Richmond Free Press September 30-October 2, 2021 edition

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Richmond Free Press © 2021 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOL. 30 NO. 40

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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33rd Annual 2nd Street Festival returns Oct. 2, 3 in Jackson Ward B2

SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 2, 2021

Convicting R. Kelly R&B superstar R. Kelly faces up to life in prison after being convicted Monday on the testimony and strength of Black women who would not let the justice system forget what happened Free Press wire report

Amr Alfiky/Associated Press file photo

In this file photo, R. Kelly leaves the Leighton Criminal Court building in Chicago on June 6, 2019. Accusers and others demanding accountability for the R&B superstar over allegations that he was abusing young women and girls for decades say it took so long to get to a guilty verdict in part because his targets were Black. R. Kelly was convicted Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, in his sex trafficking trial in federal court in New York.

NEW YORK For years, decades even, allegations swirled that R&B superstar R. Kelly was abusing young women and girls, with seeming impunity. They were mostly young Black women. And Black girls. And that, say accusers and others who have called for him to face accountability, is part of what took the wheels of the criminal justice system

Families plead for more information on missing loved ones By Ronald E. Carrington

Richmonder Toni Jacobs wishes that her missing daughter could have gained the kind of national and social media exposure that the family of 22-year-old blonde Gabby Petito experienced. Finding Ms. Petito became a national obsession after her family reported her missing from her Sarasota-area residence and drew national press attention. That obsession has now transferred to the hunt for her fiancé, a prime suspect in her slaying after her body was discovered in a remote section of Wyoming. Ms. Jacobs understands the pain the Petito family is feeling. She has lived with the same kind of pain for five years since her daughter, Keeshae, disappeared on Sept. 26, 2016, without a trace. “This makes me angry because my missing daughter only received local coverage when she went missing,” Ms. Jacobs said. What happened to her daughter remains a Please turn to A4

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Toni Jacobs, who created Missing Person Awareness, talks about her daughter, Keeshae Jacobs, who vanished Sept. 26, 2016. Ms. Jacobs and others, including Richmond Police Chief Gerald M. Smith, asked during a news conference on Monday for the public to report any information that may lead to finding the missing persons.

so long to turn, finally leading to his conviction Monday in his sex trafficking trial. That it did at all, they say, is also due to the efforts of Black women, unwilling to be forgotten. Speaking out against sexual assault and violence is fraught for anyone who attempts it. Those who work in the field say the hurdles facing Black women and girls are raised even higher by a society that hypersexualizes them from a young age, stereotyping them as promiscuous and judging their physiques, and in a country with a history of racism and sexism that has long denied their autonomy over their own bodies. “Black women have been in this country for a long time and ... our bodies were never ours to begin with,” said Kalimah Johnson, executive director of the SASHA Center in Detroit, which provides services to sexual assault survivors. “No one allows us to be something worthy of protection, a human that needs love, and sacredness,” Ms. Johnson said. It’s as if, “there’s nothing sacred about a Black woman’s body.” A jury of seven men and five women found R. Kelly, 54, guilty of all nine counts, including racketeering, on their second day of deliberations. R. Kelly wore a face mask below black-rimmed glasses, remaining motionless with eyes downcast, as the verdict was read in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y. Prosecutors alleged that the entourage of managers and aides who helped R. Kelly meet girls—and keep them obedient and quiet— amounted to a criminal enterprise. Two people have been charged with R. Kelly in a separate federal case pending in Chicago. He faces the possibility of decades in prison for crimes including violating the Mann Act, an anti-sex trafficking law that prohibits taking anyone across state lines “for any immoral purpose.” Sentencing is scheduled for May 4. Please turn to A4

School Board, administration thwarted own tenets set up for RPS food service By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Game day! Camrhon Holt and his little sister, Xiaomi Holt, are on their way to the Hotchkiss Field Community Center in Highland Park to last Saturday’s football game between the RVA Trojans and the Chesterfield Falcons. The youth league game was complete with cheerleaders and fans watching from the sidelines. The youngsters were with their mother, Alexus Harris.

Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras appeared to have undermined a key tenet of the School Board’s approved three-year-old school improvement plan, Dreams4RPS, with decisions about the cafeteria operation and the delivery of food that were made before schools reopened Ms. Doerr earlier this month. That tenet involves ensuring students have good food to eat to enable them to have the energy and nutrition needed to be alert in class. Since the start of school, that has not been the case with parents and students describing offerings as almost inedible. At times, still frozen meals have been passed out to student. Trash baskets often overflow with food students have discarded rather than eat. Based on documents and information the Free Press obtained, the Kamras administration deliberately did not recruit new workers to fill multiple vacancies among the cafeteria staff, ensuring there were not enough people to operate kitchens. The administration also did not follow School Board policy requiring a health advisory panel to be involved in the selec-

Hickory Hill and City Hall now open for early voting By Jeremy M. Lazarus

In-person early voting is now being offered at City Hall in Downtown and at the Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side, as well as the city Voter Registrar’s Office in North Side. The two satellite operations opened Tuesday, about three weeks earlier than the planned start date of Sunday, Oct. 17, in response to public outcry. The Richmond Board of Elections voted 2-1 on Sept. 23 to authorize Richmond Voter Registrar Keith G. Balmer to begin offering early in-person voting at Hickory Hill Community Center, 3000 E. Belt Blvd., and City Hall, 900 E. Broad St., after receiving a new opinion from the state Attorney General’s Office. Please turn to A4

tion of a vendor or follow board guidance to allow student panels to taste-test menu offerings of vendors competing to provide pre-packaged meals. Mr. Kamras declined to respond to Free Press questions about the food debacle as did Matthew Stanley, RPS director of advocacy and outreach. Mr. Stanley sent an email stating that RPS was unable to respond in a timely Mr. Kamras fashion to Free Press queries. The administration is now scrambling to ensure students are getting the food they need, with cafeteria managers required to Please turn to A4

COVID-19 booster shots available By George Copeland Jr.

The Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield health districts have opened appointments for area residents to get the Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot. Those eligible to get the shots should have received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago and fall into one of the following categories: • Individuals 65 years or older. • Individuals 18 years or older living in a long-term care setting. • Individuals ages 18 to 64 years with underlying medical Please turn to A4

Free COVID-19 testing, vaccines

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Richmonders heading into Hickory Hill Community Center on Tuesday are greeted by two poll workers outside the early voting location at 3000 E. Belt Blvd. in South Side. The community center and City Hall in Downtown opened Tuesday for early voting for the Nov. 2 election following action by the city Electoral Board. Voters also can cast ballots at the city Voter Registrar’s Office at 2134 W. Laburnum Ave.

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues. The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: • Thursday, Sept. 30, 1 to 3 p.m., Diversity Thrift,1407 Sherwood Ave., • Tuesday, Oct. 5, 9 to 11 a.m., Second Baptist Church of South Richmond, 3300 Broad Rock Blvd., drive-thru testing. • Wednesday, Oct. 6, 9 to 11 a.m., Eastern Henrico Recreation Center Pavilion, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave. Appointments are not necessary, but can be made by calling the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501

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