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Housing hero: Community mourns loss of Richard Shackelford

Richard Shackelford—known as “Shack” to his friends—was a driving force behind the redevelopment of Crescent Halls. PC: Eze Amos

Beloved public housing advocate Richard Shackelford passed away in his Crescent Halls apartment on the morning of May 21, after a heart attack. He was 66 years old.

Shackelford—known as “Shack” to his friends—grew up in Charlottesville, on the corner of Fifth and Harris streets. For many years, he worked as a gym instructor for Charlottesville City Schools, and was heavily involved in his church, Mount Zion First African Baptist Church.

In 2014, he moved to Crescent Halls, a public housing complex for the eldery and disabled, with his wife, Sandy, after they lost their house. 

For years, Crescent Halls residents protested against the 105-unit building’s poor maintenance, including broken air conditioners, sweltering heat, sewage flooding, broken-down elevators, and cockroaches. Plans to renovate the complex, as well as other public housing facilities, were made as early as 2010, but action had been notoriously slow.

Wanting to join the fight for change, Shackelford enrolled in the Public Housing Association of Residents’ six-month internship program, which trained him to be an advocate. After completing the internship in 2016, he went on to serve as vice president and president of the Crescent Halls Tenant Association, as well as vice chair of PHAR’s board of directors and a member of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority redevelopment committee.

While Shackelford advocated for public housing residents across the city, he was an especially strong champion for the redevelopment of Crescent Halls, says CRHA redevelopment coordinator (and former mayor) Dave Norris. Last January, CRHA finally approved a partnership with Riverbend Development and PHAR, along with two other developers, to completely renovate the more than 40-year-old building. Construction is set to begin this fall. 

“He thought it was very unfair that people who had spent…and worked their whole lives in Charlottesville, in many cases, were having to live in such unfortunate conditions,” says Norris. “His advocacy for his neighbors was largely responsible for the fact that the city…and others have ultimately agreed to put about $19 million into renovating that building from top to bottom.”

Shackelford made sure his voice was not the only one heard, Norris points out. He helped to include more Crescent Halls residents in conversations about the building’s renovations, as well as other public housing issues.

“He really believed passionately that even if you were extremely low-income, you still deserved a voice and…a seat at the table,” says Norris.

Both inside and outside of meetings, Shackelford was friendly and encouraging, but “when he had something to say, he would be very firm about it,” says PHAR Lead Organizer Brandon Collins. “He’d been in Charlottesville his whole life and had a real perspective on things. He called [the city] out for not doing enough for poor folks, not giving people enough of a chance, [and] not using resources the right way to help people with homeownership…He was just really dumbfounded by the lack of help that poor people get.”

“He brought his personal experiences and family knowledge to the table with policy makers,” adds Legal Aid Justice Center Outreach Director Emily Dreyfus, who serves on PHAR’s advisory council. “He made a real difference in helping people understand some of the intentional wrongs that were inflicted on black people in Charlottesville over the decades.”

When not advocating for housing rights at meetings and community events, Shackelford could be seen helping his neighbors. He would often carry groceries for people and give out extra canned goods, says resident Alice Washington, who is now president of the tenant association.

“Not only did he love to cook—he could cook! He was always sharing food with people,” she says.

Shackelford ultimately touched many lives, and left a lasting legacy on our town. “He was a committed guy. He put in the work,” says Collins. 

“All in all he was just a good person,” adds Washington. “We are going to miss him a lot.”

Updated 5/29

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Interact this way: Albemarle police pocket guide raises concerns

Albemarle’s new police chief, Ron Lantz, wants to foster cooperation during encounters with police. Eze Amos

A just-printed Albemarle County Police Department pamphlet was intended to build trust and cooperation between citizens and law enforcement during interactions that are now under a national spotlight. Its content, however, has alarmed some local attorneys, who say the guide’s instructions are incorrect or even unconstitutional.

“The document is very concerning,” says Legal Aid Justice Center’s Emily Dreyfus, who has held workshops on dealing with the police for kids in low-income neighborhoods. “I am always glad to see increased efforts at building positive relationships, but the pamphlet doesn’t adequately speak to the rights of the public.”

For example, people always have the right to remain silent, but the pamphlet says that right only becomes available when someone is taken into custody, she says. “This document mistakenly implies people are required to reveal their citizenship status,” she says.

The pamphlet, “Building Trust and Cooperation: A Guide to Interacting with Law Enforcement,” encourages people to record information if they have an interaction with a police officer that didn’t go well, but doesn’t say how to file a complaint and what will happen afterward, she says.

Last year Charlottesville police and the Office of Human Rights published its own pocket guide called “Your Rights and Responsibilities.”

Albemarle’s is “not a know-your-rights pamphlet,” says county police Chief Ron Lantz. “Cooperation is the key.” The side of the road is not the place to discuss whether the stop is justified and that’s why the guide provides numbers for citizens to call if they have a complaint, he says. “It’s all about working with the police.”

The project was started by his predecessor, Steve Sellers, and “was one of my first priorities,” says Lantz. Lehman Bates, pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church and a member of the African American Pastors Council, Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Tracci and Sin Barreras, a nonprofit that works with mostly Hispanic immigrants, helped create the guide.

lehmanBates-ezeBates wanted to work on a tool for traffic stops, which have become a “flash point” between citizens and police. “As a pastor and as an African-American, because of our history and because of current events, it was important for me to have this type of tool so those types of incidents do not occur,” he says.

For constitutional attorney and Rutherford Institute founder John Whitehead, who just published his latest commentary, “All the Ways You Can Comply and Still Die During An Encounter with Police,” not informing people of their rights is a glaring omission. “You don’t have to stop to talk to police,” he says. “You can walk away. If stopped while driving, you don’t have to automatically open your car for a search.” The pamphlet implies people have to allow pat downs, but police must have “reasonable suspicion” to do so, says Whitehead.

“It stops short of saying: Here are your rights, we can get along as long as you obey the police,” he says. “Case law does not support what is in the brochure.”

And Whitehead wonders why, with nationally known civil liberties groups here, police didn’t ask for some feedback.

Civil rights attorney Jeff Fogel is even more critical. “This is outrageous,” he says. “It should be titled, ‘You Must Be Obedient to the Police.’ Some of it is flatly wrong or deceiving.”

The brochure instructs, “You must not physically resist, obstruct or be abusive toward the police.” According to Fogel, citizens have the right to resist an unlawful arrest or the use of excessive force, and they have the right to curse at a police officer.

Fogel represents plaintiffs alleging racial profiling in three civil lawsuits he filed in February against the county and Albemarle officer Andrew Holmes.

The suits have nothing to do with the pamphlet, the work on which started more than a year ago, according to Lantz.

“Traffic stops are one of the most dangerous things we do,” he says. He’s implementing a “three-minute rule,” in which officers explain why they’re pulling over a driver and that it’s not just about writing tickets, he says.

“It is of vital importance for members of the public to realize that it is both improper and unlawful to resist or obstruct law enforcement in the conduct of their lawful duties,” says Commonwealth’s Attorney Tracci. “The pamphlet also encourages citizens to report any abuse or impropriety that may occur.”    

Currently the department has printed 100 copies of the four-page pocket guide in English and in Spanish, and when there are more, Lantz wants his officers to hand them out.

Critics hope the next printing will have some changes.

“Our community values collaboration, and I hope this pamphlet can be updated through a process that includes people from a range of viewpoints, so that we can make sure information is easily understood and fully explains people’s rights and responsibilities,” says Dreyfus. 

“How about a brochure on how the Albemarle Police Department will respect your constitutional rights?” suggests Fogel. “That would likely foster better cooperation between the PD and the community.”

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Your right to know: Police help you interact with police

Charlottesville police and the Office of Human Rights are handing out pamphlets to help citizens understand their rights.

Amid a worldwide trend of alleged over-policing and law-enforcement scrutinization, the Charlottesville Police Department and the city’s Office of Human Rights hope a pocket-sized pamphlet they’re distributing will be a saving grace when it comes to interacting with cops.

The pamphlet, called Your Rights and Responsibilities, is available at a multitude of local venues, including City Hall, several churches and schools. Topics range from what to do if you’re stopped for questioning or in your car, or if you’re questioned about your immigration status.

The idea for the pamphlet was formed by the Disproportionate Minority Contact task force a few years ago, says Charlottesville Police Captain Wendy Lewis, “so citizens and police know how to interact, and particularly for citizens to know what their rights are when they’re stopped by police.”

Charlene Green with the Office of Human Rights says she’s been working on the guide for two years, deciding how much information to include and to whom it should be directed.

“We wanted this to be placed in the hands of every citizen,” she, along with those at the police department, eventually decided. “The intent is that we want any kind of stop—if you have to be stopped—to be respectful and safe. Chances are higher that [that] will happen if people know what their rights are.”

According to the guide, “the first words spoken by either the police officer or the citizen involved in a stop may very well determine the tone of the encounter and sometimes, even the outcome.” If you’re stopped for questioning, it suggests staying calm without resisting or obstructing the police, even if you are innocent.

“You have the right to remain silent and cannot be punished for refusing to answer questions,” the pamphlet continues. It says you should tell the officer if you wish to remain silent.

Likewise, while you don’t have to consent to a search of yourself or your belongings, police are legally allowed to “pat down” your clothing if they suspect a weapon.

“You should not physically resist but you have the right to refuse consent for any further search after the pat down,” according to the guide. “If you do consent, it can affect you later in court.”

But not everyone agrees with the advice offered in the pamphlet.

“There are many people concerned about police stops, given the racially disparate local data,” says Emily Dreyfus, the community outreach and education director at the Legal Aid Justice Center. “It would be helpful if the brochure was more clear that police officers must have a reasonable suspicion that a person committed a crime before they can make a stop.”

Through a Street Smarts workshop, her organization, which will not distribute the pamphlets, helps people understand their rights when interacting with police. LAJC distributes a fact sheet it developed called Your Rights with the Police, and it also shares a brochure produced by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Charlottesville attorney Jeff Fogel says that information in the pamphlet isn’t presented clearly, and while police may be advising citizens of the wisest ways to interact, they aren’t necessarily teaching them their rights.

“The good part and the bad part of this seems to be the involvement of the police department in writing this,” he says. Fogel believes rights and responsibilities aren’t fairly distinguished in the pamphlet and some of the advice is downright bad.

For example, the pocket guide says “if you are not a U.S. citizen and an immigration agent requests your immigration papers, you must show them if you have them with you.” Fogel says he would advise against doing so and says the illegal immigrant with papers disproving his status could and should opt to remain silent.

Fogel agrees with Dreyfus that the pamphlet makes it unclear that police should only frisk someone if they have good reason to believe the person is armed and dangerous, and not just a hunch. But the brochure says police only need to suspect a weapon to initiate a pat down.