Tag: Katrina Turner

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In brief: Biden defeats Trump, ’Hoos rank high, and more

In Washington, D.C., thousands flocked to Black Lives Matter Plaza—close to where federal agents teargassed protesters over the summer so Trump could take pictures holding a Bible—to celebrate Joe Biden's electoral victory. PC: Eze Amos

Bye-bye, Trump!

A quiet fall day on the Downtown Mall quickly turned into a party on Saturday morning as word spread that Joe Biden had won Pennsylvania, giving him enough electoral votes to win the presidential race.

People cheered and clapped in celebration of the Democrat’s long-awaited victory, while cars sporting Biden-Harris flags honked as they passed the mall.

Several hours later, community organizers Don Gathers and Katrina Turner led a last-minute victory rally at the free speech wall. Following several speeches from activists and community members, the crowd sang and danced, overjoyed at Donald Trump’s defeat.

“It is a historic moment. We now have a woman going into the executive office, and to put the cherry on that sundae, a Black woman,” said Gathers.

Celebrations erupted across the country as Biden’s win dominated headlines, sparking fireworks, parades, and other festivities.

In nearby Washington, D.C., thousands flocked to Black Lives Matter Plaza—close to where federal agents teargassed protesters over the summer so Trump could take pictures holding a Bible—waving flags, banging pots and pans, dancing, and popping champagne bottles amidst whoops and hollers. Others reveled in front of the fenced-off White House, later booing and flicking off Trump’s motorcade when he arrived back from hours on the golf course.

“Sha na na, hey hey, goodbye!” shouted the crowd at the White House.

Confederate time capsule

In September, Albemarle County removed the Confederate statue from in front of the courthouse, and in the process revealed a dented, waterlogged time capsule that had been filled with mementos and buried below the monument more than a century before.

Archivists at UVA library have now sifted through the time capsule’s contents. Most of the documents are unreadable, the paper not having survived “a century of immersion in dirty, acidic water,” the librarians wrote in a blog post. Other things did last, however, including three bullets that had been collected from a local battlefield. The capsule’s creators must have thought they were burying Confederate bullets, but modern historical analysis reveals that the bullets were in fact fired by Union guns.

                                                      PC: Eze Amos

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Quote of the week

“That man is gone! That’s it. Trump is gone.”

—community activist Katrina Turner, speaking to NBC29 during an impromptu Downtown Mall rally on Saturday

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In brief

Hopeful ’Hoos

UVA men’s basketball clocked in at No. 4 in the nation in the first AP preseason poll of the 2020-21 season. The Cavs are still, technically speaking, defending national champions. The team will look to build on a strong finish in last spring’s COVID-shortened season. UVA opens on November 25 with a neutral-site game against St. Peter’s.

Tragedy on 29

After being struck by a car on U.S. 29 last Tuesday evening, 23-year-old Marcos E. Arroyo died of his injuries at UVA hospital on Monday. He had been trying to cross the highway near the intersection of 29 and Twentyninth Place, close to Fashion Square Mall. Last year, 41-year-old Bradley Shaun Dorman also died after trying to cross 29 North near Gander Drive, highlighting the need for improved pedestrian infrastructure on the busy highway.

Free college

Piedmont Virginia Community College will use CARES Act funding to offer free spring tuition to those who’ve received unemployment benefits since August 1—or who’ve taken on a new part-time job that pays less than $15 per hour. The no-cost classes will apply to high-demand career areas, including early childhood education, health care, IT, and skilled trades. Students must enroll by December 14.

Military surveillance

Just days after The Washington Post published a scathing report last month on the “relentless racism” Black students and alumni faced at Virginia Military Institute, Governor Ralph Northam ordered a third-party investigation into the state-funded school. Last week, Northam pushed forward with the plan, adding $1 million to the proposed state budget for the probe. Lawmakers will review and approve budget revisions during this week’s special session.

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Coronavirus News

In brief: Activist fined, white supremacist jailed, and more

Organizers could be fined for events that happened weeks or months ago, according to City Manager Tarron Richardson. PC: Zack Wajsgras

Cracking down

Just days after a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back, sparking national outrage and protests, City Manager Tarron Richardson decided to crack down on gatherings in Charlottesville—targeting those organized by Black residents.

While Richardson supports the right to “peaceably assemble” amidst the pandemic, he explained in a press release Thursday evening that “obstructing city streets and using parks without the proper permits will no longer be allowed.”

The city also will begin fining organizers for events that happened weeks or months ago. Rob Gray, who helped plan a Juneteenth celebration in Washington Park, received a $500 fine, and the Black Joy Fest and the Reclaim the Park celebration held last month at city parks are currently under review.

In a letter sent to Gray last week, Richardson claimed he had discussed the city’s ordinance on COVID-19 restrictions with him the day before Juneteenth, explaining that the city was not issuing special use permits for events held in public parks, and that gatherings of 50 or more were banned. But Gray refused to cancel his event, and agreed in advance to pay the civil penalty.

Though Richardson didn’t name names, it sure seems like the warning was meant for Black activists Rosia Parker and Katrina Turner, who planned a Friday night march from the city police department to Tonsler Park in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. He threatened to issue them citations for not having a special event permit, but the pair took to the streets anyway, along with 30 or so other protesters.

“They won’t shut me up,” Parker tweeted shortly after the press release came out.

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Quote of the week

“Today, we are marching for criminal justice reform. Today, we are marching to end police brutality. Today, we are marching for the right to be seen as human.”

—Richmond activist Tavorise Marks at the August 28 Commitment March on Washington, held in honor of the 57th anniversary of the original march.

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In brief

FourFiveSignatures

After gathering the required 5,000 signatures, Kanye West has qualified for the November ballot as an independent presidential candidate in Virginia. But the Washington Post reports that some of those signers felt they were hoodwinked into signing in favor of West, and that representatives from the campaign misrepresented how their signatures would be used. It’s unclear how the controversy might affect West’s floundering run.

Tech check

Senator Mark Warner stopped by the new WillowTree offices in Woolen Mills last week to celebrate the completion of the 80,000 square-foot office renovation. Meanwhile, downtown, construction of the CODE building chugs along, with some new COVID-friendly tweaks—to keep ventilation going, the building’s windows will now actually open, a feature that wasn’t initially planned.

Jail cases

Seven inmates total have now tested positive for COVID-19 at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. Pointing to severe outbreaks in nearby correctional facilities, Defund Cville Police sent a letter to the ACRJ demanding the jail ramp up its testing procedures, distribute more hygiene products to inmates, and halt all new admissions to the facility.

Harassment sentence

Daniel McMahon, whose online harassment and racist threats caused activist Don Gathers to suspend his 2019 City Council campaign, has been sentenced for his crimes. The Florida-based man will spend 41 months in federal prison and, upon release, serve a three-year probation during which he won’t be allowed to use the internet without court supervision.

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Trauma, on top of trauma: Police violence takes increasing toll on black mental health

The violent murders of black people by police—and the recent extensive media coverage—has taken a toll on the mental health of black people across the nation.
Protesters gather in downtown Charlottesville. PC: Eze Amos

C-VILLE requested a statement on Katrina Turner’s allegations from the Charlottesville Police Department on Tuesday morning, and CPD responded with a statement from Chief RaShall Brackney shortly after C-VILLE went to press. The statement has been attached.

When Myra Anderson saw the video of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, ultimately killing him, she could not help but play it in her head over and over again. Now, she almost wishes she had never watched it.

“It just hurt me to my heart,” says Anderson, who is a black mental health advocate and peer support specialist. “There’s no way you can’t be affected by seeing somebody that looks your same skin color on TV, that’s not armed, and doesn’t appear to be doing anything [be killed]. It’s traumatizing deep deep down…It carries the weight of all of the other historical injustices and trauma that happened before.”

The violent murders of black people by police—and the recent extensive media coverage—has taken a toll on Anderson’s mental health, as it has for many African Americans across the nation. She’s felt a whole range of emotions, from anger to frustration to depression. It’s been difficult for her to stop crying, she says, or get some rest.

“This is a hard time for black mental health in general…It’s almost like we’re dealing with the pandemic of COVID-19, and on top of that, we’re dealing with a pandemic of racism. And both of them feel like they have us in a chokehold, unable to breathe,” says Anderson, who founded Brave Souls on Fire, a spoken word group that works to combat the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Now, more than ever, Anderson wishes that Charlottesville had a black mental health center, which could provide a “safe and liberating space to process racial trauma” for all black residents. She is also disappointed in local politicians and organizations that have released statements in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, but have done little to reach out to the black community, and haven’t provided any type of free mental health care.

For Katrina Turner, a member of the initial Police Civilian Review Board, the trauma is personal. In 2016, her son, Timothy Porter, called 911, claiming his girlfriend attacked him. The officers “chose to arrest him,” Turner says. “While he was handcuffed, they threw him against the wall. One of the cops threw a set of keys, hitting him in the back of the head. When they took him to their car, they threw him up against the front [and side] of the car…I witnessed it all.”

Turner and her family filed a complaint against the officers, but she says nothing was done. (Police spokesman Tyler Hawn says the department completed an internal affairs investigation, but cannot release the results publicly.) Since then, Turner has continued to pursue the complaint while publicly taking a stand against police brutality in Charlottesville, and now says her “mental health” is “through the roof.”

“Something needs to be done,” she says. “It shouldn’t have taken us to witness that murder on TV for all of this to happen.”

While it’s not easy, Eboni Bugg, a licensed clinical social worker practicing in the Charlottesville area, encourages all black people to “rest and breathe,” and take the necessary steps to protect their mental health during this time.

Prayer or meditation are helpful rituals to have, as well as a healthy sleeping and eating schedule, says Bugg, who serves on the steering committee for the Central Virginia Clinicians of Color Network. It’s also important to take time off of social media, do activities you enjoy, and intentionally connect with family and friends.

Bugg encourages adults of color in need of professional help to call CVCCN’s free non-crisis emotional support line (218-0440), which is available every Wednesday evening. Clinicians provide callers with immediate, short-term assistance, including resources and referral services.

In addition, The Women’s Initiative’s Sister Circle program offers free mental health care and support groups for black women.

“[I] just let myself feel whatever that feeling is, and don’t have any guilt about it,” says Anderson, when asked how she’s taking care of herself. “If I’m upset, I’m going to be upset. If I’m sad, I’m going to be sad. And I’m going to allow myself the space to work through that, whatever that looks like.”

 Statement from CPD Chief RaShall Brackney:

It is unfortunate as the nation is on the cusp of bringing about transformational reforms in policing policies and practices, there is a local attempt to divert attention to a case that has been investigated, and reviewed by Internal Affairs, multiple City Mangers, and Chiefs of Police.

On June 17, 2016, Mr. Timothy Porter pled guilty to an assault and battery. Mr. Porter’s guilty plea stemmed from the events Ms. Turner references in her statement to the C’Ville Weekly.  It is also factually inaccurate, as Mr. Porters’ intake picture and subsequent arrests for violating protective orders depicts that he was “ bleeding and all scratched up.”

During my two-year tenure as the Chief of Police, the Charlottesville Police Department has fully embraced the pillars of 21st Century Policing, in an attempt to undue the legacy of institutional practices that were established by predecessors. We will continue to work collaboratively with this community to reimagine the role of policing as we strive towards “Service Beyond the Call.”

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Conflict of interest on the Police Civilian Review Board? Prosecutor says ‘no’

Katrina Turner, a member of the Police Civilian Review Board, didn’t do anything wrong when she announced her role on the board and filmed a portion of her son’s traffic stop, according to the city’s top prosecutor.  STAFF PHOTO

When Police Civilian Review Board member Katrina Turner got involved in her son’s February 1 traffic stop, a local defense attorney asked the city’s commonwealth’s attorney to determine whether she had violated the state’s conflict of interest act.

At last week’s review board meeting, attorney and regular attendee Denise Lunsford told the board she’d asked for a legal opinion and Turner’s removal, to which Turner responded, “You don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“For Denise Lunsford to literally just come straight for me with no proof, [without] even investigating it, that was totally uncalled for,” says Turner, who has served on the board since June. “I’d like to know why she continues to come after me.”

Turner has also recently filed a complaint against Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney, whom she claims verbally assaulted her.

In a February 15 letter, Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Platania described reviewing body-cam footage from two officers involved in the traffic stop.

He observed the first officer give a “somewhat agitated” driver a warning ticket for failing to stop at a stop sign, and then tell him he’s free to go. A backup officer’s footage showed Turner approaching her son’s vehicle with a camera phone in hand, and saying, “I’m on the CRB, so I’m gonna tell you right now…” The officer interrupted her to say she couldn’t get involved while they were conducting the traffic stop.

Platania describes both people as “calm and respectful” throughout the interaction. Turner followed the officer’s command, and stepped back to record the traffic stop, he said.

In his letter, Platania said he found that Turner didn’t do or say anything in violation of the Virginia State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act, nor did she use her position on the CRB in a retaliatory or threatening manner.

Added the prosecutor, “As a cautionary note, approaching an officer engaged in a legitimate and lawful traffic stop and stating that you ‘are on the CRB’ while filming him does little to promote an organizational reputation of objectivity towards law enforcement.”

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Words hurt: Civilian Review Board member accuses police chief of verbal attack

Demonstrators want police Chief RaShall Brackney held accountable for what Katrina Turner later clarified was a “verbal attack.”. Eze Amos

The complaint in front of City Council February 4 was pretty extraordinary: “Chief [RaShall] Brackney came out of nowhere and literally attacked me that night.”

That it came from a member of the police Civilian Review Board was all the more astounding.

At a February 5 protest in front of the Charlottesville police station, Showing Up for Racial Justice members held signs that read, “Chief Brackney assaulted Katrina Turner.” A handful stood in the street and stopped rush hour Market Street traffic and demanded that Brackney be held accountable.

“I wasn’t physically attacked,” clarifies Turner. “I was verbally attacked.”

She describes a situation at a November 5 City Council meeting in which a girl had a panic attack outside the council chamber. When Turner left the room, “This little girl was laying on the ground gasping for air. I said I know CPR. I’m medically trained. I could help her.”

Turner says police officers stood aside and let her approach the girl, whom Turner wanted to turn on her side to help her breathing. “The only thing I could hear behind me was the chief of police yelling that I needed to leave,” says Turner.

Brackney would not listen to her explanation and continued to “aggressively get in my face yelling to leave the scene,” says Turner in the complaint she filed with police January 4. “Her last words to me were, ‘Mrs. Turner, you have been warned to leave the scene.’ I also thought I heard her tell me that I would be arrested if I did not leave the scene.”

Turner asked for body camera footage from the officers present in her complaint, and at the February 4 council meeting, she said no one had called her to get her sworn statement.

“She does not like me,” says Turner. “I understand but when I’m trying to help that child is not the time to come after me.”

Civilian Review Board member Katrina Turner wants to know why no action has taken place on the complaint she filed against Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney. staff photo

Police spokesman Tyler Hawn declined C-VILLE’s request to speak to Brackney, saying the complaint is a personnel matter and she would not comment on it. He also says that none of the street blockers were arrested.

It’s no secret that Turner has issues with the Charlottesville Police Department, stemming from an April 30, 2016, arrest of her son after he called 911, and she’s filed several complaints about the handling of that.

Both Brackney and Turner are relatively new in their roles. Brackney was named chief in May, the first woman to hold the position. And Turner was named last summer to the newly formed Civilian Review Board, whose mission is to come up with bylaws for handling citizen complaints about the police.

Mayor Nikuyah Walker did not respond to a request for comment on the matter, but she did discuss it on “The Schilling Show” February 6. “From my understanding, the police chief yelled at [Turner] to move out of the way of a situation during an incident in the hallway during a council meeting,” she says.

Walker says if Brackney had physically assaulted Turner, “I’m sure we wouldn’t have gotten out of the building if that happened.”

The mayor says she talked to Interim City Manager Mike Murphy, and an external party will take a look at the situation “so it won’t be in our internal affairs department.”

Some of what she’s heard about Brackney from the activist community “hasn’t been very fair,” says Walker. “I’m hoping the community will give her the chance to do the work while understanding she’s a police chief in America.”

And if Brackney did something to harm Turner, council and the city manager should intervene, says Walker, “but if not, then it’s unfair.”

UVA law professor Josh Bowers is on the Civilian Review Board, and he doesn’t think the dispute between the police chief and a board member will interfere with the board’s job of creating bylaws.

“If Ms. Turner has a complaint against the department or an officer, that’s a personal matter, not a board matter,” he says. And because the board has not drawn up bylaws that would define what constitutes a conflict of interest, “I can’t speak to whether it’s a conflict of interest.”

Don Gathers was on the board until he resigned in January, and he says he doesn’t think Turner’s complaint against the chief will have any effect on the work of the board because “they’re dedicated people and they’ll go on with the work they’ve been tasked with.”

He did ask why the complaint was being described as an assault. “There’s some miscommunication. [Turner] never used that terminology.”

He says he hopes Turner and Brackney can work through their differences. “The community needs them both. We definitely need strong black leaders on both sides.”

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Council listens: Citizens unhappy about heavy police presence, downtown lockdown

City councilors Nikuyah Walker, Heather Hill, Wes Bellamy and Kathy Galvin—Mike Signer was on vacation—listened to citizen reaction to the August 12 anniversary weekend for almost three hours. Staff photo

In sharp contrast to an August 13 press conference, in which 18 officials representing public safety agencies thanked and congratulated each other for a job well done over the August 12 anniversary weekend, city councilors heard a different assessment the next night.

Around three dozen citizens at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center voiced concern and outrage about the presence of 1,000 cops, often in militarized gear, as well as the lockdown of the Downtown Mall and the searches of bags before entering the mall.

Several times over the weekend, including at the UVA Students United demonstration August 11 at UVA’s Brooks Hall and the memorial for Heather Heyer August 12 on Fourth Street, the presence of riot-clad police threatened to set off an actual riot.

Roberta Williamson called for police de-escalation training and offered to pay for it. “I almost want to demand this become a line item in the next city budget,” she said.

Nancy Carpenter denounced the appearance of BearCats and snipers at Fourth Street on the anniversary of Heyer’s death. “How dare you do that?” she asked. “We were in mourning.”

Several people complained about the presence of K9 dogs. “That’s a Bull Connor visual,” said Carpenter.

Civil rights attorney Jeff Fogel excoriated the limited access to the mall and the searches to enter. “You could be stopped on the streets of your city without probable cause,” he said, calling that the “hallmark of an authoritarian” government.

“And then to play that game of calling it consensual,” he said, a reference to police Chief RaShall Brackney, who said the day before that all the searches of bags before coming onto the mall were “consensual.”

Fogel and others questioned the declaration of a state of emergency without a factual basis of a threat.

“What intelligence did the city have to shut this city down?” asked Katrina Turner, a member of the newly formed Police Civilian Review Board. “Was it shut down because of antifa?”

One speaker castigated Vice-Mayor Heather Hill for thanking police, although Councilor Wes Bellamy said he appreciated Hill’s attempt to help with negotiations when officers refused to let mourners enter the mall at Fourth Street.

Of the 30 plus speakers, only one said he was glad police were there, although an unexpected defender was Mayor Nikuyah Walker. “The police were rather calm,” she said. “I did not see police officers as aggressive as what I’ve seen my entire life.”

And she said, “If we had similar people show up as last year, I’d want police to be there.”

Several people thanked Bellamy for defusing the tense scenes at Brooks Hall and Fourth Street. He acknowledged that in some instances, a “lack of communication about what was going on” could have exacerbated the situation.

And he also experienced the anxiety many felt seeing masses of riot-attired cops. Said Bellamy, “When I saw police marching choo choo choo, my blood pressure went up.”

He explained that Sunday when police removed the barricades on Fourth Street, people moved out onto Water Street, and were upset police wouldn’t let them back in and sent them through the checkpoints. “We don’t know who was in the crowd,” he said.

One thing City Council learned from last year’s violent weekend was to let people speak out about the weekend sooner rather than to wait more than a week, and the August 15 listening session was already on the calendar.

And the question asked by Tyler Magill—and many others, still to be determined: “Where is the middle ground between last year and this?”