Tag: criminal justice

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On firing

RaShall Brackney helmed the Charlottesville Police Department from 2018 to 2021. PC: Eze Amos

More than a month after the firing of Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney, city leadership continues to argue over the decision-making process that led to her dismissal. 

At Monday’s council meeting, after grilling from city councilors, City Manager Chip Boyles once again offered an explanation for his decision that left some councilors unsatisfied.

Though Boyles emphasized his support for the reforms Brackney enacted during her time in charge—including dismantling the SWAT team for severe misconduct—he claimed that many departmental leaders planned to quit their jobs due to their lack of trust in the chief. He also pointed to the results of two anonymous surveys of police officers, which led him to believe the department would only descend into “further chaos” under Brackney’s leadership.

“With discussions with officers, city leaders, department heads, and other individuals…it became evident to me that some type of a change needed to be made,” said Boyles. He refused to say exactly who he met with, though he did admit to twice meeting with Michael Wells, president of the central Virginia chapter of the Police Benevolent Association.

However, “I wish that some things had been different,” he said. “I should have had a better relationship with Chief Brackney that I could have identified some of these needs earlier, and we could have worked together on those.”

In response to Mayor Nikuyah Walker’s previous questions about turnover in the department, Boyles said that 100 employees have left CPD over the past three years, with 93 being resignations, retirements, or behavior related. Seventy-four new people have been hired within the same time period.

Councilor Michael Payne emphasized the need for a strategy to restore the community’s trust. Many were upset about the firing of Brackney, who was the city’s first Black woman police chief.

“I don’t know if it’s possible…for there to be discipline and reforms going on and not have officers leave the force,” said Payne. “How do we provide guarantees that we don’t return to these older models of policing?”

“We need to accept that when changes and reforms are being made, there’s a real inevitability [the changes] will be targeted by the PBA,” he added.

Councilor Lloyd Snook claimed the city was moving in the right direction. 

“The only issue is whether we fire the city manager for firing the police chief, and I want to say very clearly the answer to that has to be no,” he said. “I’m not terribly anxious to keep reliving the past—we need to be looking forward.”

Walker questioned Boyles about how he knew there was a “mistrust in leadership” after reading the two police surveys—which Boyles called “very unscientific”—since Brackney’s name is only mentioned twice.

“She’s in charge of the command staff,” replied Boyles. “There is no smoking gun in this…there was a combination of multiple things that made me believe we were going in the wrong direction.”

Walker turned the situation around on Boyles. “Since all of these people are secretive, and you think that’s okay, would you want us to make a decision about whether you stayed here based on some random conversations we had without talking to you?” asked the Mayor.

Toward the end of the meeting, Walker played a short audio recording she secretly made of Boyles, in which the city manager describes Wells’ desire to get Brackney fired. Walker claimed that the urgency around the termination was undeniably tied to the PBA’s concerns, despite the insistence by both Councilor Heather Hill and the city manager that PBA boss Wells hadn’t pressured Boyles into firing Brackney.

“[Boyles] can clearly make up anything he wants, and y’all are going to believe him,” said Walker, before quickly adjourning the meeting. 

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On call

Group of protestors in downtown Charlottesville, one person holds a Defund the Police sign
Last summer’s protests prompted Virginia legislators to pass the Marcus-David Peters Act, which limits the role of police during mental health crises. PC: Eze Amos

Last summer, hundreds of people took to the streets of downtown Charlottesville, demanding justice for Black people murdered by police across the country. Many protesters urged the city to drastically reduce the Charlottesville Police Department’s $18 million budget, and reallocate those funds toward community services, including mental health treatment. 

Thanks to new legislation, a mental health crisis unit could soon be coming to Charlottesville. In November, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Marcus-David Peters Act, named in honor of a 24-year-old Black high school biology teacher killed during a severe mental health crisis in 2018 by a Richmond police officer. 

The act directs localities to limit the role of law enforcement in mental health crises, instead establishing a Marcus Alert system to bring non-police responders into the fold. By July 2022, the city must create a 988 phone number for mental health crises, and develop a response protocol defining when law enforcement will—and will not—need to be involved in answering calls.

In January, a work group—including city councilors, community leaders, emergency services professionals, and individuals who have experienced mental health crises—began exploring how to create a new mental health response system in Charlottesville. Last week, the group presented its findings to City Council, alongside the Imagining A Just Cville work group.

Mental health advocate Myra Anderson, co-chair of the Marcus Alert group, explained how police have mistreated her during many of her mental health crises. She also highlighted the cases of Black people who were killed by police while experiencing a crisis, including Corrine Gaines, Deborah Danner, and Anthony Hill.

“There have been times where I’ve found the police to be very helpful, [and] there have been times when things have gone horribly wrong,” said Anderson. “But I feel like when I’m in a crisis, I shouldn’t have to play Russian roulette with how they are going to show up.”

Lieutenant Larry Jones, who works with CPD’s crisis intervention team, expressed his support for the Marcus alert system. Responding to mental health calls is often very time consuming and costly for police, he said. He suggested the department create a specialized mental health unit specifically for high-risk calls requiring police intervention.

In order to establish a robust response system, mental health care professionals and facilities will need a lot more funding and community support, explained Region Ten Executive Director Lisa Beitz. In July, five of Virginia’s eight state-run mental hospitals stopped accepting new admissions due to staffing and capacity issues. Many people experiencing mental health crises have had to spend days with a police officer in their local emergency room, waiting for a bed to be available at a state or private mental hospital.

Representing the Imagining a Just Cville work group, which was organized by Mayor Nikuyah Walker last year, Neal Goodloe of the Jefferson Area Community Criminal Justice Board shared the results of his study on crime in Charlottesville over the past decade. Though reported crime has decreased by similar percentages among Black and white residents, Black people are more likely to be arrested and incarcerated, and white people are more likely to stay in jail for less than a day.

Charlottesville resident Wanda Smith, Walker’s cousin, spoke about how her family has been impacted by mass incarceration. While her brother and sister were incarcerated for over a decade, she had to help raise her nieces and nephews, preventing her from pursuing her own life goals. Raylaja Waller of City of Promise discussed how seeing her father go in and out of jail deeply affected her as a child, and she advocated for more grassroots re-entry programs.

CPD intern Nancy Amin, a University of Texas School of Law student, highlighted the effects of officer discretion during arrests, using recent police department data. She described a traffic stop involving a white woman who admitted to driving drunk, but started crying and claimed that another CPD officer was her best friend. The woman was allowed to park her car and take an Uber home, and was not arrested. During a similar traffic stop involving a Hispanic man, the officer became impatient because the man did not speak English. The man did not understand the officer’s request for a sobriety test, but the officer arrested him for “refusing” the test, and he was found guilty of a DUI. (The charge was later dismissed.)

To take discretion away from officers, former CPD chief RaShall Brackney—who continues to work with the group despite her recent firing—suggested the city create a diversion program that people accused of certain offenses could opt in to before being arrested or charged. 

City Manager Chip Boyles expressed his support for the recommendations and a willingness to get to work on them.

“These are just really starting points,” said Walker. “There’s a lot of work still left undone, and those things are going to require some funding [and] whoever is at the table in the city to see the vision.”

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In brief

front view of Montpelier during sunset showing four white columns topped by triangle archway
PC: Jennifer Glass

Descendants will have equal say at Montpelier 

The Montpelier Foundation voted last week to share governance of the historic property with the Montpelier Descendants Committee, an organization comprised of descendants of the enslaved laborers who once lived and worked on the plantation. 

Montpelier is widely known as the estate of James Madison, the fourth U.S. president, but the Orange County property was also home to more than 300 enslaved laborers. In recent years, the organization has sought to bring their history to the fore. The move to formally share control of the property with the descendants community is “unprecedented,” says the foundation.

James French, the chair of the Descendants Committee, praised the decision in a statement. “This vote to grant equal co-stewardship authority to the Descendants of those who were enslaved is groundbreaking,” said French, who’s a financial technology entrepreneur by day. “The decision moves the perspectives of the Descendants of the enslaved from the periphery to the center, and offers an important, innovative step for Montpelier to share broader, richer and more truthful interpretations of history with wider audiences.”

COVID cases remain steady—and low—in the Charlottesville area 

From June 7 to June 21, Charlottesville and Albemarle combined reported 20 new cases of coronavirus. That’s the smallest number of new cases in a two-week stretch since the early days of the virus in the spring of 2020. The Blue Ridge Health District, which includes Charlottesville, Albemarle, and four neighboring counties, reported just two new cases on Monday and two new cases over the weekend. 
Sixty-eight percent of Albemarle adults and 57 percent of Charlottesville adults are fully vaccinated. Statewide, 60 percent of adults have had both shots. 

I hate losing at pretty much anything. My girlfriend hates playing Mario Kart with me due to this fact.


UVA closer Stephen Schoch, discussing his competitive mentality ahead of the baseball team’s College World Series appearance this week

In brief:

Masks won’t be prosecuted

Virginia state law says it’s illegal to wear a mask in order to conceal your identity. For obvious reasons, that law was put on hold during the pandemic, but it’ll go back into effect on June 30, when the state government’s COVID-inspired state of emergency ends. Locally, however, people who plan to continue masking shouldn’t worry—the Charlottesville and Albemarle Commonwealth’s Attorney’s offices released a joint statement this week saying, “Those who wish to continue to wear masks in public to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 spread and exposure may do so without fear of prosecution.”

Affordable Albemarle

The Albemarle Planning Commission voted 6-1 in favor of a proposed development that will see 190 affordable units, and 332 total units, constructed near the Forest Lakes community off Route 29, reports The Daily Progress. Since the proposal’s debut in March, some Forest Lakes residents have voiced their opposition to the construction, but the planning commission cited the high cost of living in the county as a key reason for allowing the project to move ahead.

Sue me? Will do, said hospitals  

A study from Johns Hopkins University highlights just how aggressive UVA and VCU hospitals were in suing patients for unpaid medical bills, reports the Virginia Mercury. Both facilities stopped suing patients in 2020 after facing public pressure over the practice, but the study reports that the two hospitals were the most litigious of 100 hospitals analyzed. From 2018 to 2020, VCU initiated legal action 17,806 times. UVA finished second at 7,107. 

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Heating up

Three members of the BUCK squad sit with an event attendee during a community day at Westhave public housing community
Members of the all-volunteer B.U.C.K. Squad are working to stop gun violence in Charlottesville. PC: Supplied photo

Two weeks ago, Pertelle Gilmore received an urgent phone call—there was a conflict going on at the Westhaven public housing community. Joined by a few other members of the B.U.C.K. Squad, he rushed to the scene to urge everyone involved to stand down and put away their guns. But while the violence interrupters talked to one group, the other one started shooting. 

“Two truckloads of guys pulled up [and] let loose,” says Gilmore, executive director of the B.U.C.K.—Brothers United to Cease the Killing—Squad. “Kids were everywhere. There were probably about 30 kids out there.”

“Someone got shot that night,” he says. The victim survived, and is in stable condition.

According to Gilmore, this shooting could have been prevented if the all-volunteer squad had enough violence interrupters on the scene to deescalate both parties at the same time. But a majority of the squad’s members were at work, and couldn’t get there before the bullets started flying.

Multiple shootings have occurred in or near public housing in the last month. The first weekend of May saw four separate shots-fired incidents, according to the Charlottesville Police Department.  

Around the country, gun violence increases during the summer, Gilmore warns. 

“We’ve been inside during the cold months, but once the first semblance of some warmth comes out, people come out,” he says. “You have these various personalities and egos in these neighborhoods. The more egos you got the more clashes you have.”

In response to the gun violence spike in Charlottesville’s predominantly Black communities over the past year, the B.U.C.K. Squad began intervening in conflicts in January, talking down groups before they turned to violence. The following month, City Council donated about $20,000 to the squad for conflict resolution training. Since then, the volunteers have relied on community donations, which currently cover only basic expenses, Gilmore says.

Despite these financial limitations, the group has been largely successful. Out of the 46 conflicts its members have intervened in, only three resulted in shootings.

It’s embarrassing that we live in such an affluent, rich, and wealthy community and have to fight for funding.

Pertelle Gilmore, executive director of the B.U.C.K. Squad

According to operations director Herb Dickerson, the squad needs around 30 additional members to fully handle the anticipated summer rise in gun violence. 

With its limited resources, Guns Down Virginia, an affiliated group, has also kicked off several initiatives to tackle the root causes of violence, including youth mentorship, grief counseling, gun buybacks, and community events.

When asked about Gilmore’s calls for funding, City Councilor Sena Magill said the city is working to address gun violence from “multiple directions.”

“We are looking into a number of things, including how to maximize city dollars with possible other grants and multiple interventions that need to take place,” says Magill, speaking only for herself. 

Councilor Lloyd Snook echoed Magill’s sentiments, explaining that the city will likely use state and federal funds to tackle the problem.

Gilmore has also had success securing funding from angel investors. This month, Guns Down received $10,000 from local entrepreneur David Manka, who Gilmore says has challenged every well-off white Charlottesville resident to match his donation.

“It’s embarrassing that we live in such an affluent, rich, and wealthy community and have to fight for funding to cure something as atrocious as the murder and homicide of Black babies,” says Gilmore. “I find it disgraceful to say I’m a Charlottesvillian, and walk on the Downtown Mall and see people who I know can change the whole trajectory of a generation of Black people with one check.”

“An attitude of indifference [is] a part of the problem,” he says. “Play your part, and let’s change the city.”

To donate to the B.U.C.K. Squad, visit bucksquad911.org. 

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Inching forward

Dozens of local residents protesting and holding signs across the stress from the Charlottesville Police Department
Activists hope to transform the energy from last summer’s protests into real structural reform of local law enforcement. PC: Eze Amos

Charlottesville’s Police Civilian Review Board continues to disagree with city officials over how much power it should wield.

Shortly after August 2017, in response to demands for increased oversight of law enforcement, City Council committed to the creation of a Police Civilian Review Board, a body that would give area residents some checks on the police’s power. In the years since, the board has been caught in bureaucratic limbo, as its members, elected officials, and law enforcement have quarreled over how much power the board should have. The drawn-out process has frustrated those hoping to see local criminal justice reform.

This summer could offer clarity, as a new law—passed by the state legislature in the wake of last summer’s racial justice demonstrations—explicitly grants broad power to police civilian review boards across Virginia. In an April 27 work session, Charlottesville CRB members proposed a new set of rules for the board, and city councilors expressed concerns. 

Under the new law, the CRB is allowed to receive, investigate, and issue findings on complaints of serious misconduct and incidents involving use of force. It also has the power to subpoena documents and witnesses. If the accused party is found guilty of misconduct, the board can issue a binding disciplinary ruling for cases involving “serious breaches of departmental and professional standards” after consulting with the police chief, including demotion, suspension without pay, or termination.

The new law also gives the board power to review less serious internal affairs investigations, as well as evaluate department policies, practices, and procedures.

Since December, a group composed of current and former CRB members, as well as members of the activist group The People’s Coalition, has worked to align the current ordinance with the new state law, researching various police oversight models and consulting with the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.

“I have real serious problems,” said Councilor Lloyd Snook of the proposed ordinance. “I have no problems with a good strong review board. But I don’t see this draft as creating a review board, [but] a substitute disciplinary board.”

Councilor Heather Hill and Police Chief RaShall Brackney claimed that the board had not collaborated enough with CPD on the ordinance. Brackney worried there would not be due process for officers under both the CRB and CPD’s disciplinary processes.

“We’ve been taking advice from the acting city attorney and our independent counsel. They both reviewed the draft ordinance and neither of them have raised the issues that Chief Brackney did,” responded CRB vice-chair Will Mendez.

Both Councilors Michael Payne and Sena Magill pointed out that the board’s investigations may not be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, which could discourage community members from coming forward with complaints. 

“Right now we cannot promise that members of the public that their personal information can be protected. That is definitely a detail that needs to be worked out,” said Acting City Attorney Lisa Robertson.

City Council has had plenty of time to have investigated and done the research to find out what models would work for Charlottesville.

Rosia Parker, initial CRB member

Several councilors expressed concern over the operating procedures for the board’s investigations, but CRB chair Bellamy Brown explained they could better address these specific concerns once an executive director is hired. The city is actively searching for a board director, and has received 64 applications for the position. 

Mayor Nikuyah Walker questioned what a proper collaboration between the board and department would look like. “When we’re talking about transforming a system, there’s only so much that the individuals already a part of that system can bring to the table,” she said.

During public comment, initial CRB member Rosia Parker criticized the councilors for their unfamiliarity with the new legislation and focus on the rights of police officers. “City Council has had plenty of time to have investigated and done the research to find out what models would work for Charlottesville,” she said. 

“I’m not sure why there is fear for breaking ground and why you should have any fear of creating oversight of the police,” said lawyer Teresa Hepler. “People of color being followed, harassed, and injured by the police are afraid. So how can you be scared to do something different?”  

Walker responded that she is “not against anything,” but that she wants to know exactly how the revamped board is going to work before she votes on the ordinance. Payne and Magill agreed that the city must get the ordinance right the first time around, or other localities may be deterred from creating their own powerful review boards.

After further discussion, council and the board agreed to have multiple full-day work sessions to go over each specific power in the draft ordinance with the board’s legal council and Robertson.

Moving forward, initial CRB member Sarah Burke hopes that council will get “up to speed” on the new legislation, and will listen to the community as it works with the board to provide meaningful police oversight.

“What I saw the other night was the City Council grilling the CRB on the model without seeming to have a lot of their own background and research on the issue,” says Burke. “I [also] don’t understand this idea that somehow the CRB should be chastised for failing to listen to the police officers who haven’t engaged with the work.” 

Parker also urges council to be open-minded, transparent, and willing to change.

“We as the people, we’re going to keep pushing,” she says. “It’s time for change, and the time is now.”

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In brief

Bar graph of the five Democrat candidates' polling results with small pictures of their faces on the bottom
Former governor Terry McAuliffe has opened a sizeable lead in the governor’s race, according to a survey from Public Policy Polling last week. Note, however, that 29 percent of voters remain undecided.

Look out: Terry’s running away with it 

It’s no surprise that Terry McAuliffe is leading the Democratic primary gubernatorial field in fundraising. The former Virginia governor and DNC chair is famous for his shameless shakedowns—in a 2007 book, he wrote about making his teary wife and newborn baby wait in the car on the way home from the hospital while he jumped into a gala to raise “a million bucks for the Democratic Party.” (Yes, really.) Thus far in his campaign, McAuliffe has pulled in $7.2 million, more than the rest of the Democratic field combined, per the Virginia Public Access Project. Former state legislator Jennifer Carroll Foy is second with $3.7 million in her war chest.

That money edge—plus McAuliffe’s name recognition as a former governor—has translated to polling success. A mid-April Public Policy Polling survey shows 42 percent of likely primary voters in McAuliffe’s camp, with no other candidate even cracking double digits. The Democratic primary will be held June 8.

Meanwhile, on the Republican side, businessmen Pete Snyder and Glenn Youngkin lead the way, each having raised similar amounts as McAuliffe. State Senator and self-proclaimed “Trump in heels” Amanda Chase has raised just over $800K. The Republicans will hold a drive-through nominating convention on May 8.

Poem patter 

You might have heard some buzz about a wave of cicadas swarming across the East Coast this May. Billions of winged creatures—the ominously named Brood X—will soon wake up from their 17-year slumber and emerge ready to mate, lay their eggs in trees, and then burrow back underground. If that prospect gives you the heebie-jeebies, don’t leave town this spring. Northern Virginia skies will ring with the high-pitched wail of the insects, but central Virginia’s cicadas, known as Brood II, are set to snooze until 2030. 

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Quote of the week

“This is just outright scary. I’m not sure how the planets aligned for this to happen!”

—Community activist Don Gathers, after this week’s City Council meeting adjourned in a record-fast 90 minutes

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A new kind of fake ID? 

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has joined a coalition of state leaders—and the FBI—trying to quash the sale of fake vaccine cards. Apparently, entrepreneurs around the country have been selling fraudulent paper vaccine receipts to the needle-shy, impatient, and anti-vax crowds. If you ask us, it seems like a lot of bother when the local health district is currently doling out shots to all comers.

Taking the Fal

Liberty University has filed a lawsuit against its former president Jerry Falwell, Jr. The evangelical hardliner was expelled from the university in late 2020 after it was revealed that he wasn’t practicing what he’d been preaching—first, Falwell posted a photo on Instagram showing him swilling booze in a state of partial undress, and then it came to light that he and his wife had been engaged in a yearslong sexual relationship with a pool attendant they met in a Miami hotel. Now Liberty wants Falwell to cough up tens of millions for damaging the school’s reputation. 

Jerry Falwell, Jr. PC: Gage Skidmore

Getting loose 

Charlottesville City Council voted Monday night to repeal the city’s COVID-19 ordinance and defer to state guidelines. Over the last year, the city has been one of a handful of localities to enact more stringent gathering restrictions than the state requires. At this time, Virginia allows gatherings of up to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors, and limits event spaces to 30 percent capacity. The city’s ordinance repeal comes as Charlottesville and Albemarle residents continue to get vaccinated at high rates, with roughly 50 percent of the local population having received at least one dose.

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Guns down

B.U.C.K. Squad members smiling siting on the grass
Last Friday afternoon, the B.U.C.K. Squad hosted a field day at Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church for the kids of South First Street. PC: Zack Wajsgras

Joy and laughter filled the summery Friday afternoon air, as dozens of children danced in a church parking lot across from the South First Street public housing neighborhood. People later left the dance floor to tour the inside of a rescue truck and pick out new reads from the Free Book Bus, while others waited their turn for a haircut. Kids and grown-ups alike ended the afternoon of fun with pizza, popsicles, and ice cream sandwiches.

“Our focus is on the babies out there. We are trying to change the whole perpetual cycle of ignorance,” says Pertelle Gilmore, executive director of the B.U.C.K. Squad, which sponsored the community field day. “We can put them in a position where they can be prosperous and healthy, and be the rightful rulers of their circumstance and condition.”

Investing in Charlottesville’s Black youth is one of the many ways the squad is working to put an end to gun violence, which has significantly increased in the city’s predominantly Black neighborhoods since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, Charlottesville police responded to 122 reports of shots fired and four gun-related homicides—including the December 27 murder of Gilmore’s close friend, 32-year-old Jamarcus “Buck” Washington, who was heavily involved in gun violence prevention.

Devastated by Washington’s death, Gilmore contacted his mentor Herb Dickerson the next day. Together, they put together a list of people in the Black community who they could ask and trust to take action. Within a week, the B.U.C.K.—Brothers United to Cease the Killing—Squad was out on the streets, intervening in conflicts before they turned into deadly shootings.

So far the group has been wildly successful. Out of the 40 conflicts B.U.C.K. has intervened in, only one resulted in a shooting.

“We all have a past—that’s what gives us our credibility doing the job that we do,” says Gilmore of the group. “A lot of us were birthed into environments of violence. We all had traumatic situations and have dealt with life-controlling issues, [like] addiction and substance abuse.”

“We all got to the point of maturity and understanding of our life that the way we were living was not conducive to health or wealth, but destruction,” he adds. “We have a vision together to heal the community that we once destroyed.”

Gilmore mans the squad’s crisis hotline (284-3111), which is available 24 hours a day. After he receives a call about a potentially violent conflict in a Black neighborhood, he, along with associate executive director Dickerson and supervisor Dean Smith, picks out two violence interrupters and one outreach worker to send to the scene. The mediators sit down with each party separately, and “try to get them to think rationally,” explains Gilmore. 

“First thing we tell them is we love you. And it’s the truth—we want to be the embodiment and personification of love,” says Gilmore. 

“A lot of people in the community, the only thing they’ve ever seen is negativity and abuse,” adds violence interrupter Shawn Harris. “We want to show them there is another way and better way. You can still achieve your goals without all the extra violence and hate.”

Once the parties agree to stand down, the mediators ask them to participate in a roundtable talk and sign a commitment contract. The parties then have to perform community service together several times a week, which could mean picking up trash or making meals for elderly residents. Meanwhile, the squad connects them with the resources they need, such as mental health care and job opportunities.

Their community service time requirement “depends on the level of the beef and [their] personalities,” explains Gilmore. “Two guys have been doing it for 45 days now because that’s how deep they were in the street.” After they complete their service, both parties are invited to get involved in the B.U.C.K Squad, and learn how they can help stop gun violence too.

“We don’t deal with no police at all. We try to get on the front end before the police have to get involved,” says Dickerson, referencing the city’s long history of police violence against Black residents. (Just this month, Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced that two white officers had been fired for injuring two Black men during separate incidents.)

However, the B.U.C.K. Squad is just one part of the fight to end gun violence in Charlottesville. As executive director of the Virginia chapter of New York-based Guns Down Inc., of which the squad is a part of, Gilmore and his team plan to tackle the root causes of violence through a variety of new programs, including mental health services, career development, financial planning, grief counseling, vocational training, gun buybacks, and community events.

“A lot of violence comes from mental [trauma]. It’s a disease,” says Shelly Martin, event coordinator and outreach specialist for Guns Down Virginia. “How do you stop an epidemic or pandemic? You cut the transmission,” Gilmore says.

With these much-needed services comes a hefty price tag. Gilmore says Guns Down Virginia requires $540,000 per year to run its programs. He also hopes to hire the squad’s 10 part-time violence interrupters and outreach workers as full-time employees. 

“The only unsuccessful resolution that we had, it was only unsuccessful because I couldn’t get my team there because they were at work. I had to go by myself, and that was very dangerous,” says Gilmore. “We’re fighting for funding.”

In February, City Council donated about $20,000 to the B.U.C.K. Squad for conflict resolution training, but it has not offered financial support since then, says Gilmore. The group has relied on community donations, which has barely kept it afloat. 

Though Gilmore does not agree with calls to take away all police funding, he believes that a portion of the city police department’s nearly $19 million budget should go toward violence interruption.

“It don’t cost much to fund what we do. It’s no price on life,” he says.

The nonprofit also needs office space and mediation centers, as well as physical locations for wraparound services across the community.

As members of City Council continue to fight amongst each other, Gilmore hopes they can get along long enough to listen to his plea for help.

“City Council needs us to do a conflict resolution and de-escalation on them,” he says. “There’s no way there’s supposed to be that much division when you got lives at stake.”

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You’re fired

Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney sits with Major Jim Mooney and Sergeant Greg Wade at a table during Friday’s virtual press conference
Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney, pictured with Major Jim Mooney (right) and Sergeant Greg Wade during Friday’s virtual press conference, discussed the firing of two white CPD officers who were accused of using excessive force against Black men. PC: City of Charlottesville

Two white Charlottesville police officers who injured two Black civilians in separate incidents are no longer employed by the department, announced Chief RaShall Brackney at a virtual press conference on Friday.

One officer, Jeffrey Jaeger, was convicted of assault in December. The other, Joseph Wood, was determined to have breached the department’s internal standards when he detained a local musician during a January roadside encounter. 

After conducting an internal investigation, the department concluded that Wood violated its policies when he tackled LaQuinn Gilmore to the ground, leaving Gilmore with several injuries. However, the unlawful detainment was not motivated by racial bias, according to the department’s investigation. Gilmore’s lawyer believes CPD did not do a thorough enough investigation to reach that conclusion, however.

While driving down Monticello Avenue on January 11, Gilmore, who is Black, began to feel sick from the antibiotics prescribed to him for a hand infection, so he pulled over. 

Body camera footage publicly released by the department shows that Wood parked behind Gilmore, got out of his car, and asked him if he was okay. Gilmore assured Wood that he was fine, and held his phone up to record the encounter. Wood began to walk away, but turned around when Gilmore complained that cops “be playing too much.” He then asked Gilmore for his driver’s license.

Wood “failed to articulate or justify his reasoning to reengage, and reacted solely on being challenged,” explained Brackney.

The footage shows that Gilmore refused to give Wood his license, claiming multiple times that he did nothing wrong. Gilmore soon crossed to the other side of the street and told Wood to stop “harassing” him, but Wood followed him, continued to ask for his license, and called for back-up.

About two minutes later, Wood suddenly slammed Gilmore to the ground. Another officer helped Wood roughly pin down and handcuff Gilmore, ignoring the splint on his injured hand. After sitting Gilmore up, Wood performed a pat down, though he had no legal reason to suspect Gilmore was armed.

As around half a dozen officers stood by, Wood handcuffed Gilmore again when he refused to stop recording the incident, and forced him to stand against the back of his car. The supervisor on duty eventually arrived on the scene, and claimed that Wood had probable cause to follow Gilmore because he could have been driving drunk. 

“[Wood] body slammed me on my face for nothing!” Gilmore exclaimed. “My spine is in pieces.”

Once Gilmore gave the officers his social security number, they discovered his license was suspended. He was not charged with a crime, and was allowed to have a friend drive him home.

Though the department ruled that Wood did not use excessive force during the encounter, hospital records show that Gilmore suffered a closed head injury, a concussion, contusions on his legs, acute bilateral lower back pain, and acute post-traumatic headaches.

Brackney would not confirm during the press conference if Wood injured Gilmore. “We don’t substantiate medical claims,” said the chief. 

Any force used when affecting an unlawful detention is itself excessive.



Jeffrey Fogel, local attorney

Because Wood initiated the encounter to check on Gilmore, Brackney also claimed that he did not racially profile him.

“There were no racial slurs, ethnic status, or characteristics that were based solely on [Gilmore’s] race for the detention,” she said.

The internal investigation did not sustain Gilmore’s claims that Wood drew his gun during the encounter, or that officers on the scene damaged his cell phone and tail light. However, body camera footage showed that Gilmore’s phone fell on the ground when Wood tackled him.

Gilmore’s lawyer, local criminal justice attorney Jeffrey Fogel, was not satisfied with the department’s findings. 

In order to properly assess whether bias was at play during the interaction, “one would need to look at Officer Wood’s history with the department and any other evidence that may touch on his treatment of Black people,” wrote Fogel in an open letter to the CPD. “You did no investigation of this question and offer no reason why Officer Wood acted the way he did.”

In addition, Fogel disputes the finding that Wood unlawfully detained Gilmore but didn’t use excessive force. “Any force used when affecting an unlawful detention is itself excessive,” he wrote.

During the press conference, Brackney also addressed the case of Jeffrey Jaeger, the other officer who was removed from duty. Last December, Jaeger was convicted of misdemeanor assault and battery for slamming Andre Henderson into a wooden fence during a March 3 arrest.

“Wood and Jaeger’s actions highlight the injustices that permeate the fabric of our society and of a criminal legal system that is rooted in supremacy and anti-Black violence,” said Brackney. “Their actions erode the community’s confidence, and elevate fears that Black and Brown communities…will be brutalized, overpoliced, and underprotected.”

“They have harmed this community, and for their actions I am sorry,” Brackney concluded. 

Categories
News

In brief

Governor Ralph Northam reads a book to school children
PC: Zack Wajsgras

Welcome to Governor’s school

Governor Ralph Northam came to town last week, stopping by Venable Elementary on Thursday to check in on city schools’ gradual reopening of classrooms. In February, Northam directed all schools in Virginia to make some in-person learning available to students by mid-March, after the CDC released information about managing virus transmission in schools. At Venable, Northam read aloud to a second-grade class from We’re Going to be O.K., a children’s book about surviving the pandemic, written by Dr. Ebony Jade Hilton and Dr. Leigh-Ann Webb of UVA hospital.

Superintendent steps aside

After 15 years at the helm of Charlottesville City Schools, superintendent Dr. Rosa Atkins is retiring. Her last day is May 31.

“I’m so honored to have served the students, families, staff, and community of Charlottesville,” said Atkins in a press re- lease. “I’ve actually postponed this decision for a while due to the pandemic, but I’m at a point where I want to spend less time as superintendent and more time as Nana.”

Since becoming superintendent in 2006, Atkins has spearheaded the creation of a division-wide preschool program, championed social-emotional learning, and redesigned gifted education, earning an array of national awards for her work.

Dr. Rosa Atkins PC: Eze Amos

Under her leadership, graduation rates for Black students have increased by 25 points. Meanwhile, suspension rates have significantly dropped.

Atkins has also served on multiple organizations, including Governor Northam’s Commission on African American History Education, which worked to improve the state’s Black history curriculum.

“We thank Dr. Atkins for her calming presence, her bold work to promote equity, and above all, for her commitment to children,” said school board chair Lisa Larson-Torres in a press release. 

The school board will meet this week to discuss the search for a new superintendent.

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Quote of the week

“July 4 with your loved ones is the goal.”

—President Joe Biden, in a speech this week about the country’s COVID recovery plan 

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In brief

Civilian Resignation Board 

Another member of Charlottesville’s Police Civilian Review Board has resigned, the second person to do so since the board began meeting in July. This time, Dorenda Johnson is the one on her way out. The board’s meetings have been tense of late, with a recent meeting culminating with board chair Bellamy Brown feeling the need to assert that he is “not a misogynist.” Johnson signed off with an email saying simply: “Good evening please accept my resignation.” 

Statue on the move?

Last month, the city put out a call asking anyone who wants the West Main Street statue of Sacagawea cowering behind Lewis and Clark to just come and take it already. Amazingly, it seems like there might be some interest in the hulking, racist casting—Charlottesville received nine responses to its call for information, report city officials. Responses will be reviewed before determining if any of the offers are viable. 

Getaway driver

Jaunt, the area public transport system, is accusing their former CEO of budget shenanigans. This week the organization put out a statement saying that auditors found “the CEO purchased numerous expenses for goods, services, and travel, which violated internal control policies of the corporation.” Former Jaunt boss Brad Sheffield, who resigned in December, maintains his innocence, though Jaunt says Sheffield was pushed out as the company was “no longer comfortable with [his] business judgment.” Not a lot to be jaunty about over there right now.

Photo of Brad Sheffiled stepping off of JAUNT bus
Brad Sheffield PC: Amy and Jackson Smith
Categories
News

In brief

The Virginia State Police executed a small controlled detonation of an explosive device left on Fourth Street on Saturday afternoon.
Distributing newspapers is hard enough without people leaving explosive devices next to our boxes! PC: Eze Amos

Budget business

New City Manager Chip Boyles has released a proposed budget for the 2022 fiscal year. 

Even after coronavirus revenue losses, the $190.6 million plan is just a hair smaller—around $500,000 less—than the current operating budget. The new budget does not raise taxes, and includes budget increases for multiple departments and commissions.

The Charlottesville Police Department would receive an additional nearly $900,000, boosting its budget to almost $19 million.

According to Finance and Debt Manager Krissy Hammill, the department requested more funding because its body-worn cameras can no longer be paid for by the Capital Improvement Program. In addition, funds will go toward computers officers use while in the field, which are “old and outdated.”

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Chip Boyles PC: Supplied photo

The proposed budget also reflects a pay increase for several city departments from fiscal year 2020.

The Police Civilian Review Board will receive an extra $200,000, which will be used to hire an executive director. And $225,000 will be set aside for hiring the first-ever deputy city manager for racial equity, diversity, and inclusion. 

Nearly $7 million will be spent on affordable housing initiatives, including the redevelopment of public housing sites.

Because Boyles has only been on the job since February 15, most work on the budget had been done without him. However, his comments and directions were “very well received,” he said during a press conference on Friday.

The next budget work session is March 4, and the plan will be finalized in April.

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Quote of the week

“If the police can’t demonstrate where the dollars are going, then cut them off. Otherwise you’re being extorted [by] an armed group, and you can’t hold them accountable.”

—City resident Brad Slocum on the lack of transparency in the Charlottesville Police Department budget 

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In brief

Bombs away 

The Virginia State Police Bomb Squad was called to the Downtown Mall on Saturday afternoon when a suspicious package was spotted on Fourth Street. The device was in fact explosive, and the bomb squad executed a small controlled detonation. Law enforcement is searching for more clues about the provenance of the device. 

Internal issues 

The Charlottesville Police Department has investigated the Charlottesville Police Department, and found that the Charlottesville Police Department was not guilty of racial profiling in a January incident in which white Officer Joseph Wood detained Black local musician LaQuinn Gilmore by the side of the road. The department’s internal investigation process found that Wood detained Gilmore unlawfully, though the report says the “takedown” move that sent Gilmore to the hospital was executed with legal technique. Gilmore was not charged with any crime before or after the altercation. 

Officers cleared in Xzavier Hill shooting

The Virginia State Police troopers who shot and killed 18-year-old Xzavier Hill were justified in their actions, ruled a grand jury on Friday. Along with the verdict, the police released dash cam footage of the incident, which protesters and family members had been calling for since news of Hill’s death first broke. In the footage, Hill can be seen speeding down I-64 before pulling off onto the side of the road after officers began pursuit. Two officers then approached Hill’s car with their guns drawn. It is impossible to tell from the footage what Hill was doing inside the car. Hill was shot before the car door ever opened. 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Xzavier-Hill-protest-1024x683.jpg
Protesters from Black Lives Matter 757 gather to demonstrate for Ty Gregory at Market Street Park on February 26. Gregory lost an eye after a confrontation with police earlier this year. PC: Zack Wajsgras

Woman struck by car during protest

On Friday, before the grand jury verdict was released, protesters from Black Lives Matter 757 marched through town calling for racial justice. As the protesters moved through the intersection of 10th and West Main, a truck drove through a red light and hit a woman in a crosswalk. The woman, who was not affiliated with the protest, sustained minor injuries. After the incident, Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney was critical of the protesters, saying in a statement, “The behaviors exhibited today do not unify the community or keep the community safe.”