balance work lives with kids’ remote learning. Many have been stuck inside their homes for months, away from loved ones. And on top of all of that, coronavirus cases and deaths continue to increase every day.

According to local mental health experts, this upcoming winter will bring a whole new layer of stress.

While many have been able to safely do activities outdoors during the summer and fall, “in the cold months people tend to stay inside more,” says Varinia Garcia Anderson, a licensed professional counselor at The Women’s Initiative. “People can’t get out…and that’s a lot of pressure on the system of your well-being.”

Being stuck inside can have a significant impact on mood and behavior, even in normal winters, explains Anderson. It can decrease motivation and energy, making it challenging to get anything done, as well as increase feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Winter also means fewer hours of daylight, which has real consequences for mental health. Sunlight triggers the release of mood-boosting serotonin in the brain, meaning short, dark days are hard for everyone, says licensed clinical social worker Eboni Bugg, who practices in the Charlottesville area.

To get through this stressful season, Bugg encourages everyone to safely spend time outside as much as possible during the day, which helps the body to produce vitamin D, boosting our mood and immune system.

For people of color, getting sun may not be enough to maintain healthy vitamin D levels, explains Bugg.

“For Black and brown people, I encourage folks to check with their physician and check their vitamin D level,” she says. “Because our melanin protects us from the sun, it also limits our capacity to manufacture vitamin D in our skin.”

When it’s not possible to go outside, it’s important to find ways to exercise every day, which naturally helps fight depression.

Regularly indulging in activities “that make you feel good” can also help to relieve winter stress, such as listening to music, reading, cooking, and watching movies, says Anderson.

Though it can be difficult during this time, try to “maintain hope [by] cultivating a practice of gratitude,” adds licensed clinical social worker Joanna Jennings. “Really think about the small things in life that bring you joy or peace, sometimes even writing them out.”

Getting a pet can help too. “Finding something else to care about sometimes can really refocus your energy,” says Bugg.

Most importantly, people should prioritize staying connected with family and friends, and being there for each other through this difficult winter, say all three therapists.

“COVID has really increased disconnection amongst us, but there are still ways we can facilitate connections that are safe,” says Jennings.

Keeping in touch is also the best way to support a family member or friend who is under a lot of stress. That might mean a regularly scheduled phone or video chat, or a socially distanced activity together, preferably outdoors.

“For people who have a loved one who may be suffering, sometimes the concern is that you have to be an expert [and] help them fix it,” says Bugg. “The reality is that most people really just need someone to see them, listen without judgment, and love them unconditionally.”

Of course, these simple practices might not be enough to relieve stress or other mental health struggles.

According to mental health experts, you may be in need of professional help if you experience drastic changes in appetite, sleeping patterns, and energy levels for more than two weeks. Overwhelming anxiety and sadness, feelings of withdrawal, and acts of self-harm are also major causes for concern.

“If a person is really noticing a change…it’s never too early to reach out to a professional,” Jennings stresses. “Oftentimes we are able to catch something early and put supports in place to prevent it from escalating to a serious mental health condition, or to the point of a crisis.”

Free and affordable mental health care is available through multiple community providers, including Region Ten, The Women’s Initiative, Charlottesville Free Clinic, On Our Own, Central Virginia Clinicians of Color Network, and Partner for Mental Health.

The Community Mental Health and Wellness Coalition—a network of health organizations in Charlottesville and the surrounding counties—will also be offering no-cost support groups and events online during the holiday season.

“There are people who are really here to support those who need help, [regardless] of money,” says Anderson. “You are not alone.”

Categories
News

Looking sharp: Preservation group catalogs the area’s midcentury modern architecture

The former Levy’s department store on the Downtown Mall is just one example of the city’s midcentury modern design. PC: Courtesy Preservation Piedmont

Have you ever spotted the peacocks on the Downtown Mall? Once you know where to look, you can’t miss them. They’re staring down from tiles near the second-floor windows above Snooky’s Pawn Shop, their teal tail feathers splayed in semicircles.

The storefront once belonged to Levy’s department store, which is why the façade is clad in showy pink marble and boasts the flashy peacock tiles. It’s a departure from many of its neighbors downtown, and also an example of Charlottesville’s distinctive collection of midcentury modern design.

Many other midcentury modern gems are similarly hidden in plain sight. Richard Guy Wilson, a longtime UVA architecture professor and board member of Preservation Piedmont, is leading the preservation group’s new effort to identify and protect some of these structures.

“I’m not saying we have to save every damn one, I’m just trying to get people to look a bit at what the environment is out there,” Wilson says.

The midcentury modern period lasted from the end of World War II to the late ’60s. Many buildings constructed during that time have recently celebrated their 50th birthdays, meaning they’ve hit the age threshold required for listing on state and national registers of historic places. Hallmarks of midcentury modern style include sleek lines and contrast between geometric and organic shapes. Illinois’ crisp Farnsworth House is one famous example, as is the original Dulles Airport terminal, with its bowed roof and angled glass.

Wilson and Preservation Piedmont are in the process of compiling a list of notable midcentury modern buildings the Charlottes­ville area. Some of the structures on their list are immediately notable for their distinctive architectural style, such as the Zion Union Baptist Church on Preston Avenue. The building is a head-turner, with its acute A-frame roof, three-sided glass front, and built-in metal cross differentiating it from any other church in town. It looks like a spaceship touched down across from Washington Park.

Zion Union Baptist Church PC: Courtesy Preservation Piedmont

Architecture aside, many of the town’s midcentury buildings are worthy of preservation for social and cultural reasons. Jackson Burley School, which features on Preservation Piedmont’s list, was added to the National Register of Historic Places earlier this month. Burley was the city’s Black high school from its construction in 1951 to desegregation in 1967. The school served Black students at a time when some of Charlottesville’s white public schools shut their doors rather than integrate.

But Wilson says Burley’s design is notable too, especially the front. “The facade of that is what people like me call stripped classicism, or abstract classicism,” he says.

A close look at the building reveals that the vertical concrete pillars protruding on each side of the front entrance quote the columned fronts of more traditional buildings. “You can see that there’s a classic element there in the design, they just cleaned it up,” Wilson says. “You don’t have all the fuss that you get with buildings that were built a century earlier.”

Other buildings that might not stand out to the layman are, upon further inspection, significant for their midcentury modern characteristics, claims Wilson. The current home of Fifth Season Gardening on Preston Avenue was originally a Buick dealership. “One of the things that makes it interesting is that front of the building there, the way it’s out into the street, and has that sort of a curve on it. And then underneath it’s totally open, so you have this way you see into the building,” says the retired professor. “From an architectural point of view, [it’s] a little more interesting than the way car dealerships are today, out on 29 North.”

Does an unusual front make a building worthy of preservation? That’s a more complicated question.

Wilson has lived in Charlottesville since the ’70s, and has seen a town transform into a city during that time. He says preservationists must walk a “fine line” between maintaining the town’s history and allowing for the new development required to accommodate a growing population. He also says he’s “a little appalled” at the “tall, anonymous structures” going up on West Main Street.

“It just sort of really began to hit me that all this rebuilding that’s going on—shouldn’t we pay attention to some of the other stuff that’s around, and not tear it down?”

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At risk: Evictions could increase, as moratorium nears expiration

Caroline Klosko, a housing attorney for the Legal Aid Justice Center, fears many local residents could be evicted once the CDC eviction moratorium expires on December 31. PC: Zack Wajsgras

While Congress continues to debate a much-needed coronavirus relief package—almost nine months after the first one was passed—nearly 40 million renters nationwide might soon be forced out of their homes, as the Centers for Disease Control’s ban on evictions approaches its expiration date.

On December 31, the CDC’s eviction moratorium will end, and the supplemental protections passed by the state in November will weaken, leaving thousands of Virginians struggling to pay rent. Currently, Virginia landlords are only allowed to proceed with an eviction if tenants refuse to apply for local or state rent relief. Once the calendar turns, landlords will still be required to help tenants file for relief, but they will be allowed to file an eviction suit if a tenant is denied aid or does not receive it within 45 days.

“It’s unclear yet how effective that’s going to be,” says Emma Goehler, chair of the Charlottesville Democratic Socialists of America’s Housing Justice Committee, emphasizing the numerous hiccups tenants may face throughout the relief application process.

And these protections will only last as long as there is government funding for rent relief. Once it runs out, struggling renters will have nothing to fall back on.

“The legislation wants to protect landlords, to make sure they’re able to get tenants in there who can pay,” says Caroline Klosko, a housing attorney for the Legal Aid Justice Center, which has been taking on eviction cases throughout the pandemic. “[But] with the state of the rent relief funds, and the problems with administering it, that’s just dangerous.”

According to Klosko, it is currently difficult to gage whether another state or federal moratorium will be put in place, one that would prevent tenants unable to get adequate financial assistance from being kicked out of their homes.

“If the CDC moratorium is just allowed to run out and not be extended, or even if there is a several week gap between the [expiration] and Biden coming into office, we’re really worried about the effects, with COVID spiking in the wintertime,” she says.

The national ban on evictions has been crucial, explains Goehler. Since it went into effect on September 4, DSA and LAJC have helped many local tenants get their hearings pushed to January.

Even so, these prevention measures have not kept everyone in their homes. Since September, landlords have filed for 106 evictions in Charlottesville, and 16 people or families have been removed from their houses. In Albemarle, 230 filings have led to 41 evictions.

“The moratorium was never a perfect solution because it required tenants to know about it, and it also had a number of requirements that tenants had to meet to be eligible,” explains Goehler, pointing to the declaration form tenants must fill out and present to their landlord.

With winter weather making evictions even more dangerous, DSA and LAJC plan to continue to push for long-term solutions, including additional funding for rent and mortgage relief, and a moratorium on all evictions until the pandemic ends, says Klosko.

In the meantime, Goehler urges tenants facing eviction to show up to their hearings, as well as apply for assistance through the Charlottesville Community Resource Helpline (326-0950) and Virginia Rent and Mortgage Relief Program (703-962-1884).