L
EGACY Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.
WEDNESDAYS • Sept. 16, 2020
‘
Did you know? In Virginia, you can vote at your local registrar’s office 45 days before Election Day - that’s 9-18-20. Exercise your right and vote!
Richmond & Hampton Roads
LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM • FREE
Virginia legislature once again votes down qualified immunity reform NED OLIVER
VM- For the third time in two weeks, lawmakers in the General Assembly voted down a measure aimed at rolling back qualified immunity for police officers. The bill, which died twice in the House only to twice be revived days later, hit what appears to be a more permanent dead end in the Senate, where lawmakers from both parties worried about the unintended consequences of allowing more lawsuits alleging police misconduct to go to trial. “It’s a big problem,” said Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, who opposed the measure. “I want to do something about it.” But he and other lawmakers from both parties said that as drafted, the legislation would open police officers to petty lawsuits that go beyond the police brutality and excessive force complaints they said they wanted to address. The two Black senators who sit on the mostly White committee, along with the measure’s patron, Del. Jeff Bourne, D-Richmond, urged their colleagues to also consider the consequences of not advancing the legislation. “I’m not the least bit torn,” said Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth.
“We have a movement behind us in terms of getting this qualified immunity bill passed. I’m not the least bit confident that if we put this bill off to another session … that there won’t be any number of Brown and Black people who will be killed by police officers by the time we come back.”
Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, recounted a police officer shoving a gun into her 77-year-old father’s back after a neighbor called the police on him while he was watering flowers outside her home. “For too long in Black and Brown communities, the tendency of police
officers has been to shoot first and ask questions later,” she said. “Or to pull a gun and ask questions later.” Law enforcement agencies and police groups have expressed near unanimous opposition to any change in the current law,
(continued on page 2)
The LEGACY
2 • Sept. 16, 2020
Rep. Spanberger focuses on veteran issues NIKHIL MEHTA & ANDREW MURPHY CNS- Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger said “every issue is a veterans issue” during a virtual town hall on veterans affairs Wednesday she held with Common Defense, an organization of veterans against the reelection of President Donald Trump. Spanberger, joined by Rep. Anthony Brown, D-MD, and former Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, answered questions from an audience of about 60 on Facebook Live. Jose Vasquez, executive director of Common Defense, moderated the town hall, which was also broadcast on Twitter. Spanberger, who is seeking reelection to her 7th District seat, committed to making veteran’s issues a top priority of her potential second term. She opened the town hall by citing her political history advocating for greater connectivity between the VA, veterans and the services they need. Spanberger and Shulkin said there is an increased need for telehealth options in the VA. She emphasized suicide prevention as a key area needing improvement, citing the average of 20 veterans who commit suicide each day in the U.S. “The pandemic has only made the need for connectivity greater,” Spanberger said. Spanberger, commenting on U.S. intelligence indicating that the Russian military offered bounties on U.S. soldiers to Taliban militants in Afghanistan, said that elected officials needed to be held accountable for their choices. Spanberger also talked about the need for legislation to ensure
the resiliency of supply chains. The VA did not have enough PPE or COVID-19 nasal testing swabs during the beginning of the pandemic, Spanberger and Shulkin said. When serving the military and veteran populations, what’s necessary to them is necessary to national security, Spanberger said. One viewer asked what Congress and the next administration can do for women who have been sexually assaulted or sexually harassed while serving in the military. Current military standards require service members to follow the chain of command when reporting incidents such as sexual assault. There is no reporting process separate from the existing power structure. Spanberger indicated her support for holding Congressional hearings on “removing the reporting requirement from the chain of command.” Spanberger also demanded that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy reverse the directives – which include eliminating mail carrier overtime, taking sorting machines offline, and removing post office boxes and machinery – that have slowed mail delivery in recent weeks. Spanberger, a former U.S. Postal Service Inspection Service agent, said she had received more than 1,200 messages from constituents in one week about the recent directives. She added that millions of veterans rely on the postal service for their medication. Of Spanberger’s 7th District constituents, 8.4 percent are veterans, a key voting demographic in her race against Republican Del. Nick Freitas. Spanberger and Freitas share a history of foreign service, making veteran’s affairs a key issue in both campaigns.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger greets supporters.
(from page 1) which was established in the court system through judicial rulings and sets a high threshold for which misconduct allegations against police are allowed to be heard by a judge or jury. Democrats and Republicans on the committee said they wanted to eliminate roadblocks to lawsuits in cases of clear, intentional misconduct. But they said Bourne’s bill cast too wide a net and would open police to liability in cases where police were acting reasonably but made mistakes. Lawmakers promised to study the issue and reconsider it in January when the General Assembly reconvenes for its regular session. “I commend Del. Bourne on what he’s trying to do,” said Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Stafford. “But this is a really tough nut to crack.” Bourne argued it wasn’t as complicated as his colleagues were
Del. Jeff Bourne, D-Richmond, l, and Del. Jay Jones, D-Norfolk making it out to be, noting that his bill would simply allow more cases to proceed to trial, allowing a judge or jury to render a verdict based on the specifics of each case. “Let me just suggest to each and every member on this committee a tougher nut to crack: Trying to explain to your eight-year-old son why he needs to carry himself differently and why daddy might get nervous when a police officer pulls him over,” he said.
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
Sept. 16, 2020 • 3
Portsmouth city manager resigns and city attorney is fired before dueling protests continue FROM WIRE REPORTS Portsmouth’s city manager resigned last week, hours before council members held a special meeting to discuss her performance. Lydia Pettis Patton’s brief resignation letter gave no reason, but its contents, its timing and the simultaneous firing of City Attorney Solomon Ashby suggest she believed the council might fire her if she didn’t resign. Recently, Pettis Patton had temporarily removed Police Chief Angela Greene from her post amid controversy over criminal charges filed in the vandalism of a Confederate monument. “Through prayer and reflection, I have decided that in the best interest of the city of Portsmouth, to step aside immediately as City Manager conditioned upon the city meeting (its) obligations owed to me under my contract,” Pettis Patton, 72, wrote in an email sent to council members about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. “I have served this city with honor and dedication and I want to leave the city as I came in 1986 with hono Reached later at home, she declined to comment. Vice Mayor Lisa Lucas-Burke said Mayor John Rowe had called for the special meeting earlier that morning — the city publicly shared details for the noon meeting with about three hours notice. As they often do with hot-button issues, council members voted over both departures down racial lines. The white members, Rowe, Nathan Clark, Elizabeth Psimas and Bill Moody, voted to accept Pettis Patton’s resignation and to fire Ashby. The Black members, LucasBurke, Shannon Glover and Paul Battle, voted against both moves. None explained their votes. The council then unanimously appointed deputies for the ousted
officials to temporarily fill their slots: LaVoris Pace as city manager
and Burle Stromberg as city attorney. Both will get a 10 percent
pay increase while serving in the interim posts.
4 • Sept. 16, 2020
Op/Ed & Letters
The LEGACY
The key to motivating young voters? Young candidates BEN JEALOUS One of the most exciting parts of this year’s Democratic National Convention for me was the keynote speech delivered collectively by a group of young progressive elected officials, many of them Black. They showed us the potential for a promising future once we have gotten past the presidency of Donald Trump. They also showed us how to get there. One way to make sure we remove Donald Trump from the White House and his enablers from Congress is to support exciting candidates at all levels who can energize Democratic voters—especially progressive young people—to vote. The mass mobilization we have seen in the Black Lives Matter protests is an essential tool for turning energy into political will and bringing pressure on public officials. Ultimately, though, voting is the only tool we have for putting people who are committed to making the changes our country urgently needs into positions of power. Many of the problems that have been with us for far longer than the current administration—including systemic inequity in health care, education, housing, and policing--can and must be addressed at local and state levels. That’s why transformational local candidates are a key to building progressive power and making progressive change. And getting elected and serving successfully in local office is often the first step to higher office. Look at Virginia, where intense organizing over the past few election cycles turned the former capital of the Confederacy blue.
Commonwealth explores how our common resources are used to influence the wealth and well-being of our communities. Opens Sept. 12, 2020. | Richmond, VA Visit icavcu.org for your free, timed ticket.
(continued on page 5) Legacy_5.5x5_FALL 2020.indd 1
9/4/20 10:23 AM
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
Sept. 16, 2020• 5
P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.
Young (from page 4)
The last 4 years
The last four years has been a living nightmare. Trump has desecrated everything I value. My father spent most of his life providing the facts - not fiction for Congress, helping write major social welfare legislation for the Congressional Research Service. Luckily, he has not lived to see Trump’s destruction. Misinformation, lawlessness, bullying and a host of other evil acts now plague America as the pandemic accelerates. King Donald, King George III: crazed tyrants both. Let’s not allow this criminal to proclaim order, stability and freedom. Trump’s hate-America agenda is well-documented, along with his countless misdeeds. This conspiratorial president is an impostor, full of deranged deceit and lies. DT endangers our planet. Please show honesty and decency: elect Biden, save our World. Robert Arner Edinburg, Va.
Candidates from underrepresented communities—young people, people of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQ candidates—helped Democrats take control of both chambers of the state’s General Assembly. And that has meant the power to make huge changes for the people of Virginia—expanding access to health care, addressing gun violence, and more. Opposition to President Trump helped drive change in Virginia and will motivate many people to get to the polls in November. But energy doesn’t come just from the top of the ticket. It runs both ways. In fact, exciting local candidates can generate enthusiasm among people who might see national politics and candidates as far removed from their lives and concerns. People For the American Way’s Next Up! project supports young candidates running at the state and local level, many of them from communities that have long been denied their fair share of political power. The enthusiasm for their
candidacies can boost progressive prospects up and down the ballot. There’s Arizona, for example, where Democrats have an excellent chance of picking up the U.S. Senate seat now held by the appointed Republican senator Martha McSally. We’re excited about supporting two local candidates Whitney Walker and Jevin Hodge, both young Black people who are engaging their communities by challenging Republican incumbents on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. How about Michigan, a battleground state that helped put Trump in the White House? Chokwe Pitchford is generating excitement as a 21-year old Black man running to flip a seat in the state house. Young voters have been going to the polls in higher numbers in recent elections. We must do everything in our power to keep that trend rising. If you know a young community-oriented person who ought to run for public office in the future, encourage them. We need their voices and energy to keep turning citizens and activists into voters. And between now and November,
do what you can to support young candidates who have stepped up. They are running in a year when public health restrictions make traditional campaigning harder and when disinformation and voter suppression campaigns are trying to keep Black people from voting. We can and will move this country toward a more just future—and we can’t let anyone convince us to take our eyes off that prize. For reliable information on voting, visit www.vote411.org/ (League of Women Voters) or 866ourvote.org/ state/ (Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under Law) Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation. He has decades of experience as a leader, coalition builder, campaigner for social justice and seasoned nonprofit executive. In 2008, he was chosen as the youngest-ever president and CEO of the NAACP. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and he has taught at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.
6 • Sept. 16, 2020
409 E. Main St. #4 (mailing) • 105 1/2 E. Clay St. (office) Richmond, VA 23219 804-644-1550 (office) • 800-783-8062 (fax) ads@legacynewspaper.com
Classifieds
The LEGACY
Ad Size 3.4 inches - 1 column(s) X 1.7 inches)
AUCTIONS, LEGAL, EMPLOYMENT, FOR SALE, SERVICES
1 Issue - $37.40
AUCTIONS ONLINE AUCTION ALERT – CONSTRUCTION Includes Internet placement EQUIPMENT & TRUCKS. Bid online at motleys. comPlease 9/25 –review 9/29 atthe proof, make any needed changes and return by fax or e-mail. If your response 11 a.m. Equipment to is not received by deadline, your ad may not be inserted. sell? Accepting quality consignments! OkMotleys X_________________________________________ Industrial | Jeremy Lehman | (804) 627-2165 | 877-MOTLEYS | VA16 Rate: $11 per column inch
Thank you for your interest in applying for opportunities with The City of Richmond. To see what opportunities are available, please refer to our website at www.richmondgov.com. EOE M/F/D/V
Ok with changes X _____________________________
ONLINE AUCTION: Farm Equip & Estate Sale! Kubota 4X4L60 Tractor, Eagle RV, REMINDER: Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m. John Deere Gator, Toro Zero-turn, Trailers, Plasma Cutter, Greenhouse, Guns, More! Live Preview, Bid Online (vaf#777, 804-3580500) www.EBIDLOCAL. com ATTN. AUCTIONEERS: Advertise your upcoming auctions statewide and in other states. Affordable Print and Digital Solutions reaching your target audiences. Call this paper or Landon Clark at Virginia Press Services 804-5217576, landonc@vpa.net HOME IMPROVEMENT Vinyl Replacement Double Hung Window $249* Installed w/Free Trim Wrap. Call 804-739-8207. Siding, Roofing and More! Thinking about installing a new shower? American Standard makes it easy. FREE design consultation. Enjoy your shower again! Call 1-866-854-7620 today to see how you can save $1,000 on installation, or visit www.newshowerdeal. com/vapress GENERAC Standby Generators. The weather is increasingly unpredictable. Be prepared for power outages. FREE 7-year extended warranty ($695 value!) Schedule your FREE
in-home assessment today. Call 1-844-947-1479 Special financing for qualified customers. ATTN. CONTRACTORS: Advertise your business statewide and in other states. Affordable Print and Digital Solutions to reach Homeowners. Call Landon Clark at Virginia Press Services 804521-7576, landonc@vpa.net REAL ESTATE ATTN. REALTORS: Advertise your listings regionally or
PUBLIC AUCTION of Unclaimed Vehicles
150+/- IMPOUNDED AUTOS, LIGHT TRUCKS & MOTORCYCLES SOUTHSIDE PLAZA DRIVE-IN
Monday, Oct. 12, 2020 Gates open at 9:00 AM Auction begins at 10:00 AM
Auction will include the vehicles listed below plus many others: 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM 1G2NF52E04M529445 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY 4T1BE32K72U015466 2006 CHEVROLET COBALT 1G1AK15F767622055 2001 BMW 740iL WBAGH83491DP33692 1997 TOYOTA CAMRY 4T1BG22KXVU083978 2005 SATURN ION 1G8AF52F65Z175772 2003 DODGE NEON 1B3ES56C13D158151 2004 NISSAN QUEST 5N1BV28U94N342077 2007 NISSAN ALTIMA 1N4AL21E87C176424 2000 BUICK LESABRE 1G4HR54K0YU334143 2003 INFINITI I35 JNKDA31A73T106891 1990 CADILLAC ELDORADO 1G6EL1337LU613905 2001 TOYOTA 4RUNNER JT3HN86RX10358494 2016 VIPER DIRT BIKE L0WHDK107G1000022 1994 CHEVROLET CAPRICE 1G1BL52WXRR156823 1994 FORD MUSTANG 1FALP45TXRF237372 2000 SATURN LS1 1G8JU52F0YY637968 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ C240 WDBRF61J72F219522 2017 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 2C4RDGCG2HR664704 2013 TAOTAO EVO 150 L9NTELKB9D1003169 2008 FORD EDGE 2FMDK39C38BA21845 2010 GENUINE BUDDY 50 RFVPAP5A0A1008414 2007 PONTIAC G6 1G2ZG58N474167694
statewide. Affordable Print and Digital Solutions that get results! Call Landon Clark at Virginia Press Services 804-521-7576, landonc@vpa.net SERVICES DIVORCE-Uncontested, $395+$86 court cost. WILLS $195.00. No court appearance. Estimated completion time twenty-one days. Hilton Oliver, Attorney (Facebook). 757-490-0126. Se Habla Espanol. BBB Member. https:// hiltonoliverattorneyva.com.
Free Flu Shot Clinics Riverside Health System will administer free flu shots in Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg, the Eastern Free drive thru and walk up flu shots will be available for ages 14 and over while supplies last on: Sept. 24, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at 856 J. Clyde Morris Blvd., Suite A, in Newport News.
SEIBERT’S is now accepting vehicles on consignment! Reasonable Seller’s Fees.
642 W. Southside Plaza Dr. Richmond (804) 233-5757
WWW.SEIBERTSTOWING.COM VA AL # 2908-000766
Sept. 16, 2020• 7
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
Rashid pushes for immigration reform, end to private prisons during town hall event JACKIE LLANOS CNS - Qasim Rashid, Virginia's 1st Congressional District Democratic nominee, reinstated his commitment to end the private prison system last week in a Facebook Live town hall sponsored by the Virginia COVID-19 Justice Coalition. Rashid, along with three other panelists, discussed the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreaks in ICE’s Farmville detention center. The facility, which is privately owned by Immigration Centers of America, has the highest rate of infections in an immigration detention center in the country, according to a report by the Washington Post. The treatment of immigrants in detention facilities goes beyond ICE, Rashid said, and is a legacy of slavery 150 years in the making. He also mentioned California’s mistreatment of the prisoners who are working as firefighters to mitigate the wildfires in the Bay Area. “These ICE detentions are a symptom of a broader disease of slavery,” Rashid said. “And we never truly abolished it. In fact, we just regulated it into the prison system, and that’s what the 13th Amendment specifically says.” While Rashid used the 13th Amendment to illustrate his dislike for private prisons, he also used the Constitution to say that it guarantees equal rights to everyone, including undocumented people. Policies such as family separation and the 287 (g) program, which allows local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws, were also talked about in the
town hall. Separating children from families is considered a form of torture and a tactic used in genocide, Rashid said. “This shouldn’t be a Republican or Democrat issue,” Rashid said. “If a Democrat does it, it’s wrong, and if a Republican does it, it’s wrong.” Culpeper, a locality in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, is the only place in Virginia that still has a 287 (g) agreement with ICE, but Rashid emphasized his disapproval of it. “[287 (g)] pulls local lawenforcement away from local issues to start enforcing federal law,” Rashid said. “Not only are they not trained in federal law, but they don’t have the capacity to address federal law. It also violates the sovereignty of a state and locality by forcing them to be accountable to federal standards of immigration.” During Rashid and incumbent Republican Rob Wittman’s first debate on Aug. 20, Wittman emphasized the importance of cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE. “When immigration and customs enforcement agency says, ‘we would like to come and get this individual,’” Wittman said, “I think it’s absolutely necessary for local law enforcement to cooperate with the federal agencies.” Both candidates are against recent calls to abolish the police. Having a good relationship with local law enforced allowed Rashid to talk to the sheriff about an incident where teenagers were tear-gassed by police at a protest in Stafford, Rashid said. “Not only were we able to get together the very next day have a
Rob Wittman and Qasim Rashid very candid, sincere conversation for an hour, but we also facilitated a conversation between the sheriff's office and the parents of the kids that were tear-gassed,” Rashid said.
Rashid closed by encouraging people to register to vote and participate in the coalitions being formed in Virginia to end private prisons.
CU00012453- Procurement 0915 HAMPTON SOLICITATION CITY OF HAMPTON Wednesday, October 14, 2020 10:00 a.m. ET – ITB 21-14/TM
Generator
Thursday, October 15, 2020 10:00 AM EST-ITB 21-12/EA On-Call and Emergency Electrical Service, Repair and Installation For all forms or additional information, see our web page at https://www.hampton.gov/bids-contracts or call (757)727-2200. Minority-Owned, Woman-Owned and Veteran Businesses are encouraged to participate.
P I
COVID-19 VACCINE RESEARCH STUDY
VOLUNTEER & MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Every modern vaccine and medicine we have today was first tested in clinical trials involving hundreds to thousands of people before becoming available to the public. This COVID-19 vaccine study will enroll up to 30,000 adults, and each and every person involved plays a powerful role. By choosing to volunteer, you will represent people like you – in age, gender, race, ethnicity, and the communities where you live. Involving people from all backgrounds will improve the development of this vaccine for everyone. Joining a clinical trial is an important and personal decision. We hope it is one you will consider.
WHAT TO EXPECT
PARTICIPANTS WILL BE
RANDOMLY ASSIGNED
(BY CHANCE) TO RECEIVE THE STUDY VACCINE OR PLACEBO (INJECTION WITH NO ACTIVE INGREDIENT)
PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE THEIR
PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE
3 WEEKS APART
SCHEDULED FOLLOW-UP VISITS
2 INJECTIONS
4
AT THE CLINIC
PARTICIPANTS WILL TRACK THEIR HEALTH AND REPORT ANY COVID-19 SYMPTOMS FOR
2 YEARS
AFTER THEIR INJECTIONS
STUDY CLINIC: VIRGINIA RESEARCH CENTER
CONTACT A STUDY TEAM MEMBER TO LEARN MORE
CONTACT PERSON: NIA HARRIS PHONE NUMBER: 804-893-2273 EMAIL ADDRESS: NHARRIS@THREEWIRE.COM Pfizer-COViD-19_C4591001_flyer-WTe_riChmOnD VOiCe10.2x11.5_V1.5_12Aug2020