Call for IMPACT
Members of Interfaith Ministries Promoting Action by Congregating Together held a “justice ministry rally” on February 26, calling for city and county leaders to address transit issues and the affordable housing crisis.
Started in 2006, IMPACT is an organizing coalition with members from 27 different area congregations of various faiths. The event spotlighted issues with local transit and housing systems, and included testimonials of impacted individuals and suggested solutions.
Housing advocates spoke to the need for more affordable housing in the Charlottesville area, and called on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to create and consistently fund an affordable housing trust fund with clear regulations.
“The people I’m talking to seem aware, it’s just that action is taking way too long,” said Laura Swift of Crozet United Methodist Church.
Swift also shared her personal experience with housing insecurity and the housing voucher system with the crowd of approximately 250 people. “I would just like people to be aware of how disproportionately it affects people with mental illness, who maybe can’t work full time,” she said.
On the topic of transit, speakers emphasized the importance of a frequent, reliable, and fully staffed public transit system.
“This is not anything new to the people that work in transit, we have been short [staffed] for a very long time,” said Charlottesville Area Transit driver Matthew Ray. “We don’t have the number of drivers necessary to do the routes.”
According to Ray, approximately six new buses have sat idle for months, waiting to be wrapped with the CAT logo and have radios installed.
“I think many people believe that transit doesn’t affect them, because we have a really car-centric community that we’ve built that way deliberately,” said IMPACT Co-president Kelsey Cowger. “People fail to recognize that they are one kind of bad fall away from having to be a bus rider … one epilepsy diagnosis or one financial crisis where their car gets repossessed … or one DUI. There’s a lot of things that can turn people into bus riders, and we’ve got to care about a transit system, even if it’s not something that we use all the time.”
Charlottesville City Councilors Michael Payne and Natalie Oschrin were both in attendance, and committed to bringing forward a budget amendment funding a 70-driver roster for CAT, getting more buses on the road by September, and scheduling a follow-up meeting with IMPACT prior to finalizing the city budget.
While attendees celebrated Payne and Oschrin’s presence at the rally, event leaders expressed frustration at the absence of other local leaders.
“We had a meeting with Juandiego Wade yesterday, and he said he was free but wanted to engage in some self care,” said Cowger. “It was a super frustrating meeting.”
Other members of council opted not to attend due to a misinterpretation of the public meetings law and would not acknowledge the rally in a public notice, according to the IMPACT co-president.
“Public officials need to see the people they represent,” said Cowger.
Frat suspended
An alleged hazing at the University of Virginia has left a student in a coma and put a fraternity under investigation. According to the Jefferson Independent, a student publication, the second-year transfer was intoxicated when he fell down the Kappa Sigma stairs and hit his head. The injury sent him to the hospital, and earned the frat a suspension. Kappa Sigma’s national organization claims it is aware of the incident and will hold any responsible parties accountable, while UVA told The Daily Progress, “We take allegations of hazing seriously and act quickly to investigate them and take disciplinary action if necessary.”
‘Embarrassing’
Rep. Bob Good doesn’t seem to know when he’s not welcome. Good was reportedly kicked out of a Trump-themed Farmville store after a disagreement over whether the congressman was invited to the business’ grand opening. Karen Angulo, owner of the self-styled “MAGA shop,” says the Republican, who represents Virginia’s 5th District, was explicitly told not to come to the event. Good had sent texts to his supporters announcing his arrival, which seemed to coincide with his 5th District Republican challenger John McGuire’s sanctioned appearance at the store. In a video obtained by The Daily Progress, Angulo can be heard telling Good inside the shop to “seriously stop this. This is embarrassing, Bob.”
Shots fired
Charlottesville police responded to two shooting incidents in less than 24 hours on the weekend of February 24. CPD Chief Michael Kochis says a 2am dispute on the Downtown Mall between two people led to a shooting that put one individual in the hospital. The second shooting, on Stewart Circle, had no reported injuries. Kochis says he’s relying on community input to help identify the shooters.