Milenko Katic at Cville Arts Cooperative Gallery. All images courtesy of the galleries.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library 2450 Old Ivy Rd. “Visions of Progress” showcases portraits that African Americans in central Virginia commissioned from the Holsinger Studio during the first decades of the 20th century, and other permanent exhibitions.
Baker Gallery Woodberry Forest School, 898 Woodberry Forest Rd., Woodberry Forest. “Studies in Nature” by Kelly Coffin. Through February.
Botanical Fare 421 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. Watercolor paintings by Juliette Swenson. Through March 17.
Chroma Projects Inside Vault Virginia, Third St. SE. “A lifetime isn’t long enough for the beauty of this world” showcases the mixed-media nature studies of Jane Skafte. Through February 24.
City Clay 700 Harris St., Ste. 104. “50 Years 50 Pots” features pottery by Nancy Ross. Through February 26. First Fridays opening and artist talk.
The Connaughton Gallery Rouss & Robertson Halls, UVA Grounds. “Pink Dreams and Counting Sheep,” works by Lesli DeVito and Piper Groves. Through March 3. Reception February 9.
Crozet Artisan Depot 5791 Three Notch’d Rd., Crozet. “Rustic Realism,” acrylic painting on Masonite by Craig Peterson and “Outdoor Inspirations,” nature inspired jewelry by Suzanna Garrett. Through February 28. Meet the artists event with Peterson on February 11 at 1pm.
C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery 118 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. “A Farewell Exhibit—Retrospective for Milenko Katic.” Celebrate the life’s work and retirement of long-time member Milenko Katic. Through February.
Elmaleh Gallery Campbell Hall, UVA School of Architecture. “Manual Of Biogenic House Sections,” “Connected Urban Ecologies: Bridging Venice’s Urban Ecosystem,” “Soil Stories,” and “Mill to Build.” Dates vary.
The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA 155 Rugby Rd., UVA Grounds. “Joseph Cornell: Enclosing Infinity,” and other exhibitions.
Greencroft Club 575 Rodes Dr. “Landscapes and More,” acrylics by Matalie Deane and oils and pastels by Julia Kindred. Through March 31.
Jefferson School African American Heritage Center 233 Fourth St. NW. “Picture Me As I Am: Mirror and Memory in the Age of Black Resistance” showcases a selection of portraits taken of African American individuals at the Holsinger Studio. Opens February 11.
Le Yeux du Monde 841 Wolf Trap Rd. “Locus Amoenus,” works by Janet Bruce. Through February 26.
McGuffey Art Center 201 Second St. NW. In the Smith Gallery, works by Sam Fisher & Anna Fox Ryan. In the first floor galleries, works by Jing Shui and Robert Bricker, and Mike Powers and Charles Peale. In the second floor galleries, the UVA art department show. In the Associate Gallery, “RED.” Through February 28. First Fridays openings.
Sarah Lawson at New City Arts.
New City Arts 114 Third St. NE. “Salience, the sea,” an exhibition of collage work by Sarah Lawson. Through February 24. First Fridays opening and artist talk.
Northside Library 705 West Rio Rd. The Charlottesville Camera Club’s winter exhibition features over 30 photographs from the club’s members. In the Quiet Room, pastels by Brita Lineburger and mixed media by Shirley Paul. Through February 28 and opens February 13, respectively.
Bolanle Adeboye at the PVCC gallery.
PVCC Gallery V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. “Black Joy Is: Ferocious, Fearless, Forever, Female, For Me.” Local and regional African American female artists examine what Black joy is through a variety of mediums. Through March 25.
Quirk Gallery 499 W. Main St. “Daily Observations,” 68 paintings and illustrations by Elizabeth Graeber and her mother, Susan Graeber. Through February 12.
Random Row Brewery 608 Preston Ave. “Local Landscapes,” photography by Andy Stafford. Through February.
Ruffin Gallery 179 Culbreth Rd. “Counterpoint” includes recent and new photography, textile, and video installation work by Sepideh Dashti, and “Aesthetics of Undocumentedness,” a group exhibition. Through February 24 and 17, respectively.
James Everett Stanley at Second Street Gallery.
Second Street Gallery 115 Second St. SE. In the Main Gallery, “Mother Tongue” by Valencia Robin. In the Dové Gallery, “Selected Works” by James Everett Stanley. Through March 24. First Fridays opening.
Studio Ix 969 Second St. SE. “The Golden String Art Show” presents varied visual art responses to a song: “The Gold String” by Devon Sproule. Through February 26. First Fridays opening.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville 717 Rugby Rd. Works of the BozARTS Collective members Christine Rich, Brita Lineburger, and Joan Dreicer. Through February.
Vault Virginia 300 E. Main St. Bill Atwood’s “Final Bill” exhibition continues on the first and second floors.
Visible Records 1740 Broadway St. “Lago Gatún” consists of two continuous-exposure films traveling south to north through the Panama Canal by Kevin Jerome Everson. Opens February 10.
American rock outfit Journey never stopped believin’. The rock ‘n’ roll hall of famers are on the road celebrating 50 legendary years with the Freedom tour, “a special evening full of fun and rockin’ good memories,” according to founder Neal Schon. The band performs from its classic catalog, including “Any Way You Want It,” “Faithfully,” and “Lights.” Also on the ’80s rock double bill is Toto, performing hits “Africa,” “Rosanna” and more.
Sunday 2/5. $35 and up, 7:30pm. John Paul Jones Arena, 295 Massie Rd. johnpauljonesarena.com
Kat Tracy discusses “The Ancient Origins of Valentine’s Day” at Profs and Pints. Supplied image.
Learning is fun at Profs and Pints, a lecture series that connects seasoned scholars with lifelong learners. Grab drinks and food, and settle in for a talk from medievalist and Longwood University professor Kat Tracy on “The Ancient Origins of Valentine’s Day.” Tracy will share an assortment of lessons about the strange and dramatic origins of our sappiest holiday, including pre-Christian fertility rituals involving streaking and goat-skin whips, Roman mythology, and the tragic tale of a beheaded rebel saint.
Tuesday 2/7. $13.50-17, 5:30pm. Graduate Charlottesville, 1309 W. Main St. profsandpints.com
Treat your ears to a bevy of never-before-heard sounds at an intimate evening with Alash. The trio of Bady-Dorzhu Ondar, Ayan-ool Sam, and Ayan Shirizhik began studying Tuvan music in childhood, and are now masters of throat singing, a technique for producing multiple pitches at the same time. Alash’s sound is continually evolving, a result of the band’s commitment to staying true to Tuvan musical heritage while also infusing songs with modern, Western elements. With complex harmonies, a variety of instruments, contemporary song forms, and Tuvan spirit, Alash’s music is the best of both worlds.
Thursday 2/2. $20-25, 7pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.org
An overview of market activity across Charlottesville and the surrounding counties between December 2021 and December 2022. Sales decreased by double digits in all but Fluvanna County.
Graphic by Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors.
For the second year in a row, the average real estate assessment has increased by double digits.
Residential parcels increased by an average of 11.52 percent, based on 15,148 taxable properties. Commercial properties went up an average of 12.16 percent, and that includes apartment complexes, retail, and office space. When you throw in new construction, the overall average increase comes to 12.33 percent.
Nearly 98 percent of all properties in Charlottesville went up in value, with just over 1 percent declining.
As we wait for more details on how those assessments shook up, it’s a good time to look at the December numbers for property sales in the region.
“The median sales price in December was $422,450, up 5.7 percent from the previous year, a price increase of $22,950,” reads the latest report from the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors.
Those numbers are also based on lower sales volumes. There were 29.6 percent fewer homes sold in the last month than in December 2021.
Drilling into the city, only 39 homes were sold in Charlottesville compared to 55 in 2022. The median sales price increased from $406,000 to $468,000. One prominent example of the increase in valuation is the $270,000 sale of a duplex in the Orangedale neighborhood on December 19. That unit had been flipped by an entity called Aspiring Developments, which had purchased it for $140,000 in June.
December also saw other sales that were well over the 2022 assessment. A condominium on Douglas Avenue sold for $950,000, or nearly 19 percent over the 2022 figure of $441,000. A house on York-town Drive sold for $715,000, 62.13 percent over. The 2023 assessment, however, is at $646,700.
As for new construction, a recently built house on Lochlyn Hill Drive sold for $843,804. The 2023 assessment on that home is $834,900.
At the end of December, Charlottesville had the fewest active listings with 61.
Sales were down sharply in Albemarle with 115 sales compared to 189 the previous year. However, the median price increased 21 percent to $547,459. Earlier this month, the county announced an average assessment increase of 13.46 percent.
One change over December 2021 is a higher number of homes available. There were 740 active listings at the end of the month compared with 436 a year previously.
But not all communities had the same trends. Median prices went down in Greene County by 10 percent, dropping from $350,000 to $315,000. That’s based on 14 sales in 2022 compared to 27 in 2021. There were 66 active listings at the end of the month.
The number of homes sold in Fluvanna County increased by six with 44 purchases. The median sales price increased from $305,504 to $359,995 with 99 active listings on December 31. Louisa County had 57 sales, a 23 percent decrease over 2021. The median went up from $335,000 to $375,000 year-to-year. Nelson County also saw a decline in median sales price with a 6.6 percent decrease from $417,500 to $390,000.
Around a dozen people held a protest outside the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA after current and former staff and volunteers made allegations of internal dysfunction and animal mistreatment at the shelter. Photo by Eze Amos.
The executive director and CEO of the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA is under fire after more than 100 current and former staff and volunteers made allegations of severe internal dysfunction and animal mistreatment at the shelter. The organization’s board of directors, however, is standing behind Angie Gunter, who has led the CASPCA since 2017, and also serves on its board.
In an anonymous letter to the 14-member board published on January 17, the group, which has named itself CASPCA Concerns, accused Gunter of creating a toxic work environment and enabling poor animal care practices, and called on the board to remove her and hire a new CEO with a “proven track record of leading collaborative and results-driven workplaces.”
“Ms. Gunter’s management style is demeaning, divisive, and punitive. She creates a culture of fear among her staff and volunteers,” reads the letter, accusing Gunter of fueling infighting; gossiping about employees; belittling, surveilling, and targeting staff; ostracizing those who voice concerns; and refusing to address problems. “She is reactionary and upends operational processes frequently. … Her stated priorities change week to week, leaving staff unable to meet ever-changing expectations.”
Gunter’s controversial behavior has led to high employee turnover and understaffing, forcing the shelter to rely on volunteers to perform essential tasks, such as cleaning cages and feeding animals, claims CASPCA Concerns. Employees often do not receive adequate training, and some are not able to safely handle animals or properly assess their needs and behaviors.
Additionally, the group accuses Gunter—who made $182,142 in 2020, according to the nonprofit’s latest Form 990—and the executive team of subjecting animals to unhealthy living conditions. Members say they have found large dogs housed in crates that are too small for them to move around in, and living in their own feces and urine. They’ve also seen dogs and cats put in isolation for months, receiving little to no enrichment and interaction, and discovered dogs suffering medical complications and in need of emergency surgery, leading to the death of one dog within the last year. And across the shelter, housing areas are in desperate need of maintenance and upgrades—but leadership continues to transfer in animals, and put the CASPCA over capacity, according to the group.
“Some cats are housed in single-compartment cages. … The windows in the Small Dog/Puppy Room have rusted frames. Hoses leak and leave standing water on the floor of the Small Dog Isolation room,” reads the letter, which includes photos of rusted windows falling apart. “Some kennels have peeling paint on the kennel floor or chewed marks in the kennel wall. The sliding internal doors that separate dog kennels are often broken.”
“Recently transferred dogs are housed in crates as there are no available kennels to accommodate them. [The] CASPCA transfers in dogs with known behavior concerns even though it does not have a canine behavior director,” the letter continues. “These dogs with behavior concerns often live in the shelter for months without finding homes.”
In addition to calling for Gunter’s removal, CASPCA Concerns urged the board to engage animal welfare and workplace consultants to “develop a plan to enact swift but long-lasting improvements,” as well as attract and hire a “more diverse set of employees.” They also encouraged the shelter to provide exit interviews, require training for the executive team, designate one board seat for an active shelter volunteer, and “offer a way for employees to express concerns without fear of retaliation.”
After the board did not immediately respond to its letter, the group sent a second one on January 23, which included an additional dozen testimonies from former staff and current volunteers. (The first letter contained statements from over 30 current and previous employees and volunteers.) The following day, Board President Jenn Corbey said the board “intends to pursue diligently the goals of making the shelter a better place,” but “we believe that Angie Gunter is the best person to lead this effort forward and she will continue to act as the CASPCA’s CEO.”
“The CEO and the Board will work closely together to ensure that your concerns about staff development, workplace enhancement, and organizational and leadership development are addressed in a meaningful way,” continued Corbey. “We ask for your patience as this process moves forward.”
In a January 27 press release, the board, represented by the public relations firm Blue Ridge Group, reiterated its support of Gunter, and denied allegations of animal mistreatment. “[Gunter’s] commitment to the animals has been exemplary, and she is committed to the wellbeing of the staff. … There has been no evidence of animal neglect or cruelty,” reads the statement, blaming staff and volunteers for “the poor treatment of the animals.”
“We will continue to work closely with the Board, the staff, the volunteers and the community with the goal of making the shelter a better place,” the statement continues.
In a January 27 WINA interview, Corbey also refuted the claims of animal mistreatment and a hostile work environment. When asked how she knew the complaints about Gunter’s management and behavior were not true, Corbey provided no details, and said the board does not speak with past employees. The board is currently conducting its own investigation, plans to hire workplace consultants and implement measures to improve the organization, and will release a statement when its investigation is complete, she said.
“We’re not taking this lightly at all. We’re reading the letters and are taking this under investigation,” said Corbey, declining to share how the board is investigating the complaints.
According to CASPCA Concerns, the shelter received a write-up for incorrect custody records and a warning regarding animals housed in the basement and offices during a 2021 state inspection. “Staff, fosters, and volunteers provide the best care to animals that they possibly can under current circumstances. The substandard care for and placement of animals is the direct result of Angie Gunter’s ineffective management style, failure to retain staff, and unqualified decision making,” reads the coalition’s January 27 statement.
In response to the board’s support of Gunter, around a dozen people held a protest outside the shelter on January 27, and former volunteer Juliet Lunka started a change.org petition calling for both Gunter and Corbey’s removal, which has over 1,300 signatures as of January 30. The CASPCA Concerns Facebook page has amassed more than 370 followers.
Toxic work environment
In the WINA interview, Corbey claimed the backlash against Gunter “came as a shock,” and she said they hadn’t received complaints about her before—however, CASPCA Concerns says these allegations against Gunter and the shelter’s executive team are not new. In 2018, former executive assistant Tomeka Rhoades sent the board a five-page letter following her resignation, claiming Gunter repeatedly demeaned her, gossiped about other employees and board members, yelled and cursed at her, and tried to control her, among other inappropriate behavior.
“I feel that I have been a victim of mental, verbal, emotional abuse, bullying, and discrimination. It felt like every day I was reminded of how smart I wasn’t or talked to like a juvenile or treated like a slave,” wrote Rhoades, who worked at the SPCA for a year. “I left the shelter almost every day in tears.”
The following year, former volunteer Kristin Swenson sent a 13-page letter to the board, sharing concerns about the shelter’s poor animal care practices and toxic work environment. And in 2021, an anonymous employee sent the board president a nine-page letter alerting them of poor leadership, high turnover, and other critical issues.
After resigning last year, one former shelter employee, who wishes to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, says they heard about similar negative experiences from many people who had resigned before them and those who left after them. “So I started reaching out to people and slowly but surely, I got [CASPCA Concerns] going,” says the former employee, who worked at the shelter for a year and a half.
At the shelter, the employee says they did not receive training, and witnessed Gunter pit employees against each other and use gossip against those she disliked.
“It is literally the behavior of a bully,” they claim. Gunter and the executive team “didn’t care that I was staying 12 hours a day [or] that I care about the animals. They basically made my life so miserable there that I had to leave for my own mental health.”
Last year, the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA placed a record number of pets in adoptive homes, achieving a 99 percent live release rate for dogs and 98 percent rate for cats—yet this success is “built on a crumbling foundation,” and cannot last much longer, claims CASPCA Concerns. Due to the shelter’s toxic work environment, the group says that at least 50 employees have resigned since November 2021, and at least 30 directors, managers, and other non-entry-level staff have resigned since January 2020. Seventeen job openings—including multiple manager and coordinator positions—are listed on the CASPCA’s website as of January 30.
Following the board’s refusal to fire Gunter, Animal Care Manager Courtney Ott resigned on January 25, describing the mistreatment she experienced and witnessed.
“The recent response from [Corbey] solidifies that this toxic environment will continue to be an issue,” wrote Ott in a letter to the board. “This acceptance and ignorance of mistreatment is so much deeper than I thought.”
“Those of us who are sweating, crying, and breaking our bodies to care for these animals the best we can day in and day out,” wrote Ott, “are treated as just replaceable numbers.”
Animal mistreatment
Shelter whistleblowers have raised the alarm about numerous types of poor animal care and treatment.
Former adoption and intake manager and dog care lead Claire Allen claims her concerns about animal overcrowding at the shelter “fell on deaf ears.” Supplied photo.
They claim dogs with behavior concerns are isolated without placement plans, and are unavailable for adoption for months. “There were multiple instances where we would adopt out dogs that have significant bite histories into the public without proper counseling with the adopters,” including an instance in which a dog, who was later euthanized, bit off an adopter’s ear, says Katie Roche, who served as the shelter’s adoption and intake coordinator, humane education and outreach coordinator, and an adoption counselor.
There are currently three dogs up for adoption that have killed other dogs, but it is not mentioned in their online biographies, claims Roche, who resigned in 2021. A fourth available dog was involved in an altercation that led to another dog’s euthanasia. Additionally, Roche accuses the executive team of transferring in too many animals—including those with contagious, deadly illnesses. During her three years at the shelter, she says she saw many dogs forced to live in crates due to housing areas being at capacity.
In CASPCA Concerns’ January 17 letter, several photos from recent years show dogs housed in crates, while a 2021 photo shows three puppies and an adult dog housed in an exercise pen, with feces and urine covering the floor. (Corbey claimed these photos were “false.”)
Former adoption and intake manager and dog care lead Claire Allen echoes concerns about untrained staff, rampant overcrowding, and dangerous dogs. She claims she was instructed to hide dogs in play parks, offices, and other areas, and forge custody records during an inspection.
“Despite voicing the shortage of space numerous times, it fell on deaf ears,” says Allen, who left the shelter in 2018 after working there for three years, in a letter to the board. “Dogs harming themselves and circling in their crates were left to suffer for the sake of maintaining a high live release rate.”
When Allen later became an animal control officer for the City of Charlottesville, “behavioral evaluations were discontinued entirely, and Animal Control’s direct access to the shelter’s informational database was taken away,” she said. “When I would ask for updates on particular animals, staff would have no knowledge of what was going on.”
CASPCA Concerns says it will continue to gather evidence of employee and animal mistreatment, and send letters to the board and publish them online—until leadership meets its demands. In addition, the group urges people to email the board, volunteer at the shelter, and foster or adopt an animal in need of a safe, loving home.
“People are getting pretty upset. They’re saying they’re not going to volunteer or give money to the shelter. The board needs to take this seriously,” says the former employee who started the coalition. “We are strong, we are united, and we’re not giving up.”
Caged in
In photos shared by CASPCA Concerns, multiple dogs can be seen housed in crates and cages, with feces and urine covering the floor—evidence of poor animal care and treatment, the group claims.
Syleethia Carr, a graduate of the Public Housing Association of Residents’ internship program, says affordable housing is not being built fast enough in Charlottesville. Photo by Eze Amos.
On November 15, 2021, the City of Charlottesville approved a comprehensive plan to address equity issues in land use, transportation, and housing. A vital component of this plan was to increase affordable housing, specifically by building more duplexes and apartment buildings in areas traditionally reserved for single-family housing.
But every new housing project involves a lengthy approval process, including input from community members who often oppose new developments. For instance, approval for a new eight-story building on Jefferson Park Avenue only passed by one vote last May, with opponents of the project arguing that it would block sunlight from other residents and intrude on neighborhoods historically occupied by families.
Livable Cville, an advocacy group that believes housing is a human right, seeks to provide answers for those skeptical of new developments. In a FAQ document posted on its website, the group answers questions like “Won’t this all just benefit developers and real estate investors?”, “Will the proposed land use map lead to the construction of large apartment buildings in my neighborhood?”, and “Has this process been rushed?”
Charlottesville resident Syleethia Carr argues that the process is not happening fast enough. “At the end of the day, City Council members are going home, maybe to a house, apartment, townhouse, or duplex. But many here are going to their cars or under a bridge looking for shelter anywhere.”
The Daily Progress reported last May that homeless rates were up in both the city and the county. A Virginia Public Media report last year found that over 1,000 people in the city were on a waitlist for affordable housing vouchers.
“Having stable and secure housing is something that is important to the cultural fabric of Charlottesville,” says Carr, a graduate of the Public Housing Association of Residents’ internship program. “You have people that were now shipped out to Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, Fluvanna but most of them don’t have transportation. Affordable housing is needed because these people work here.”
Matthew Gillikin, a Charlottesville resident who has been involved in housing conversations since the summer of 2017, concurs. “I think it’s very important to pair zoning regulations that allow more people to live closer to their jobs and schools and amenities,” he said, noting the issue is multifaceted.
“I’ll be the first person to say that zoning alone isn’t going to solve this issue,” Gillikin says. “It’s an issue a decade in the making. And so it’s not like we’re going to be able to quickly undo the damage that’s been done.”
One part of the solution that Gillikin has focused on is parking. In an op-ed to the Progress, he urged the city to eliminate parking minimums to allow for more affordable housing.
Carr says students at the University of Virginia have a role to play and can use their voices to advocate for the community. “The people that are right here … that are pushing the trash out the way, that are driving the cars around, these people that do these jobs, they are the ones that are helping us,” she said.
Carr sees UVA students as a part of the community, not separate from it.
“We are together as a community, as a whole community. When you go to Walmart, I go to Walmart too,” she says. “My main joy is seeing a child smile because they are at home with their family. The question is when will there be affordable housing here? How long will we wait on real affordable housing?”
Although RaShall Brackney’s attorney has compared the former police chief’s lawsuit to a “15-round heavyweight title fight,” others think the judge’s January 20 ruling to dismiss will be upheld on appeal. Staff photo.
In June, former Charlottesville police chief RaShall Brackney held a fiery press conference outside the federal courthouse in downtown Charlottesville announcing a gender and race discrimination lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville and 10 individual defendants over her September 2021 termination. Seven months later, a federal judge dismissed all of her claims.
“The plaintiff must plead enough factual content to nudge a claim across the border from mere possibility to plausibility,” wrote Judge Norman K. Moon, whose ruling to dismiss was filed on January 20.
C-VILLE legal analyst Scott Goodman says he’s not surprised by Moon’s ruling.
“I don’t think there was anything to the lawsuit,” he says. “And Judge Moon confirmed that by basically saying there was no evidence, there was no proof that anything that happened to the chief was related to race or gender or anything else other than just subjective decisions made by city administrators that she was not up to the job.”
Through a spokesperson, the city declined to comment. Other defendants, however, expressed relief.
“When city employees, city leaders, are meeting to discuss the performance of the chief of police, we’re allowed to discuss the performance of the chief of police and to conclude that for whatever reason, we don’t want to continue with the chief of police in office as long as the reason is not something that’s racially improper,” said Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook, who is also an attorney. “And the judge found there is no evidence that there was any racial [or gender] aspect to this decision.”
Bellamy Brown, the former chair of the Police Civilian Oversight Board, noted that his role as a defendant stemmed from a single public statement he made.
“The only thing that I did within my role as the chair … was to alert the community as to how things were within the police department,” he says. “The court looked at the law and the facts and … I think the court came to a correct result.”
In his statement following the dismissal, Brackney’s attorney Charles Tucker says the suit met the legal standard and should have advanced to trial.
“When we embarked on this case with Dr. RaShall Brackney, we understood that the process would be equal to a 15-round heavyweight title fight,” the statement reads. “We did not come into this lawsuit with any delusions regarding Charlottesville’s atmosphere of entitlement or its institutions of cultural supremacy.”
Tucker has promised to continue the fight, but Goodman says he expects Moon’s ruling to be upheld on appeal.
“Of course, Mr. Tucker is going to complain that Judge Moon never really heard testimony from witnesses in court, that he based his decision before there was even a trial,” Goodman says. “But Judge Moon was able to look at what the filings were and the supporting documents in the filings and say, even with what you have, there’s not enough here.”
In addition to naming the city, Snook, and Bellamy as defendants, Brackney’s lawsuit also named former interim city manager Chip Boyles, former assistant Charlottesville police chiefs Jim Mooney and LaTroy “Tito” Durrette, and former city councilors Heather Hill and Sena Magill. Also named was Michael Wells, president of the local Police Benevolent Association.
The suit described policies and procedures Brackney implemented as chief to increase transparency and reduce racial discrimination in policing and her firing of three officers who were captured on video engaging in what the suit describes as “unlawful, criminal, departmentally inappropriate, misogynistic, harassing and racist” behavior. After an investigation, the suit alleged, Brackney also disbanded the SWAT unit prompting the defendants to retaliate against her.
Brackney’s suit alleged that defendant Wells and the Police Benevolent Association administered an internal police survey designed to reflect badly on her. It also cited public statements made by other defendants.
“While great strides were made with the department in areas of racial equity and addressing officer conduct, many of these changes came about at the expense of leadership mistrust among many of the officers we depend on to protect and serve our city,” Boyles said publicly in the weeks after her filing, according to the suit.
“Even Black women officers were leaving,” Snook told CBS19 News on October 4, 2021, the suit notes. “These were her handpicked people.”
The suit claims that no Caucasian or male department leads faced similar treatment during a period of pending departure.
Judge Moon rejected each of the suit’s claims, noting that Brackney had not established a relationship between Wells and the city and ruling that other defendants, as city employees, “cannot interfere with the City’s contract with Plaintiff.”
Courteney Stuart is host of “Charlottesville Right Now” on WINA. You can hear her interviews with Lloyd Snook, Bellamy Brown, and Scott Goodman at wina.com.
