Odin's Chosen in Fredericksburg

Hey, Fredericksburg: unfortunately, you have neo-Nazis in your downtown. Here's a picture post from Rebecca White's FB page that explains. 

McLeather LLC, a custom leather and tailoring outfit, shares its storefront at 1900 Princess Anne Street with Odin's Chosen, a white nationalist group to which owners Joe and Gretchen McGlade belong.

They aren't subtle or crypto— this is not dog-whistle territory. Odin's Chosen has a black sun in the front window and shares Goebbels quotes on their Facebook page. Their sole means of obfuscation is to deny, over and over again. And it seems to be working, at least with some of the media: the most prominent online news story about their shop and the local reaction to it, published by Fredericksburg.com, describes the clearly white nationalist symbols as "controversial" and "associated with" racist movements. These are weaselly phrases to avoid calling it what it is. 

If it displays Nazi symbols, subscribes to Nazi beliefs, and admires Nazi leaders, do you really buy that it's just an innocent neo-pagan group? 

There are some people mobilizing against the open white supremacist presence: notably, this includes Rebecca White, who's keeping a catalog of Odin's Chosen's online activities as well as picketing the storefront in person multiple times a week, and Solidarity Formation FXBG. (Ms. White's given me permission to share this info; she intends it to be public.) If you're in the area and want to get involved, reach out to either or both. 

Hampton Roads Speak Out for Prison Justice

This Saturday, July 7 2018, at 1pm at the Miracle Temple Baptist Church (617 32nd Street, Newport News VA), the Virginia Prison Justice Network is holding a prison justice speak-out. Prisoners, former prisoners, family members, supporters, and advocates will speak about the inhumane conditions of Virginia prisons and the U.S. criminal justice system generally. 

You can see the website of the Virginia Prison Justice Network, which was founded late last year, here: https://vapjn.wordpress.com. They're building power across the state to make serious, deeply needed changes.  

For more info and to RSVP, see this link. 

Families Belong Together Rally to Protest Border Separations

Saturday, June 30 2018, at 12pm noon, at the Virginia Civil Rights Monument (on the grounds of the Virginia state capitol, 1000 Bank St., Richmond VA), NextGen Virginia is holding a Families Belong Together rally to protest the Trump administration's new policy of mandatory family separation at the border.

Note that if you RSVP through the MoveOn.org event page, a condition of signing up is agreeing to obey police orders unconditionally at the event. However, this is an outdoor event on state property, so registration isn't required to attend.

For more info and to RSVP, see the link.

CBS 6: "Mother of two facing deportation finds sanctuary at Richmond church"

Yesterday, June 21 2018, Vernon Freeman Jr., Brendan King, and the web staff of CBS 6 published a story on asylum-seeker Abbie Arevalo-Herrera. You can read it here. 

It's not just in the border zone: ICE is ripping apart families right here, too. Abbie Arevalo-Herrera arrived in the U.S. and applied for asylum in 2014, having fled from an abusive ex-partner who threatened to kill her and her child. The threats have continued, and her asylum case is ongoing, but ICE wants to deport her anyway— and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recently ordered immigration judges to be stricter about asylum claims, saying that fear of death due to gang violence or domestic abuse is not a good enough reason to be granted asylum.

For now, Ms. Arevalo-Herrera is living at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond while she appeals the deportation order.

Roanoke Speak-Out for Prison Justice

This Saturday, June 23 2018, from 2-3:30pm at the Hope Center (506 11th St., Roanoke VA), the Virginia Prison Justice Network is holding a prison justice speak-out. Prisoners, former prisoners, family members, supporters, and advocates will speak about the inhumane conditions of Virginia prisons and the U.S. criminal justice system generally. 

For more info and to RSVP, see this link. 

Socialist Social Meet-and-Greet with the Richmond Democratic Socialists of America

Saturday, June 23 2018, from 2-5pm, at the gazebo toward the back of Chimborazo Park (3201 E. Broad St., Richmond VA), the Democratic Socialists of America - Richmond are holding an open meet and greet 'Socialist Social'.

For more info and to RSVP, see the event page. Note that Chimborazo Park prohibits glass containers, alcohol, and companion dogs (except in the designated dog park).

18 Days for 18 Seconds: Vigil for Marcus-David Peters

Friday, June 22nd, 4-6pm, VCU's Monroe Park campus Compass (near the library, 1000 Park Ave., Richmond VA): a vigil for local high school biology teacher Marcus-David Peters, who was fatally shot by a Richmond police officer on May 14th. He was unarmed, naked, and in acute psychiatric distress of some kind.

For more info and to RSVP, see the event page.

Protest Family Separation Policy at U.S. Rep Dave Brat's Office

U.S. representative for Virginia's 7th district Dave Brat recently came out on Fox News to explain that the Trump administration's new policy of separating children from their parents at the Southern border and putting them in prison camps could be resolved if only the Democrats would "play ball" and concede to his party's policy demands. IE, Republicans don't want to cage and torture children, they're just doing it to for political expediency. That's not any better than just copping to open sadism.

Various groups are getting together for a demonstration near Brat's local office this Friday, June 22nd, from 5-7pm, at 10901 W. Broad St., Glen Allen VA. The address is for a CVS store near, Brat's local office.

For more info and to RSVP, see the event page.

Superior Tenants Session with Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) of Virginia

What are your rights as a renter? What can your landlord do, and what protections do you have under the law? Find out today from 6:30-7:30pm at the Hull Street Library (1400 Hull St, Richmond, VA), at Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia (HOME)'s Superior Tenant Session.

Free, see events page to register.

Community Livestream Viewing of the Poor People's Campaign Week 4: "Ecological Devastation and the Right to Health"

This Sunday, June 3rd 2018, at St. John's United Church of Christ (503 Stuart Circ., Richmond VA), from 5:30-8pm, there will be a community viewing of the livestream of Week 4 of the Poor People's Campaign, focusing on the environment and the right to health. "Join Rev. Dr. Barber, faith leaders and impacted persons in a training lifting up the issues of Ecological Devastation and the Right to Health. This is a live stream event and should be shared in a community setting."

Free, RSVP requested. For more info, see the event page or contact the event host at virginia@poorpeoplescampaign.org.

ServeHope Richmond Ramadan Interfaith Iftar Potluck to Benefit Refugees

Monday, June 4th 2018, from 7:30-10pm, at the Seventh Street Christian Church (4101 Grove Ave., Richmond VA), Richmonders for Peace in Israel and Palestine:RPIP-RVA and the Arab American Association of Central Virginia are sponsoring an interfaith Iftar potluck to celebrate the end of Ramadan and raise money to attend to the humanitarian needs of refugee families in Gaza and Lebanon. The event will feature young Palestinian-American chef Abeer Najjer, who will talk about her experience as an immigrant, her passion for food, and Ramadan traditions. A dessert prepared by Ms. Najjer will be served.

All are welcome, but space is limited so please RSVP. Suggested donation of $25, with proceeds going to fund a month of food for Palestinian and Syrian refugees. It is a potluck, so bring a dish to share.

For more information and to buy tickets, see this event page.

March for Justice and Reformation for Marcus-David Peters

Marcus-David Peters, a young high school biology teacher, was shot to death by a Richmond police officer on Monday, May 14th. He was in clear distress, unarmed, and naked. The RPD has released the video of his death, but maintains that the shooting was justified.

This Saturday, June 2nd 2018. from 1-4pm, there will be a march from VCU's Siegel Center (1200 W. Broad St.) to the Richmond Police Department headquarters (200 W. Grace St.), to protest the killing and demand reform. A list of demands will be presented to police chief Alfred Durham. Organizers ask that you wear burgundy, Marcus-David's favorite color.

The event is being hosted by the Leaders Of the New South, New Virginia Majority, Second Baptist Church, West End, Southerners On New Ground, and the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality.

For more info and to RSVP, see the link. 

Back from hiatus, and name change.

I am back from my hiatus. 

I am also in the process of changing the name of this resource from Active-RVA to the Richmond Left Bulletin. I think the new name is clearer, and best of all it is not nearly-identical to the unrelated physical activity initiative of SportsBackers. As you can see here, the Active-RVA blogspot is now the Richmond Left Bulletin blogspot, and the names of the calendars have likewise been changed. The Facebook page name-change is still pending. 

You can still contact me through all of the existing channels, but my new email address is richmondleftbulletin@gmail.com. 

Yours in the struggle, 

Kat 

Advocates for Richmond Youth Pop Up Drop-in Center

Saturday, December 16th 2017, from 1-7pm, at the Trinity Family Life Center (3601 Dill Road, Richmond VA), Advocates for Richmond Youth will be holding a pop-up drop-in center for youth ages 14-24 who are experiencing housing instability, homelessness, or just need resources to get on their feet. Free food, clothing, hygiene items, and resources. Workshops will be offered every hour from 2pm, and include topics like housing rights, make-up, self-care, and succeeding at job interviews.

Advocates for Richmond Youth are a team of young adult researchers who have been homeless themselves, and are conducting a survey on homeless youth in Richmond. See their Facebook page for more info.

To get to the venue by bus, take the #34 from the transfer plaza. For more info and to RSVP, see the link. 

Anti-Racist Roleplay with SURJ RVA: Preparing for the Holidays

Are you going to have to deal with some iteration of racist relatives this holiday season? Are you tired of just letting it go when your family members say something awful? Well, Showing Up for Racial Justice SURJ Richmond has some tips for having that talk.

Tuesday, December 19th 2017, from 7-9pm, in the basement of 1010 North Thompson Street, Richmond VA, Richmond's chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is holding a session to practice holiday conversations about race, share advice and strategies, and more.

Free, open to the public. Free childcare is available, but please contact childcare.surj.rva@gmail.com if you plan to use it. For more info and to RSVP, see the link.

Stacy Lovelace: report on State Water Control Board meeting day one, and Dominion Energy tactics

Stacy Lovelace for Blue Virginia reports: "Dominion's Thuggish Tricks on Full Display on Day #1 of Atlantic Coast Pipeline Hearing." 12 December 2017. 

Stacy Lovelace's account of yesterday's State Water Control Board meeting, day one of two days of meetings during which the board is considering permits for Dominion Energy's fracked gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The most significant details pertain to the behavior of Dominion's private security agents, who seemed to be making an effort to photograph and film anti-pipeline demonstrators, with the possible collusion of the police.

It's not illegal to film or photograph a non-consenting person, provided the subject is in public and it isn't an upskirt shot. However, I think we can take this as a sign of what to expect, from Dominion's hired security and from the police. We know from campaigns like the Standing Rock Sioux's fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline that environmental movements face surveillance, infiltration, and sabotage by police and mercenaries. Don't let it intimidate you, but also don't forget that you will be watched.

RTD: North Anna Nuclear Generating Station shut down due to water leak

Robert Zullo of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports: "North Anna nuclear reactor in Louisa County shuts down after water leak." 11 December 2017. 

Dominion Energy shut down one of two reactors at the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station yesterday after what it described as a small water leak. A representative for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said that on-site inspectors will be overseeing the issue, and that at this time the agency sees no need for a special inspection.

This is probably not a substantial issue, but considering the current struggle against Dominion in regards to their planned 613 mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline, I thought it was salient to remind everybody of some significant facts regarding the North Anna station. Namely: during construction in the 1970s, Dominion discovered a seismic fault line at the site of the plant, which substantially increased risk of earthquake damage. In 1977, the state fined the utility $32,500 for attempting to obscure the fact of the fault line. As of 2010, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission estimated that the site's annual risk of experiencing an earthquake powerful enough to cause core damage was approximately 1 in 23,000: by contrast, the annual odds of being struck by lightning in the U.S. is about 1 in 700,000, according to National Geographic. IE, the risk is greater than that of a stereotypically rare but plausible scenario. In 2011, tremors from the a 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in nearby Mineral tripped emergency sensors and caused both reactors to go offline. The quake also cracked some buildings on the site, and shifted stored spent nuclear fuel.

Why bring this up in the context of the ACP? Mostly because the case of the Lake Anna facility demonstrates that Dominion has lied about the safety of its infrastructure before, and escaped significant consequences for what should have been considered criminal negligence. We should be skeptical about their safety claims.

Candlelight Vigil Against the Pipelines

Tonight, from 6:30-8:30pm on Governor's Street at the Virginia Capitol (between East Main and East Broad, Richmond VA), the Chesapeake Climate Action Network is holding a candlelight vigil against two proposed gas pipelines, the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines. Last week, the Department of Environmental Quality rubber-stamped necessary permits for the Mountain View pipeline despite the lack of substantive environmental review. The state Water Control Board is meeting today and tomorrow to decide if it will permit the Atlantic Coast pipeline.

McAuliffe has the power to put a stop to both projects, but he's chosen to heed the big donors in the energy sector. The only way to flip him is to demonstrate such overwhelming and disruptive opposition to the pipelines that he understands that his continuing support will incur serious political consequences.

For more info and to RSVP, see the event page. If you have questions or can't find the vigil, call Jamshid Bakhtiari at 757-386-8107.

Proposed change to Labor Standards Act would allow employers to steal tips

This Monday (December 4th 2017), the Trump Department of Labor released a proposed rule to rescind portions of its tip regulations. Here is the Economic Policy Institute's statement on the change and its implications. Essentially: the new language says that provided servers are paid minimum wage (most aren't, now), employers can take their tips. And not just take their tips to distribute them among the back-of-house staff who don't make tips— just pocket them, for whatever purpose, including giving them to shareholders.

Customers in the US are expected to tip because restaurant owners are allowed to pay their staff less than regular minimum wage; the federal minimum wage for tipped employees is $2.13 an hour. Customers are supposed to make up the rest in tips. Under these new rules, the food service industry basically gets to go "psych, we're paying $7.25 an hour now!" and treat all tips like random gifts to the business. Say you go eat at a Waffle House; the $3 you leave for the waiter is so that she gets paid, it's not a random $3 goodwill donation to the owners of Waffle House.

The restaurant lobby is going to argue that these rules are good, because back-of-house workers like cooks and dishwashers are poorly paid. And that part is true, $7.25 an hour is not enough to live on. You know what would actually fix that, though? Raising the minimum wage and requiring restaurants to pay more for labor.

The public comment period on the proposed rules change is open until January 4th, 2018. You can read the proposal in the Federal Register, and submit a formal comment, through this link. 

Transmasculine Support Group at Diversity Richmond

This has been sitting in my drafts since October— my apologies on the delay.

Diversity Richmond, our LGBTQ community center, has a new support group for transmasculine people. The group meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month, from 7-8:30pm, at Diversity Richmond (1407 Sherwood Avenue, Richmond VA). Come out to meet new people and learn more about issues affecting the community. Must be 18 years or older and transmasculine, no RSVP required.

For more info, you can email info@diversityrichmond.org or rdb2348@email.vccs.edu.