Tuesday, February 7th 2017, from 6-9pm, at the Valentine (1015 East Clay Street, Richmond VA), the Valentine is holding another iteration of its Community Conversations series. "The purpose of the series is to engage audiences in a dialogue about the region’s past and how that past can positively shape our collective future."
This month's topic will be Arts & Education, and feature the following panelists: Lucinda McDermott Piro of Richmond CenterStage, who will discuss "Taking the Arts Out of Public Education"; Scott Garka of CultureWorks Richmond, discussing "Employment in the Arts"; and Gina Lyles, of ART 180, discussing "Arts and Juvenile Justice."
Free, open to the public. For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Bills Regarding Immigrant Students Being Heard in Committee Today
Three bills relevant to immigrant students, HB 1857, HB 2001, and HB 2004, are being heard in subcommittee today, Tuesday January 31st 2017. With the Trump administration holding power at the federal level, this is not a good time to let legislation hostile to immigrants slip through at the state legislature.
My summaries are below.
HB 1857 would give some eligible people (undocumented immigrants already involved in deferred-action programs like DACA for childhood arrivals, people applying for citizenship) access to in-state tuition. This is especially necessary because, under the current administration, the future of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is uncertain.
HB 2001 would mandate that university officials cooperate with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), making universities enforcement zones. This would render higher-education environments, currently "sensitive sites" where ICE is not supposed to focus their activity, hostile to immigrants, documented or otherwise. Universities should be safe havens in this climate of growing anti-immigrant sentiment, and they can't be if ICE is around.
HB 2004 would require schools public institutions to release data annually on their non-citizen students. This kind of disclosure makes anti-immigrant actions easier.
Here is a guide, which discusses these bills, provides a list of people to call, and provides a script to tell you what to say.
The bills will be heard at 4pm in the Higher Education subcommittee, which is meeting in the 5th floor east conference room of the Virginia General Assembly Building (201 North 9th St, Richmond, VA).
My summaries are below.
HB 1857 would give some eligible people (undocumented immigrants already involved in deferred-action programs like DACA for childhood arrivals, people applying for citizenship) access to in-state tuition. This is especially necessary because, under the current administration, the future of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is uncertain.
HB 2001 would mandate that university officials cooperate with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), making universities enforcement zones. This would render higher-education environments, currently "sensitive sites" where ICE is not supposed to focus their activity, hostile to immigrants, documented or otherwise. Universities should be safe havens in this climate of growing anti-immigrant sentiment, and they can't be if ICE is around.
HB 2004 would require schools public institutions to release data annually on their non-citizen students. This kind of disclosure makes anti-immigrant actions easier.
Here is a guide, which discusses these bills, provides a list of people to call, and provides a script to tell you what to say.
The bills will be heard at 4pm in the Higher Education subcommittee, which is meeting in the 5th floor east conference room of the Virginia General Assembly Building (201 North 9th St, Richmond, VA).
Upcoming LGBTQ Black History Month events
Black and Bold: RVA's Unsung Black LGBTQ Community Gala— Friday, February 3rd 2017, 8pm, at Diversity Richmond (1407 Sherwood Avenue, Richmond VA). Formal attire, hors d'oeuvres served. DJ Derrick St. Clair will provide the tunes, and there will be an unveiling of a photographic exhibit recognizing the lives and contributions of self-disclosed Black LGBTQ RVA community members.
United Voices: Raising Awareness through Song & Word: National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day— Tuesday, February 7th 2017, 7pm, the Black History Museum (122 West Leigh Street, Richmond VA). "United Voices will add a voice and face to those living with HIV/AIDS in the African-American community. In their own words, persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS will share stories of triumph and overcoming adversity."
The State of Black LGBTQ America: Lecture & Dialogue With Dr. Ravi K. Perry— Wednesday, February 15th 2017, 7pm, the Black History Museum (122 West Leigh Street, Richmond VA). Dr. Perry will facilitate a discussion on the lived experiences of Black LGBTQ communities in the 21st century.
All three events are free and open to the public. For more info, contact Diversity Richmond Program Coordinator Rodney Lofton at rodney.lofton@diversityrichmond.org or (804) 622-4646 ext. 203.
United Voices: Raising Awareness through Song & Word: National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day— Tuesday, February 7th 2017, 7pm, the Black History Museum (122 West Leigh Street, Richmond VA). "United Voices will add a voice and face to those living with HIV/AIDS in the African-American community. In their own words, persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS will share stories of triumph and overcoming adversity."
The State of Black LGBTQ America: Lecture & Dialogue With Dr. Ravi K. Perry— Wednesday, February 15th 2017, 7pm, the Black History Museum (122 West Leigh Street, Richmond VA). Dr. Perry will facilitate a discussion on the lived experiences of Black LGBTQ communities in the 21st century.
All three events are free and open to the public. For more info, contact Diversity Richmond Program Coordinator Rodney Lofton at rodney.lofton@diversityrichmond.org or (804) 622-4646 ext. 203.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Richmond Crusade for Voters Candidates Forum: 71st House District and 3rd District School Board
Wednesday, February 1st 2017, at 6:30pm, at Club 533 (700 North 3rd Street, Richmond VA), the Richmond Crusade for Voters is hosting a candidate's forum, featuring candidate for the 71st district and the 3rd district School Board.
The candidates for the 71st House District are running in an election to fill the vacant House of Delegates seat of Jennifer McClellan, who resigned in order to take on Donald McEachin's former seat in the state senate. Those candidates are Jeffrey Bourne (D), Regie Ford (I), and John Barclay (L).
The candidates for the 3rd district's School Board representative are Dr. Milondra Coleman, Dr. Joann Henry, and Kevin Starlings.
A meet-and-greet will follow the forum.
The candidates for the 71st House District are running in an election to fill the vacant House of Delegates seat of Jennifer McClellan, who resigned in order to take on Donald McEachin's former seat in the state senate. Those candidates are Jeffrey Bourne (D), Regie Ford (I), and John Barclay (L).
The candidates for the 3rd district's School Board representative are Dr. Milondra Coleman, Dr. Joann Henry, and Kevin Starlings.
A meet-and-greet will follow the forum.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
"Resist: No Atlantic Coast Pipeline" Rally at VCU
Monday, January 30th 2017, from 7-8pm, at the VCU Monroe Park Campus Compass (900 Park Avenue, Richmond VA), Divest VCU for Climate Justice and the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition are holding a rally against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, in response to the Trump administration's recently-published list of 50 top infrastructure priorities.
Speakers Lakshmi Ford from Friends of Buckingham County, Virginia, Drew Shannon from the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, and Jam Bakhtiari from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network will provide tools for organizing to resist ant new fossil fuel infrastructure.
For more info and to RSVP, see this link.
Speakers Lakshmi Ford from Friends of Buckingham County, Virginia, Drew Shannon from the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, and Jam Bakhtiari from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network will provide tools for organizing to resist ant new fossil fuel infrastructure.
For more info and to RSVP, see this link.
Tomorrow, January 29th 2017: Protest the Muslim Ban
Tomorrow, Sunday January 28th 2017, from 3-5pm, at the VCU Monroe Park Campus Compass (900 Park Avenue, Richmond VA), there will be a protest against Trump's executive order suspending the admission of refugees and banning the immigration of people from Libya, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. This ban will last for 90 days, except in the case of Syrian refugees, which are banned permanently.
The order prohibits the entry of people from specific Muslim-majority countries, instead of making entry conditional on religion, because the Trump administration considered it more likely to hold up to a constitutional challenge. (And, quite possibly, because Trump has business interests in several Muslim-majority countries which might be hurt by subjecting their citizens to a ban.)
For more info and to RSVP, see this link.
The order prohibits the entry of people from specific Muslim-majority countries, instead of making entry conditional on religion, because the Trump administration considered it more likely to hold up to a constitutional challenge. (And, quite possibly, because Trump has business interests in several Muslim-majority countries which might be hurt by subjecting their citizens to a ban.)
For more info and to RSVP, see this link.
United for a Sanctuary City for All– Press Conference and Rally
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Monday, January 30th 2017, from 5:30-7pm, at the Federal Courthouse Building (701 East Broad Street, Richmond VA), ICE Out of RVA is hosting a press conference and rally in support of making Richmond a sanctuary city for all. From the description:
"Latinx, Black, Muslim, LGBTQ+ individuals, and allies from across Virginia are coming together to send a message to local, state, and federal government that we, The People, stand together in solidarity and expect elected leaders to craft and support policies that create true Sanctuary Cities for ALL.
We are coming together in strength, love and resistance, to create Sanctuary communities where we protect and support each other."
For more information and to RSVP, see this link.
Monday, January 30th 2017, from 5:30-7pm, at the Federal Courthouse Building (701 East Broad Street, Richmond VA), ICE Out of RVA is hosting a press conference and rally in support of making Richmond a sanctuary city for all. From the description:
"Latinx, Black, Muslim, LGBTQ+ individuals, and allies from across Virginia are coming together to send a message to local, state, and federal government that we, The People, stand together in solidarity and expect elected leaders to craft and support policies that create true Sanctuary Cities for ALL.
We are coming together in strength, love and resistance, to create Sanctuary communities where we protect and support each other."
For more information and to RSVP, see this link.
No Muslim Ban, Protest at the White House
Tomorrow, Sunday January 29th 2017, there will be a demonstration against Trump’s Muslim immigration ban at the White House, called by Peace for Iran. See link for details.
Showing of "Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine"
Monday, February 27th 2017, from 6-8:30pm, at Main Library (101 East Franklin Street, Richmond VA), Richmonders for Peace in Israel and Palestine are holding a screening of the documentary "Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine."
From the event description: "An African American gospel choir is invited to perform with a troupe of Palestinian actors in a play that brings black America's struggle for civil rights to a West Bank audience. Against a backdrop of injustice, the actors and singers share al Helm, the Dream, of Martin Luther King, Jr."
Free, open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, see the link.
From the event description: "An African American gospel choir is invited to perform with a troupe of Palestinian actors in a play that brings black America's struggle for civil rights to a West Bank audience. Against a backdrop of injustice, the actors and singers share al Helm, the Dream, of Martin Luther King, Jr."
Free, open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, see the link.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports: Richmond Sheriff Woody to be penalized for failing to save video in jail death case.
From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
“Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. faces monetary sanctions and other penalties after failing to preserve videotape evidence in the case of a 28-year-old woman who died at the Richmond City Justice Center in August 2014, the week the facility opened. U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck sided with Paige Jenkins, the mother of Erin Jenkins, in a ruling issued Saturday imposing sanctions on Woody, who oversees the city jail.”
You can read the entire story through the link.
“Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. faces monetary sanctions and other penalties after failing to preserve videotape evidence in the case of a 28-year-old woman who died at the Richmond City Justice Center in August 2014, the week the facility opened. U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck sided with Paige Jenkins, the mother of Erin Jenkins, in a ruling issued Saturday imposing sanctions on Woody, who oversees the city jail.”
You can read the entire story through the link.
Benefit Show for the Richmond Independent Zine Library
Saturday, February 11th 2017, from 7pm-2am, at Gallery 5 (200 West Marshall Street, Richmond VA), there will be a benefit show for the Richmond Independent Zine Library, which archives zines, provides a lounge and workspace, and displays a gallery of zine-related art. (Zines are small, self-published xeroxed publications.) The benefit also doubles as a birthday celebration for activists and RIZL staff Dusty and Celina (happy birthday!).
Featured acts include Ultra Flake, Anousheh, Kuni, and Listless. There will be a dance party with DJs Sha Shakusky and C E L L S A G A. plus zines for sale, a photo booth, glitter shots, tarot readings, and more.
$5-$25 donations accepted at the door. The venue is wheelchair accessible via a front ramp, and has single-stall, gender-inclusive bathrooms on the first floor.
For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
Featured acts include Ultra Flake, Anousheh, Kuni, and Listless. There will be a dance party with DJs Sha Shakusky and C E L L S A G A. plus zines for sale, a photo booth, glitter shots, tarot readings, and more.
$5-$25 donations accepted at the door. The venue is wheelchair accessible via a front ramp, and has single-stall, gender-inclusive bathrooms on the first floor.
For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
SURJ Northern Virginia: Community Response to Hate Meeting
For people up in Northern VA: Tomorrow, Friday January 26th 2017, at 7pm, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (4444 Arlington Boulevard, Arlington, VA), SURJ Northern Virginia is holding a meeting to plan responses to white nationalist Richard Spencer's plans to open an Arlington office.
Spencer (the guy who got clocked in the ear by an anti-fascist on inauguration day while giving a TV interview) is the president of the National Policy Institute, a white supremacist think-tank. Among another things, Spencer has publicly called for the genocide of Black people, organized an armed anti-Jew march in his home town, and advocates transforming America into a whites-only state. For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
For more info or to RSVP, see this link.
Spencer (the guy who got clocked in the ear by an anti-fascist on inauguration day while giving a TV interview) is the president of the National Policy Institute, a white supremacist think-tank. Among another things, Spencer has publicly called for the genocide of Black people, organized an armed anti-Jew march in his home town, and advocates transforming America into a whites-only state. For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
For more info or to RSVP, see this link.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
VCU Screening of "The Prison in 12 Landscapes" followed by Q&A with Director Brett Story
Thursday, February 9th 2017, from 5:30-8pm, in Room 1107 of VCU's Academic Learning Commons (1000 Floyd Avenue, Richmond VA), there will be a screening of the documentary "The Prison in Twelve Landscapes," followed by a Q&A and discussion with director Brett Story.
"A meditation on the prison system in the era of mass incarceration, THE PRISON IN TWELVE LANDSCAPES unfolds as a journey across the USA where prisons do work and affect lives: from a California mountainside where incarcerated women fight raging forest fires; to a Bronx business which helps families send approved care packages to loved ones behind bars; to an Appalachian coal town betting its future on the promise of prison jobs. Without showing an actual prison, the film explores the ways in which the prison system is deeply entrenched in American society, and the pervasive (but not always visible) ways it affects policy-making, policing, the economy, and the shaping of places where we live."
Free, open to the public. The venue is wheelchair accessible with accessible bathrooms. This event is co-sponsored by the VCU Department of Sociology and the VCU Common Book Program.
For more info and to RSVP, see this link. If you can't make it to this event, there is an identical showing the previous day– for the Wednesday showing of this documentary, see this link. To add either event to your Google Calendar, click here.
"A meditation on the prison system in the era of mass incarceration, THE PRISON IN TWELVE LANDSCAPES unfolds as a journey across the USA where prisons do work and affect lives: from a California mountainside where incarcerated women fight raging forest fires; to a Bronx business which helps families send approved care packages to loved ones behind bars; to an Appalachian coal town betting its future on the promise of prison jobs. Without showing an actual prison, the film explores the ways in which the prison system is deeply entrenched in American society, and the pervasive (but not always visible) ways it affects policy-making, policing, the economy, and the shaping of places where we live."
Free, open to the public. The venue is wheelchair accessible with accessible bathrooms. This event is co-sponsored by the VCU Department of Sociology and the VCU Common Book Program.
For more info and to RSVP, see this link. If you can't make it to this event, there is an identical showing the previous day– for the Wednesday showing of this documentary, see this link. To add either event to your Google Calendar, click here.
Screening of "SOLITARY: Inside Red Onion State Prison" with the ACLU of Virginia
Wednesday, February 8th 2017, from 7-9pm, in Senate Room B of the General Assembly Building (910 Bank Street, Richmond VA), the ACLU of Virginia is holding a screening of the documentary "SOLITARY: Inside Red Onion State Prison," followed by a panel discussion moderated by Rabbi Charles Feinberg of Interfaith Action for Human Rights, and featuring: Kimberly Snodgrass, mother of man incarcerated at Red Onion; Marcus Bullock, a formerly incarcerated person; and filmmaker Kristi Jacobson. From the event description:
"100,000 U.S. citizens spend 22-23 hours a day in solitary confinement. Hundreds are confined to their eight-by-ten foot cells in Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison. Deprived of nearly all human interaction, individuals held in solitary confinement often sustain permanent psychological damage. Learn more about the harms of solitary, to prisoners and society at large, and see why it’s time to reduce reliance on this inhumane practice."
Free, open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
"100,000 U.S. citizens spend 22-23 hours a day in solitary confinement. Hundreds are confined to their eight-by-ten foot cells in Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison. Deprived of nearly all human interaction, individuals held in solitary confinement often sustain permanent psychological damage. Learn more about the harms of solitary, to prisoners and society at large, and see why it’s time to reduce reliance on this inhumane practice."
Free, open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
Screening of "The Prison in 12 Landscapes" followed by Q&A with Director Brett Story
Wednesday, February 8th 2017, from 7-9pm, at the Bijou Film Center (304 East Broad Street, Richmond VA), there will be a screening of award-winning documentary "The Prison in Twelve Landscapes," followed by a Q&A and discussion with the director, Brett Story. From the event description:
"A meditation on the prison system in the era of mass incarceration, THE PRISON IN TWELVE LANDSCAPES unfolds as a journey across the USA where prisons do work and affect lives: from a California mountainside where incarcerated women fight raging forest fires; to a Bronx business which helps families send approved care packages to loved ones behind bars; to an Appalachian coal town betting its future on the promise of prison jobs. Without showing an actual prison, the film explores the ways in which the prison system is deeply entrenched in American society, and the pervasive (but not always visible) ways it affects policy-making, policing, the economy, and the shaping of places where we live."
Free, open to the public. This event is co-sponsored by the VCU Department of Sociology and the VCU Common Book Program.
For more information and to RSVP, see this link. If you can't make it to this showing, there will be an identical event the next day, Thursday February 9th: see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
"A meditation on the prison system in the era of mass incarceration, THE PRISON IN TWELVE LANDSCAPES unfolds as a journey across the USA where prisons do work and affect lives: from a California mountainside where incarcerated women fight raging forest fires; to a Bronx business which helps families send approved care packages to loved ones behind bars; to an Appalachian coal town betting its future on the promise of prison jobs. Without showing an actual prison, the film explores the ways in which the prison system is deeply entrenched in American society, and the pervasive (but not always visible) ways it affects policy-making, policing, the economy, and the shaping of places where we live."
Free, open to the public. This event is co-sponsored by the VCU Department of Sociology and the VCU Common Book Program.
For more information and to RSVP, see this link. If you can't make it to this showing, there will be an identical event the next day, Thursday February 9th: see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project Fundraiser Kick-Off Party
Wednesday, February 8th 2017, from 7-10pm, at Gallery5 (200 West Marshall Street, Richmond VA), the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project, Virginia's all-volunteer private abortion fund which helps people in need pay for abortion care and related expenses, is holding a kick-off party for their annual fundraising season. The fundraiser, the National Abortion Access Bowl-a-thon (BAT), lasts from February until the end of April.
The fundraiser works like this: people form teams, which compete to raise money for their local abortion fund (ours is the RRFP). At the end of the BAT, there's a party at a bowling alley, and teams are awarded prizes in a number of categories. The kick-off party is a great opportunity to learn tips about grassroots abortion funding, meet other new volunteers, and join or start a fundraising team.
If you don't have experience fundraising yet, the RRFP is holding a series of Fundraising 101 workshops. You can register for an upcoming workshop here.
The venue is wheelchair accessible via a front access ramp, with first-floor gender-inclusive single-stall bathrooms.
For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here. All of the posts on this blog pertaining to this year's National Abortion Access Bowl-a-thon will be tagged "BAT 2017".
The fundraiser works like this: people form teams, which compete to raise money for their local abortion fund (ours is the RRFP). At the end of the BAT, there's a party at a bowling alley, and teams are awarded prizes in a number of categories. The kick-off party is a great opportunity to learn tips about grassroots abortion funding, meet other new volunteers, and join or start a fundraising team.
If you don't have experience fundraising yet, the RRFP is holding a series of Fundraising 101 workshops. You can register for an upcoming workshop here.
The venue is wheelchair accessible via a front access ramp, with first-floor gender-inclusive single-stall bathrooms.
For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here. All of the posts on this blog pertaining to this year's National Abortion Access Bowl-a-thon will be tagged "BAT 2017".
Celebration of the Life of Commandante Fidel Castro
Saturday, January 28th 2017, from 4-6pm, at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church (1720 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond VA), the African Awareness Association and the All-African People's Revolutionary Party (GC) are holding a tribute to Cuban leader Fidel Castro (August 13th, 1926 – November 25th, 2016). Free, open to the public.
The venue is wheelchair accessible via a chair lift at the side door, but you must have assistance to operate it. To RSVP, email africanawarenessassociation2@gmail.com.
The venue is wheelchair accessible via a chair lift at the side door, but you must have assistance to operate it. To RSVP, email africanawarenessassociation2@gmail.com.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
RVA Solidarity Rally Against the KXL and DAPL Pipeline Executive Orders
Today, January 24th 2017, from 6-7pm, at VCU's Compass Plaza (900 Park Avenue, Richmond VA), there will be a rally against the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. Trump announced today that both embattled projects, which threaten the land and water of the areas they traverse and the global climate, will be moving forward.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
Equality Virginia's Day of Action
Tuesday, February 7th 2017, from 8:30am-5pm, at the Library of Virginia (800 East Broad Street, Richmond VA), Equality Virginia is holding their Day of Action to lobby legislators on bills relating to the LGBTQ community. From the event description:
"Equality Virginia’s Day of Action invites Virginians to join more than 200 members and activists from across the state to lobby legislators on bills important to the LGBT community. After morning meetings with legislators, participants have the opportunity to attend workshops hosted by some of the area’s leading advocates. This informative day allows LGBT and allied Virginians to be inspired to stand up for equality in their own communities."
For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
"Equality Virginia’s Day of Action invites Virginians to join more than 200 members and activists from across the state to lobby legislators on bills important to the LGBT community. After morning meetings with legislators, participants have the opportunity to attend workshops hosted by some of the area’s leading advocates. This informative day allows LGBT and allied Virginians to be inspired to stand up for equality in their own communities."
For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
Monday, January 23, 2017
2017 General Assembly Legislative Updates 1/23: Bathroom Bill's down, Day of Tears passed, and we have some environmental work to do
A brief update on the 2017 Virginia General Assembly:
HB 1612, the Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill, is Dead
Del. Bob Marshall's anti-transgender bathroom bill, HB 1612, was killed in the House general laws subcommittee (composed of 2 Democrats and 5 Republicans). This bill would require that public institutions ensure that transgender people only used sex-segregated facilities (bathrooms, locker rooms, etc) which corresponded to the sex on their birth certificate, rather than their gender identity and presentation. It would also require schools to out transgender or possibly-transgender children to their parents within 24 hours.
It looks like there are two factors which played a role in the bill's defeat: the certainty that Governor Terry McAuliffe would veto the bill, and the example of North Carolina's strong opposition to HB 2, their own Bathroom Bill passed last year. Let's give a hand to our comrades and allies down in NC, who showed the subcommittee the kind of storm they'd be in for if they voted the bill on. Here's the Richmond Times-Dispatch's story on the bill's death.
HR 268, Resolution Declaring Roe v. Wade Day the "Day of Tears," Passes the House
Del. Benjamin Cline's bill declaring January 22nd the "Day of Tears," during which the legislature encourages private flags to be flown at half-mast to "mourn the lives lost to abortion," passed the House in a vote of 57-36. This won't make any practical difference in the availability of abortion to Virginians, but is an attempt to shame and vilify people who have made a medical decision about their own body.
You can see how your representative voted here. Because this item is a resolution, not a bill, the governor doesn't get a veto, and it seems likely that it will pass the Senate.
Set of Bills Submitted to Hide the Chemicals Used in Fracking
This one involves two sets of bills. The first set, HB 1678 and SB 1292, would exempt information deemed trade secrets from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The next set, HB 1679 and SB 1291, would define the chemicals used to stimulate wells in hydraulic gas fracturing (fracking) as trade secrets, and exempt them from disclosure under FOIA.
These bills, introduced by Del. Roxanne Robinson and Sen. Ben Chafin, would shield gas companies from public scrutiny; scrutiny which is sorely needed. Fracking works like this: a well is drilled in a shale formation which is interspersed with natural gas. A high-pressure mix of water and chemicals are injected into the well, to stimulate the gas extraction. This process forces the fracking mix into the aquifer (where drinking water comes from if you have a well).
Essentially: gas companies can do what they want, and if you're poisoned because they do it near your well, good luck proving it. You can write a letter to your reps using this form the Sierra Club has set up.
HB 1612, the Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill, is Dead
Del. Bob Marshall's anti-transgender bathroom bill, HB 1612, was killed in the House general laws subcommittee (composed of 2 Democrats and 5 Republicans). This bill would require that public institutions ensure that transgender people only used sex-segregated facilities (bathrooms, locker rooms, etc) which corresponded to the sex on their birth certificate, rather than their gender identity and presentation. It would also require schools to out transgender or possibly-transgender children to their parents within 24 hours.
It looks like there are two factors which played a role in the bill's defeat: the certainty that Governor Terry McAuliffe would veto the bill, and the example of North Carolina's strong opposition to HB 2, their own Bathroom Bill passed last year. Let's give a hand to our comrades and allies down in NC, who showed the subcommittee the kind of storm they'd be in for if they voted the bill on. Here's the Richmond Times-Dispatch's story on the bill's death.
HR 268, Resolution Declaring Roe v. Wade Day the "Day of Tears," Passes the House
Del. Benjamin Cline's bill declaring January 22nd the "Day of Tears," during which the legislature encourages private flags to be flown at half-mast to "mourn the lives lost to abortion," passed the House in a vote of 57-36. This won't make any practical difference in the availability of abortion to Virginians, but is an attempt to shame and vilify people who have made a medical decision about their own body.
You can see how your representative voted here. Because this item is a resolution, not a bill, the governor doesn't get a veto, and it seems likely that it will pass the Senate.
Set of Bills Submitted to Hide the Chemicals Used in Fracking
This one involves two sets of bills. The first set, HB 1678 and SB 1292, would exempt information deemed trade secrets from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The next set, HB 1679 and SB 1291, would define the chemicals used to stimulate wells in hydraulic gas fracturing (fracking) as trade secrets, and exempt them from disclosure under FOIA.
These bills, introduced by Del. Roxanne Robinson and Sen. Ben Chafin, would shield gas companies from public scrutiny; scrutiny which is sorely needed. Fracking works like this: a well is drilled in a shale formation which is interspersed with natural gas. A high-pressure mix of water and chemicals are injected into the well, to stimulate the gas extraction. This process forces the fracking mix into the aquifer (where drinking water comes from if you have a well).
Essentially: gas companies can do what they want, and if you're poisoned because they do it near your well, good luck proving it. You can write a letter to your reps using this form the Sierra Club has set up.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch Presents: Politics in 2017 and Beyond
Tomorrow, Tuesday January 24th 2017, from 7-8:30pm, at the Virginia Historical Society (428 North Boulevard, Richmond VA), the Richmond Times-Dispatch is holding a forum featuring RTD politics editor Andrew Cain, columnist Jeff Schapiro, reporters Graham Moomaw and Michael Marts, commentary editor Bob Rayner, and editorical columnist Bart Hinkle. They will discuss the upcoming 2017 Virginia gubernatorial race, the General Assembly session, and the effect of Trump's election on Virginia.
Tickets are $20, and can be purchased at the door. Free parking.
The RTD is a solidly conservative paper at the best of times; though they didn't endorse Trump this election cycle, their resulting endorsement of Gary Johnson broke a thirty-some year streak of endorsing Republican candidates, and their lack of endorsement of Trump hasn't them any less hostile to anti-Trump protesters (here's an article they published solely dedicated to investigating whether 12 arrested anti-Trump protesters had voted in the election). Their 68th Public Square discussion starred their columnist Mark Holmburg's proposal for what he called the "Act Right Movement," which can be summed up as 'teach Black people to act right so that police won't be forced to murder them all the time' (I'm not kidding). I don't think you'll get much useful analysis out of attending this event; rather, I think it can be useful to understand the political perspective of local media outlets, and to know what their writers keeping an eye on.
For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
Tickets are $20, and can be purchased at the door. Free parking.
The RTD is a solidly conservative paper at the best of times; though they didn't endorse Trump this election cycle, their resulting endorsement of Gary Johnson broke a thirty-some year streak of endorsing Republican candidates, and their lack of endorsement of Trump hasn't them any less hostile to anti-Trump protesters (here's an article they published solely dedicated to investigating whether 12 arrested anti-Trump protesters had voted in the election). Their 68th Public Square discussion starred their columnist Mark Holmburg's proposal for what he called the "Act Right Movement," which can be summed up as 'teach Black people to act right so that police won't be forced to murder them all the time' (I'm not kidding). I don't think you'll get much useful analysis out of attending this event; rather, I think it can be useful to understand the political perspective of local media outlets, and to know what their writers keeping an eye on.
For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
"Reparations HOW? Fundraising Training for POC" with the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project
Monday, January 30th 2017, from 6:30-8pm, at the 3 Moons event space (inquire for address), the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project, the all-volunteer private abortion fund serving Virginia, will be holding a fundraising training for and by people of color. This event is part of the lead-up to the RRFP's big seasonal fundraiser, the National Abortion Access Bowl-a-thon. The money raised during this time of year goes to helping people in need pay for abortion services, necessary medicines, and childcare and travel costs related to getting the procedure. From the event description:
"Are you a person of color interested in fundraising, but don't know where to start? Or, have you already been involved with fundraising, but want to pick up more skills? This fundraising training, for and by people of color, digs into how to flex and build fundraising skills in the intersections of reproductive, racial and economic justice."
Free, open to people of color. You must RSVP in order to provide the organizers with an accurate headcount. Food will be provided. Childcare can be provided with three-day notice. There are four steps to get into the space, a bathroom on that level, and the venue has a dog and cat. Contact 804-293-0541 or ha@rrfp.net with questions or comments.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
"Are you a person of color interested in fundraising, but don't know where to start? Or, have you already been involved with fundraising, but want to pick up more skills? This fundraising training, for and by people of color, digs into how to flex and build fundraising skills in the intersections of reproductive, racial and economic justice."
Free, open to people of color. You must RSVP in order to provide the organizers with an accurate headcount. Food will be provided. Childcare can be provided with three-day notice. There are four steps to get into the space, a bathroom on that level, and the venue has a dog and cat. Contact 804-293-0541 or ha@rrfp.net with questions or comments.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link. To add this event to your Google Calendar, click here.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
SONG RVA's 2nd January Campaign Meeting
This Saturday, January 28th 2017, from 1-4pm, location to be determined, the Richmond chapter of Southerners on New Ground (SONG) is holding a meeting on their ongoing Free From Fear Campaign. SONG is a multi-racial queer liberation group working on LGBTQ issues, immigration justice, and more in the south.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
Ditch Dirty Fuels! Rally at the Virginia Capitol
Tomorrow, Monday January 23rd 2017, from 11:45am-1pm, at the Virginia State Capitol (1000 Bank Street, Richmond VA), Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, and the Chesapeake Bay Group Sierra Club are holding a rally to demand a switch from dirty fracked gas to sustainable, clean energy sources like solar and wind.
For more information and to RSVP, see the link.
For more information and to RSVP, see the link.
Roe v. Wade Day
Today is Roe v. Wade Day, the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court case which ruled that a person’s right to privacy includes the right to an abortion, up until the point of fetal viability (legally, 24 weeks). Any attempt to restrict access to abortion before 24 weeks, such as the 20-week ban currently going before the Virginia General Assembly (HB 1473), is unconstitutional.
This is extremely significant; before legal abortion was available, people who needed the procedure obtained it any way they could, often from people with limited or nonexistent medical training. These backalley procedures frequently resulted in death by infection or hemorrhage. Read more here.
Women's Equality Coalition Lobby Day General Assembly 2017
Tomorrow, Monday January 23rd from 7:30am-6pm, at the Virginia State Capitol (1000 Bank Street, Richmond VA), ProgressVA is holding a lobby day. From the event description:
“Join us the Monday after the inauguration and the day after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade for our annual Women’s Equality Coalition Lobby Day, where activists join together in Richmond to speak with key legislators from across the Commonwealth on important bills regarding reproductive healthcare, women’s equality, and more!
The day will kick off with a breakfast featuring Lt. Governor Ralph Northam. You will then break off to meet with your legislators to talk to them about the Women’s Equality Agenda, which features bills that fight for women’s health, economic opportunity, and democratic participation."
For more info and to sign up to attend, see the event page.
"What's Next After J20" Community Meeting Postponed
Notice: the "What's Next After J20?" Community Meeting has been postponed. The new date is as yet unknown. Follow the J20 Organizing Collective to get the update as soon as it's available. I will also post a notice.
Friday, January 20, 2017
"NERVE: Stories of Queer Resilience" Performance to Benefit the Virginia Anti-Violence Project
Sunday, January 22nd 2017, from 7-9pm, at the Richmond Triangle Players (1300 Altamont Avenue, Richmond VA), TheatreLAB and the Richmond Triangle Players are performing an original theatre piece, "NERVE: Stories of Queer Resilience." This performance will benefit the Virginia Anti-Violence Project, which works to end violence within and against LGBTQ communities in Virginia.
Tickets are $20.
To see more info, purchase tickets, and RSVP, see the event page.
Tickets are $20.
To see more info, purchase tickets, and RSVP, see the event page.
Community Meeting: What's Next After J20?
Sunday, January 22nd 2017, from 6-8pm, in the Community Room at 3110 West Leigh Street, Richmond VA, the J20 Organizing Collective is holding a community meeting to address next steps for resisting Trump's agenda.
The meeting is open to the public, and will include reports from various actions that took place today, and conversation about moving forward. If you can't attend but want to contribute, you can e-mail the collective at disruptj20rva@gmail.com.
Childcare will be provided, and the venue is wheelchair accessible. Street parking only. For more information and to RSVP, see the event page.
The meeting is open to the public, and will include reports from various actions that took place today, and conversation about moving forward. If you can't attend but want to contribute, you can e-mail the collective at disruptj20rva@gmail.com.
Childcare will be provided, and the venue is wheelchair accessible. Street parking only. For more information and to RSVP, see the event page.
New Virginia Majority Southside Richmond Chapter Meeting: Rights Restoration
Tomorrow, Saturday January 20th 2017, from 1:30-2:30pm, at the Hull Street Library (1400 Hull Street, Richmond VA), the Southside chapter of New Virginia Majority is meeting and will be discussing voting rights restoration and the general assembly. Open to the public.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
"Writing Gender Confirming Surgery Letters for Transgender Clients": Free Workshop for Medical/Mental Health Professionals
Monday, January 23rd 2017, from 5:30-7:30pm, at Health Brigade (formerly the Fan Free Clinic; 1010 North Thompson Street, Richmond VA), there will be a free workshop for medical and mental health providers who work with transgender clients requesting gender-affirming (what used to be called "sex change") surgery. From the event description:
"This workshop is intended for mental health and medical providers working with Transgender clients who request a recommendation letter for gender confirming surgery. Gender confirming surgery letters are necessary for trans individuals seeking surgery for surgeons and insurance purposes. This workshop will provide participants with letter content requirements. "
Free, but Health Brigade is accepting donations to defray the costs. Participants must register here.
Contact Jenn Gallienne with any questions at (804) 358-6343 ext. 143.
"This workshop is intended for mental health and medical providers working with Transgender clients who request a recommendation letter for gender confirming surgery. Gender confirming surgery letters are necessary for trans individuals seeking surgery for surgeons and insurance purposes. This workshop will provide participants with letter content requirements. "
Free, but Health Brigade is accepting donations to defray the costs. Participants must register here.
Contact Jenn Gallienne with any questions at (804) 358-6343 ext. 143.
Protest the Death Penalty: 16 Execution Vigils Around the State for Ricky J. Gray
Wednesday, January 18th 2017, at 9pm, Ricky Javon Gray will be executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty will be holding 16 vigils to protest capital punishment: for locations and details, see the link.
Gray and his nephew, Ray Joseph Dandridge, are undisputed guilty of murdering seven people, including two children. Their victims are Kathryn, Bryan, Stella, and Ruby Harvey, Ashley Baskerville, Mary Baskerville-Tucker, and Percyell Tucker. He also likely killed his wife, Treva Gray, and a stranger, Sheryl Warner.
The question, however, is not whether Gray is guilty or even whether he deserves to die for his crimes: it's whether the state of Virginia has the moral authority to impose that punishment. I contend that it does not.
The Richmond vigil will take place at 8:30pm, at the Richmond Friends Meeting (4500 Kensington Avenue, Richmond VA). For more information, contact Margaret Rittenhouse at margaret.rittenhouse@gmail.com or (804) 690-4942.
Gray and his nephew, Ray Joseph Dandridge, are undisputed guilty of murdering seven people, including two children. Their victims are Kathryn, Bryan, Stella, and Ruby Harvey, Ashley Baskerville, Mary Baskerville-Tucker, and Percyell Tucker. He also likely killed his wife, Treva Gray, and a stranger, Sheryl Warner.
The question, however, is not whether Gray is guilty or even whether he deserves to die for his crimes: it's whether the state of Virginia has the moral authority to impose that punishment. I contend that it does not.
The Richmond vigil will take place at 8:30pm, at the Richmond Friends Meeting (4500 Kensington Avenue, Richmond VA). For more information, contact Margaret Rittenhouse at margaret.rittenhouse@gmail.com or (804) 690-4942.
Monday, January 16, 2017
Master Post on the 2017 Virginia General Assembly
The 2017 session of the Virginia General Assembly began last week, Wednesday January 11th. It will adjourn February 25th. Now's a good time to figure out who your state representatives are, and if they've changed since the election; you can enter your address here to find your state rep and senator.
A brief refresher:
The General Assembly is Virginia’s legislative body. Like the national Congress, it’s made up of the Senate and the House of Delegates. There are 40 senators, and 100 delegates. Senate elections happen every 4 years, and delegate elections every 2. The house has 14 standing committees, and the senate has 11.
You can read about how bills are proposed and how they move through the legislative process to become law here. Here is a glossary of legislative terms.
Two important online resources are Richmond Sunlight, which tracks bills and allows people to post commentary, and LIS.virginia, the General Assembly’s homepage.
I have compiled lists of bills relating to:
Health, Mental Illness, and Disability
Women, Reproductive Health, and Abortion
Education
LGBTQ Rights
Cops, Courts, and Prisons
Labor
Miscellaneous
Here are some ways you can act to support or oppose a bill:
Contacting your representative, via phone calls, email, or letters
Speaking when the bill is heard in committee
Organizing protests or other actions
A brief refresher:
The General Assembly is Virginia’s legislative body. Like the national Congress, it’s made up of the Senate and the House of Delegates. There are 40 senators, and 100 delegates. Senate elections happen every 4 years, and delegate elections every 2. The house has 14 standing committees, and the senate has 11.
You can read about how bills are proposed and how they move through the legislative process to become law here. Here is a glossary of legislative terms.
Two important online resources are Richmond Sunlight, which tracks bills and allows people to post commentary, and LIS.virginia, the General Assembly’s homepage.
I have compiled lists of bills relating to:
Health, Mental Illness, and Disability
Women, Reproductive Health, and Abortion
Education
LGBTQ Rights
Cops, Courts, and Prisons
Labor
Miscellaneous
Here are some ways you can act to support or oppose a bill:
Contacting your representative, via phone calls, email, or letters
Speaking when the bill is heard in committee
Organizing protests or other actions
2017 General Assembly: Miscellaneous Bills
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added. To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
This is my mop-up category, of bills which didn't fit in with: Health, Mental Illness, and Disability; Women, Reproductive Health, and Abortion; Education; LGBTQ Rights; Cops, Courts, and Prisons; and Labor.
Bills to support:
SB 918: Expands a 2013 pilot program to allow third-party producers of renewable energy to sell excess electricity back to the local utility.
HB 1418: Allows localities to adopt rules prohibiting the carriage of firearms in their libraries.
HB 1482: Changes how Virginia allocates its electoral votes. Rather than going to whoever wins Virginia, they instead go to whoever wins the nationwide popular vote.
Bills to oppose:
SB 789 would lower Virginia’s corporate income tax from 6% to 5.5%, and SB 835 would lower it to 2.5%. Virginia taxes personal income at 5.75% for incomes over 17k; a business shouldn’t have a smaller tax rate than its workers.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
This is my mop-up category, of bills which didn't fit in with: Health, Mental Illness, and Disability; Women, Reproductive Health, and Abortion; Education; LGBTQ Rights; Cops, Courts, and Prisons; and Labor.
Bills to support:
SB 918: Expands a 2013 pilot program to allow third-party producers of renewable energy to sell excess electricity back to the local utility.
HB 1418: Allows localities to adopt rules prohibiting the carriage of firearms in their libraries.
HB 1482: Changes how Virginia allocates its electoral votes. Rather than going to whoever wins Virginia, they instead go to whoever wins the nationwide popular vote.
Bills to oppose:
SB 789 would lower Virginia’s corporate income tax from 6% to 5.5%, and SB 835 would lower it to 2.5%. Virginia taxes personal income at 5.75% for incomes over 17k; a business shouldn’t have a smaller tax rate than its workers.
2017 General Assembly: Bills Involving Health, Mental Illness, and Disability
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added.
To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 1005: Mandates that community service boards and behavioral health authorities must, effective July 1 2018, provide same-day access to mental health screening services, outpatient primary care screening and monitoring services, and follow up for people IDed as needing assistance getting primary health services. As of 2021, must also include a bunch more.
SB 1027: Allows certain approved providers to manufacture and dispense cannabis-derived medical products for the treatment of intractable epilepsy. Currently, these clinically-proven treatments are not available, even under a doctor’s orders, because cannabis is not legal in Virginia.
SB 933: Mandates that the annual training for sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers at jails must include mental health first aid. Many people experiencing mental health crises end up in jail instead of at hospitals; training of this type might improve how jails handle them.
HB 1480: Similar to the above, requires police officers to be trained in mental health awareness.
SB 841: Makes certain medical use an affirmative defense for some marijuana-related charges. Marijuana is clinically proven to benefit sufferers of some conditions, but it is not legal in Virginia.
HB 1426: Directs the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Director of Criminal Justice Services to come up with an alternative mode of transport for people being involuntarily committed to psychiatric institutions, so that the police don’t have to be called.
HB 1522: Establishes that if a person convicted of a capital crime had a severe mental illness at the time their crime was committed, they cannot be sentenced to death.
SB 940: Mandates that jail inmates be screened for mental illnesses and evaluated regarding their need for services within 72 hours. This will help address the issue of mentally ill people being warehoused in jail cells without services.
To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 1005: Mandates that community service boards and behavioral health authorities must, effective July 1 2018, provide same-day access to mental health screening services, outpatient primary care screening and monitoring services, and follow up for people IDed as needing assistance getting primary health services. As of 2021, must also include a bunch more.
SB 1027: Allows certain approved providers to manufacture and dispense cannabis-derived medical products for the treatment of intractable epilepsy. Currently, these clinically-proven treatments are not available, even under a doctor’s orders, because cannabis is not legal in Virginia.
SB 933: Mandates that the annual training for sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers at jails must include mental health first aid. Many people experiencing mental health crises end up in jail instead of at hospitals; training of this type might improve how jails handle them.
HB 1480: Similar to the above, requires police officers to be trained in mental health awareness.
SB 841: Makes certain medical use an affirmative defense for some marijuana-related charges. Marijuana is clinically proven to benefit sufferers of some conditions, but it is not legal in Virginia.
HB 1426: Directs the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Director of Criminal Justice Services to come up with an alternative mode of transport for people being involuntarily committed to psychiatric institutions, so that the police don’t have to be called.
HB 1522: Establishes that if a person convicted of a capital crime had a severe mental illness at the time their crime was committed, they cannot be sentenced to death.
SB 940: Mandates that jail inmates be screened for mental illnesses and evaluated regarding their need for services within 72 hours. This will help address the issue of mentally ill people being warehoused in jail cells without services.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Keep Andrew Puzder Out! No Anti-Worker Secretary of Labor
Tomorrow, January 12th 2017, from 2-5pm, at the Myers Street Hardee's (921 Myers Street, Richmond VA), there will be a local protest as part of the Keep Andrew Puzder Out National Day of Action. From the event description:
"The Senate is about to hold hearings on Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Labor – one of the WORST fast-food CEOs, Andy Puzder, of Hardee's and Carl's Jr. Puzder has made it perfectly clear he doesn't support raising the minimum wage and his restaurants are infamous for low wages, withholding overtime pay, and mistreating workers.
On Thursday 1/12, we're taking this fight straight to Puzder's door – with protests at Carl's Jr, Hardee's and other restaurants he runs from coast-to-coast. We will hear from current and former Hardee's workers who know from their experiences that Puzder is the wrong choice.
By picking Puzder, Donald Trump made it pretty clear – he's not taking on the rigged economy. Instead, he wants to rig it up even more. We're going to make sure he knows that if he wants to put a guy who makes more in a day than many of his employees make in a YEAR in charge of protecting workers, he's on the wrong side of history. We need $15 an hour and union rights – not a fast-food CEO who doesn't believe in the minimum wage. And we won't back down."
For more info and to RSVP, see the link
"The Senate is about to hold hearings on Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Labor – one of the WORST fast-food CEOs, Andy Puzder, of Hardee's and Carl's Jr. Puzder has made it perfectly clear he doesn't support raising the minimum wage and his restaurants are infamous for low wages, withholding overtime pay, and mistreating workers.
On Thursday 1/12, we're taking this fight straight to Puzder's door – with protests at Carl's Jr, Hardee's and other restaurants he runs from coast-to-coast. We will hear from current and former Hardee's workers who know from their experiences that Puzder is the wrong choice.
By picking Puzder, Donald Trump made it pretty clear – he's not taking on the rigged economy. Instead, he wants to rig it up even more. We're going to make sure he knows that if he wants to put a guy who makes more in a day than many of his employees make in a YEAR in charge of protecting workers, he's on the wrong side of history. We need $15 an hour and union rights – not a fast-food CEO who doesn't believe in the minimum wage. And we won't back down."
For more info and to RSVP, see the link
Shut Down Bob Marshall and HB 1612 (Virginia's even-worse answer to North Carolina's anti-transgender Bathroom Bill)
Tomorrow, Thursday January 12th 2017, from 10am-1pm, in House Room 1 of the Virginia State Capitol (Richmond, VA: additional info on the entrance through the link), Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall and the Virginia First Foundation are holding a press conference on their bill, HB 1612, which makes it a crime for transgender people to use public bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity. A group is assembling to protest the bill.
HB 1612 prohibits people from using "a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate"; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender, on the grounds that this inflicts emotional damages to them; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.”
While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex, and if public school officials monitor a child's gender identity.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
HB 1612 prohibits people from using "a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate"; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender, on the grounds that this inflicts emotional damages to them; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.”
While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex, and if public school officials monitor a child's gender identity.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
2017 General Assembly: Bills Involving Women, Reproductive Health, and Abortion
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added. To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
HB 153 and SB 877 both overturn Virginia’s rule mandating that abortion clinics be held to the same architectural standards as hospitals. This rule, which is now being phased out by the Board of Health after a long political fight, is an example of a legislative strategy called TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers). TRAP laws are intended to end poor people’s access to abortion without actually mounting a challenge of the procedure’s legality, by closing clinics.
HB 1593: Exempts toilet paper, adult diapers, and menstrual hygiene products from sales tax.
SJ 221: Ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, which reads “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
Bills to oppose:
HB 1473: Prohibits abortion after 20 weeks gestation under the premise that, at this age, a fetus can feel pain. This is an attempt to undermine the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which found that abortion is protected under a person’s right to privacy until 24 weeks gestation. The argument that a fetus can feel pain at four months is also 1. Unproven, and 2. Of limited relevance. A pregnant person’s right to their body still takes precedence.
HR: 268: A resolution to establish the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision which established the legality of abortion, as the “Day of Tears.”
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
HB 153 and SB 877 both overturn Virginia’s rule mandating that abortion clinics be held to the same architectural standards as hospitals. This rule, which is now being phased out by the Board of Health after a long political fight, is an example of a legislative strategy called TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers). TRAP laws are intended to end poor people’s access to abortion without actually mounting a challenge of the procedure’s legality, by closing clinics.
HB 1593: Exempts toilet paper, adult diapers, and menstrual hygiene products from sales tax.
SJ 221: Ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, which reads “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
Bills to oppose:
HB 1473: Prohibits abortion after 20 weeks gestation under the premise that, at this age, a fetus can feel pain. This is an attempt to undermine the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which found that abortion is protected under a person’s right to privacy until 24 weeks gestation. The argument that a fetus can feel pain at four months is also 1. Unproven, and 2. Of limited relevance. A pregnant person’s right to their body still takes precedence.
HR: 268: A resolution to establish the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision which established the legality of abortion, as the “Day of Tears.”
2017 General Assembly: Bills Involving Education
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added. To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 985, SB 986, and SB 987 all limit the allowed yearly tuition rate increases for public institutions.
HB 1462: Expands acceptable voting IDs to include photo IDs from colleges in other states.
HB 1534 and SB 995 both limit the duration of long-term out of school suspensions from 364 days to 45 days.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1452: Requires a 3 credit hour course in Western Civilization or US History as a condition of graduating from a public university. It’s unreasonable for a politician to set graduation requirements.
HB 1612: An anti-transgender bathroom bill which also requires school officials to contact parents if their student comes out as transgender at school. Specifically, the bill: prohibits people from using a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.” While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 985, SB 986, and SB 987 all limit the allowed yearly tuition rate increases for public institutions.
HB 1462: Expands acceptable voting IDs to include photo IDs from colleges in other states.
HB 1536: Prohibits students in pre-K through 5th grade from being expelled or suspended due to offenses less than criminal.
SB 996: Prohibits pre-K through 5th grade students from being given long-term suspensions for disruptive behaviors, unless their behavior injured somebody.
HB 1534 and SB 995 both limit the duration of long-term out of school suspensions from 364 days to 45 days.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1452: Requires a 3 credit hour course in Western Civilization or US History as a condition of graduating from a public university. It’s unreasonable for a politician to set graduation requirements.
HB 1612: An anti-transgender bathroom bill which also requires school officials to contact parents if their student comes out as transgender at school. Specifically, the bill: prohibits people from using a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.” While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex.
2017 Virginia General Assembly: Bills Involving LGBTQ Rights
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added. To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 783: Prohibits discrimination for public employment, in matters of sexual orientation or gender identity.
HB 1395, SB 782, SJ 216, HJ 538, and SJ 220 all repeal Virginia’s constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriages and civil unions.
SB 822: Makes housing discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation illegal.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1612: An anti-transgender bathroom bill which also requires school officials to contact parents if their student comes out as transgender at school. Specifically, the bill: prohibits people from using a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.” While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 783: Prohibits discrimination for public employment, in matters of sexual orientation or gender identity.
HB 1395, SB 782, SJ 216, HJ 538, and SJ 220 all repeal Virginia’s constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriages and civil unions.
SB 822: Makes housing discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation illegal.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1612: An anti-transgender bathroom bill which also requires school officials to contact parents if their student comes out as transgender at school. Specifically, the bill: prohibits people from using a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.” While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex.
2017 Virginia General Assembly: Bills Involving Cops, Courts, and Prisons
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added. To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 825: Provides for new sentencing hearings for people convicted after the 1995 Truth in Sentencing Act but before the 2000 court case Fishback v. Virginia. The 1995 Act abolished parole, and 2000 court case mandated that juries be informed that parole was no longer available. During this time, juries sentenced people with the expectation that, because of parole, a person would serve only part of their sentence in prison.
SB 942: Authorizes state Board of Corrections to review inmate deaths in local and regional jails, and to report on whether the facility followed DOC policies. This bill comes in the wake of Jamycheal Mitchell’s death in the Hampton Roads Regional Jail in 2015, after which no state agency could definitively be said to have responsibility for conducting an investigation. Mitchell, a 24 year-old schizophrenic man accused of stealing $5 worth of snacks from a convenience store, was subjected to four months of abuse by corrections officials before dying of starvation. After his death, eleven state agencies claimed not to have the authority to investigate the jail.
SB 957: Makes it a misdemeanor for police officers to take your recording device or alter your recordings, provided those recordings are legal. This imposes actual penalties for officers who interfere with your legal right to film the police by taking your device or deleting your recordings.
SB 796: Allows somebody to petition for the expungment of certain minor crimes (marijuana posession, underaged alcohol posession, and using a fake ID), provided it’s been more than five years and their conviction took place before their 21st birthday.
SB 940: Mandates that jail inmates be screened for mental illnesses and evaluated regarding their need for services within 72 hours. This will help address the issue of mentally ill people being warehoused in jail cells without services.
SB 830: Provides that if a person is otherwise eligible for food stamps but has been convicted of a first-time felony intent to distribute, they are still eligible. Food is a right.
HB 1522: Establishes that if a person convicted of a capital crime had a severe mental illness at the time their crime was committed, they cannot be sentenced to death.
SB 908: Decriminalizes simple possession of marijuana (makes it punishable by a fine instead of jail time), and decreases the penalty for distribution or possession with intent to sell from a Class 5 felony to a Class 6 felony, provided the quantity is not more than five pounds.
SB 784: Removes the requirement to automatically suspend the driver’s licenses of people convicted of simple possession of marijuana.
SB 841: Makes certain medical use an affirmative defense for some marijuana-related charges. Marijuana is clinically proven to benefit sufferers of some conditions, but it is not legal in Virginia.
HB 1426: Directs the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Director of Criminal Justice Services to come up with an alternative mode of transport for people being involuntarily committed to psychiatric institutions, so that the police don’t have to be called.
SB 831: Makes production, or possession with intent to produce, of marijuana a misdemeanor, if the defendant can prove that their intent was to give (not sell) the marijuana to another person, who is not incarcerated. Currently, this is a felony punishable by 5-30 years in prison.
SB 933: Mandates that the annual training for sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers at jails must include mental health first aid. Many people experiencing mental health crises end up in jail instead of at hospitals; training of this type might improve how jails handle them.
HB 1480: Similar to the above, requires police officers to be trained in mental health awareness.
SB 1000: Establishes a process for disclosure of officer-involved shootings, and directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to develop a policy for the investigation of such shootings.
HB 1599: Provides a means by which a person whose license was suspended due to court fees to have it reinstated upon an offer of employment which requires a license.
HB 1611: Allows reinstatement of a license suspended due to nonpayment of child support, under certain circumstances. This is necessary because most people need their license in order to work; if somebody can’t pay child support, being unable to legally get to and from work is not going to help them pay.
SJ 222: Amends the state constitution to give the General Assembly the ability to restore rights to non-violent felons. Currently, only the Governor can do this. SJ 243 is identical, except that it does not limit the ability to non-violent felonies.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1613: Establishes that if a police officer who is required to wear a body camera causes that body camera to stop recording, he is still allowed to testify about what would have been recorded, but the jury is instructed to weigh his testimony against the fact that he caused the camera not to record. IE, if an officer turns his body camera off, he’s still allowed to testify in court regarding what he didn’t want recorded, and it’s up to instructions to overcome the bias in favor of police testimony.
HB 1398: Expands the definition of hate crime, for the purposes of reporting, to include attacks on police and EMS personnel. These incidents are already reported in the annual Crime in Virginia publication put out by the state police, and saying that an officer who was punched while arresting a belligerent has suffered a “hate crime” is rhetorically disingenuous. It’s not appropriate to put this in the same category as genuine bias crimes.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 825: Provides for new sentencing hearings for people convicted after the 1995 Truth in Sentencing Act but before the 2000 court case Fishback v. Virginia. The 1995 Act abolished parole, and 2000 court case mandated that juries be informed that parole was no longer available. During this time, juries sentenced people with the expectation that, because of parole, a person would serve only part of their sentence in prison.
SB 942: Authorizes state Board of Corrections to review inmate deaths in local and regional jails, and to report on whether the facility followed DOC policies. This bill comes in the wake of Jamycheal Mitchell’s death in the Hampton Roads Regional Jail in 2015, after which no state agency could definitively be said to have responsibility for conducting an investigation. Mitchell, a 24 year-old schizophrenic man accused of stealing $5 worth of snacks from a convenience store, was subjected to four months of abuse by corrections officials before dying of starvation. After his death, eleven state agencies claimed not to have the authority to investigate the jail.
SB 957: Makes it a misdemeanor for police officers to take your recording device or alter your recordings, provided those recordings are legal. This imposes actual penalties for officers who interfere with your legal right to film the police by taking your device or deleting your recordings.
SB 796: Allows somebody to petition for the expungment of certain minor crimes (marijuana posession, underaged alcohol posession, and using a fake ID), provided it’s been more than five years and their conviction took place before their 21st birthday.
SB 940: Mandates that jail inmates be screened for mental illnesses and evaluated regarding their need for services within 72 hours. This will help address the issue of mentally ill people being warehoused in jail cells without services.
SB 830: Provides that if a person is otherwise eligible for food stamps but has been convicted of a first-time felony intent to distribute, they are still eligible. Food is a right.
HB 1522: Establishes that if a person convicted of a capital crime had a severe mental illness at the time their crime was committed, they cannot be sentenced to death.
SB 908: Decriminalizes simple possession of marijuana (makes it punishable by a fine instead of jail time), and decreases the penalty for distribution or possession with intent to sell from a Class 5 felony to a Class 6 felony, provided the quantity is not more than five pounds.
SB 784: Removes the requirement to automatically suspend the driver’s licenses of people convicted of simple possession of marijuana.
SB 841: Makes certain medical use an affirmative defense for some marijuana-related charges. Marijuana is clinically proven to benefit sufferers of some conditions, but it is not legal in Virginia.
HB 1426: Directs the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Director of Criminal Justice Services to come up with an alternative mode of transport for people being involuntarily committed to psychiatric institutions, so that the police don’t have to be called.
SB 831: Makes production, or possession with intent to produce, of marijuana a misdemeanor, if the defendant can prove that their intent was to give (not sell) the marijuana to another person, who is not incarcerated. Currently, this is a felony punishable by 5-30 years in prison.
SB 933: Mandates that the annual training for sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers at jails must include mental health first aid. Many people experiencing mental health crises end up in jail instead of at hospitals; training of this type might improve how jails handle them.
HB 1480: Similar to the above, requires police officers to be trained in mental health awareness.
SB 1000: Establishes a process for disclosure of officer-involved shootings, and directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to develop a policy for the investigation of such shootings.
HB 1599: Provides a means by which a person whose license was suspended due to court fees to have it reinstated upon an offer of employment which requires a license.
HB 1611: Allows reinstatement of a license suspended due to nonpayment of child support, under certain circumstances. This is necessary because most people need their license in order to work; if somebody can’t pay child support, being unable to legally get to and from work is not going to help them pay.
HB 1419: Gives DMV permission to issue temporary driver's licenses for immigrants who have been granted stays of deportation due to fear of torture in their home country. This allows them to drive legally.
SJ 222: Amends the state constitution to give the General Assembly the ability to restore rights to non-violent felons. Currently, only the Governor can do this. SJ 243 is identical, except that it does not limit the ability to non-violent felonies.
SB 817: Allows restricted driver's licenses to permit travel to and from job interviews.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1613: Establishes that if a police officer who is required to wear a body camera causes that body camera to stop recording, he is still allowed to testify about what would have been recorded, but the jury is instructed to weigh his testimony against the fact that he caused the camera not to record. IE, if an officer turns his body camera off, he’s still allowed to testify in court regarding what he didn’t want recorded, and it’s up to instructions to overcome the bias in favor of police testimony.
HB 1398: Expands the definition of hate crime, for the purposes of reporting, to include attacks on police and EMS personnel. These incidents are already reported in the annual Crime in Virginia publication put out by the state police, and saying that an officer who was punched while arresting a belligerent has suffered a “hate crime” is rhetorically disingenuous. It’s not appropriate to put this in the same category as genuine bias crimes.
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