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Time for qualified immunity to go
A federal judge’s impassioned comments about police overreach provide powerful evidence for Virginia legislators who want to weaken something called “qualified immunity.” The legal doctrine makes it nearly impossible for citizens to win certain civil suits claiming wrongdoing by police officers — often in excessive force incidents. Here’s how the libertarian Cato Institute, which has […]
Virginia must fight Trump’s corrupt motives for restricting mail ballots
Let’s start with his unmitigated gall, his unparalleled obtuseness. Most national leaders, having so thoroughly botched a health emergency that’s killed more than 170,000 Americans and sickened millions of others, would protect citizens trying to vote in a national election. They would recognize that, as president of the United States, they shouldn’t force Americans to […]
‘Truth, trust and transparency’: What Black Americans want from policing
Two recent findings on the attitudes of Black Americans toward police — taken amid the national uproar following the slaying of George Floyd in Minneapolis — may sound diametrically opposed. They’re not. The surveys do, however, provide insights into the way Black motorists and pedestrians, usually with dread, approach encounters with officers. Understanding African-Americans’ love-hate […]
Why aren’t high-level nurses in every school now?
Two state legislators want to force Virginia’s K-12 public schools to hire more registered nurses – especially now during a pandemic that’s ravaging people across the United States. And here’s all I could think: You mean, we don’t already have RNs in in every school? What kind of nonsensical, sanctioned penny-pinching is this? The Chesley […]
HBCUs get a much-needed financial lift
MacKenzie Scott, author and ex-wife of Amazon honcho Jeff Bezos, has elevated her profile in a humongous way. You can bet historically black colleges and universities are grateful for her attention. As well as the stroke of Scott’s pen on checks worth at least tens of millions of dollars. Scott announced last week online she […]
Governor’s emergency powers shouldn’t be limited during pandemic
If you take state Sen. Steve Newman at his word, he merely wants to recalibrate the relationship between the executive and legislative branches when an emergency strikes – like during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Lynchburg Republican has introduced a bill for next month’s special session that would limit the time an executive order lasts […]
Disparity in police decertifications should alarm Virginians
Picture this scenario: A local police officer is accused of getting overly aggressive during an arrest, seriously injuring someone in the process. The chief of police and other supervising officials review the case. They decide to fire the officer. The officer shrugs, packs his bags, and simply moves to another agency in the commonwealth. He […]
‘If we don’t fix it now, we’ll never get it right:’ How to restore trust in policing.
What will restore trust between police departments and the communities they serve, particularly with people of color? A local law enforcement executive in Virginia – thrust into the spotlight since the slaying of George Floyd by officers in Minneapolis – has some ideas. “A real quick fix will be banning chokeholds,” Norfolk Police Chief Larry […]
Change the damn name already
“We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.” – Daniel Snyder, Washington Redskins owner, to USA Today in May 2013 “Never” equals seven years, by my calculations. You won’t see such a definition in the dictionary, of course. You will find, however, that “redskin” is defined as a contemptuous […]
Virginia Democrats are making a mistake in denouncing redistricting amendment
Just months before voters in the commonwealth choose whether to reduce the blatant gerrymandering that arises every 10 years during redistricting, many Virginia Democrats are now saying, “Never mind.” Shame on them. The process to get such a referendum before voters has been a long, tortuous one, with frequent setbacks because state lawmakers in the […]
It took a nation in turmoil for the Redskins to finally elevate Bobby Mitchell
My late father, a D.C. police officer from the 1940s to the mid-’60s, despised the Washington Redskins. He’d fume repeatedly about how the team was the last in the NFL to hire a Black player – Bobby Mitchell – because of its segregationist founder and owner George Preston Marshall. If I heard Joseph Chesley Sr. […]
On Confederate monuments, patience has run out
A few more weeks of peering at century-old monuments to the Confederacy around Virginia was more than many protesters could bear. Not that I’m mad at them. Most of the monuments were erected during the reign of Jim Crow. To Blacks, they’re a strong symbol of inequality, terror and second-class citizenship. A new state law […]