City employee concerned about city’s refusal to fire insurrectionist
Since interim Charlottesville City Manager Michael Rogers announced this month that the city would not be terminating an employee who participated in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, there’s been community backlash—and the decision has stirred up concern among other city employees.
One employee (who wishes to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation) disagrees with the city’s claims that it cannot discipline the employee—IT analyst Allen Groat, who works with emergency services—because Groat has not been charged with any crimes related to the insurrection. The employee believes Groat should have been fired back in 2020, when he pleaded guilty to aggressive driving with intent to injure after pulling a gun on a woman at a red light.
The employee, who works with Groat, says the city’s refusal to discipline him for his actions has increased concern for their—and their co-workers’—safety.
“It’s pretty serious what [Groat] tried to do, and it shows him to be an unstable person … especially in light of the Virginia Beach shooting,” says the employee, referring to the 2019 mass shooting during which a city employee fatally shot 12 people at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center.
Groat also has access to sensitive information about city residents and employees, which the employee worries he could use to target minorities. “He is homophobic, anti-Semitic, [and] part of the most violent racist people in this country,” says the employee.
By allowing a potentially dangerous person to remain on staff, the employee claims the city is in violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which states that employers must provide “a place of employment [free] from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”
Matthew Lawless, who previously worked in the city’s Human Resources Department, and now serves as Scottsville’s town administrator, believes Rocky Mount, Virginia, handled a similar situation “really well.” Last January, former town manager James Ervin fired two insurrectionist police officers, who were charged with offenses related to the insurrection.
“[Their town manager] thought their conduct reflected very poorly on the reputation of the town, and that was all he needed,” adds Lawless.—Brielle Entzminger
A walking vigil for A12
Five years after August 12, 2017, when white supremacists clashed with counterprotesters in Charlottesville, former vice mayor Wes Bellamy stood before a crowd at the Jefferson School and announced through a megaphone, “We are not only survivors, we are thrivers.”
“We won,” he said. “We will continue to win.”
Bellamy’s speech at the school was one stop during last Friday’s walking vigil that retraced the steps of counterprotesters on August 12. It began with a service at First Baptist Church on West Main Street, and continued with participants of all ages making their way through McGuffey Park, to Congregation Beth Israel and the Downtown Mall, and finally the memorial at Heather Heyer Way, where the crowd erupted into a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine.” At the outset, Bellamy aimed to keep spirits high, reminding walkers, “This is not a funeral procession. … I don’t want to see any heads bowed.”
Bellamy was accompanied by religious leaders and fellow activists. Each stop hosted a new speaker, including Jalane Schmidt, director of the UVA Democracy Initiative’s Memory Project, Rev. Phil Woodson, Rev. Brenda Brown-Grooms, Rabbi Tom Gutherz, and Deacon Don Gathers. At the First United Methodist Church, Woodson asked members of the crowd to raise their hands if they had marched five years ago or if they had served as medics to the injured. Many hands went up.
The vigil stirred the community on a Friday afternoon. Shopkeepers poked their heads out of doors to watch the procession pass by, sometimes cheering or joining in on “White supremacy has to go” chants. A speaker noted that state Sen. Creigh Deeds was in the crowd, and members of the B.U.C.K. Squad, including Executive Director Herb Dickerson, made the journey as well.
FOIA suit moves ahead
A FOIA lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville seeking records about police misconduct settlements is moving forward after federal Judge Norman K. Moon denied the city’s motion to dismiss the case on Monday and allowed the plaintiffs’ attorney, Jeff Fogel, time to file an amended complaint.
The suit alleges the city is withholding information about the amount paid out in cases of police wrongdoing. Tanesha Hudson, one of three plaintiffs, alleges her First Amendment rights were violated by a nondisclosure agreement she says she was coerced to sign that prohibits her from discussing a settlement she received. A second plaintiff, Cherry Henley, is a member of the People’s Coalition, which filed a FOIA request seeking records. The city claimed it did not have any responsive records, and that settlements are handled by a third party called VRSA, which acts as an insurance pool for many of Virginia’s municipalities. The third plaintiff is local journalist David McNair.
Blaire O’Brien, the city’s attorney, argued that the plaintiffs lacked standing to file the suit, since the FOIA request cited in the complaint was made by the People’s Coalition. O’Brien also said the plaintiffs had failed to show harm.
“What we’re dealing with here is simply an effort to delay on the part of defendants,” argued Fogel.
Moon ruled that Fogel may amend his complaint to include subsequent FOIA requests filed on behalf of the individual plaintiffs.
“The whole purpose of FOIA is so clear,” said Moon. “I don’t understand why the city makes these arguments that people can’t get this information. What governmental purpose could it serve to have a government not have to do this? It’s inconceivable.”
In brief
Don’t eat that!
The University of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Poison Center has seen a sharp rise in THC-related poison control calls among children and teens, reports the Virginia Mercury. Dr. Chris Holstege, who was assigned to a state-formed task force, attributes the spike to products containing Delta-8, which has soared in popularity since 2020. Experts blame a lack of regulation of the lab-made cannabinoid, as well as “copycat” edibles that resemble popular snacks, like Skittles and Cheetos. In June, the Virginia General Assembly passed a two-year budget banning edibles resembling protected trademarks or made in the shape of a human, animal, vehicle, or fruit.
Policing police
The Charlottesville Police Civilian Oversight Board has launched an online complaint portal that allows citizens to file police misconduct complaints, request board review of the Charlottesville Police Department’s internal affairs investigations, and submit recommendations to the department. Other new initiatives include “officer interaction cards” that anyone can request from an officer, and a community perception survey gathering input on both the department and the board. The complaint portal can be accessed at charlottesvilleva.siviltech.com.
New names
During its Monday night meeting, Charlottesville City Council passed a resolution renaming two city streets. Part of Lankford Avenue is now Dr. Alvin Edwards Drive, honoring the longtime pastor of Mount Zion First African Baptist Church. A portion of Ridge McIntire Street was also renamed Vinegar Hill Boulevard to acknowledge the thriving Black neighborhood that was razed during urban renewal in 1965.