North Richmond

Marching in honor of King; linking Richmond

The residents who marched in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Saturday morning looked to emphasize a particular aspect of his teachings: Unity. “We are moving in the direction of breaking down the barriers that separate us,” said Otheree Christian, president of the Iron Triangle Neighborhood Association, “barriers that contribute to unnecessary violence.” About 200 residents participated marches that began at Nevin Community Center in central Richmond and in Parchester Village. The groups converged at Shields-Reid Park in North Richmond,…

A life: Former Richmond Mayor George Livingston

George Livingston liked looking back. His hindsight wasn’t marred by what-ifs or dubious intentions. He gave it all he had, and there’s no shame in that. “What I am proud of is I was able to help integrate the city,” Livingston said during a lengthy chat in his Richmond home in February, 2011. “I gave people a chance that didn’t have a chance.” History will remember Livingston for many things. He was the city’s second African American City council member…

Talks break down, Richmond North Shoreline plan in limbo

Four hours of debate Tuesday night brought elected leaders no closer to resolving a decade-long dispute over the future of the city’s North Shoreline. The Richmond City Council deadlocked on three separate development guidelines, finally agreeing only to return the measure to the Planning Commission to craft a fresh approach. The north shoreline is a mix of a parkland, open beach, dormant industrial land and marsh. Owners there have offered several ideas for what they may develop there, including a…

Councilmen host breakfast for local ministers

What do you get when you put 50 church ministers and two city councilmen in a room together for three hours? A few sermons, frequent choruses of “A-men!” and some lively discussion about how to improve the City of Richmond. Saturday morning’s second “Annual Informational Community Breakfast,” hosted by councilmen Corky Booze and Nat Bates, created an open forum for local church representatives to voice their concerns about the community. The group discussed issues such as the need for better…

Richmond 2011: Images of a time and place

It was a year of indelible images in Richmond, and we were privileged to be behind the camera lens to capture a few of them.
Winnowing down the thousands of images we gathered in Richmond’s streets, parks, boardrooms, shores, restaurant halls and other spots was no easy task, and the results are no doubt imperfect. Undaunted, we present to you a handful of the images that hit us hardest, with some candid reflections from the photographers who captured them.

Richmond 2011: The year in review

2011 was quite a year, to borrow a favorite phrase from longtime resident Sims Thompson, in “our fair city.” I know that’s vague, but it’s tough to turn a pithy phrase that sums up a year in a vibrant, bustling and changing city. We had tragedy and triumph, tumult and harmony. Alliances and rivalries. Echoes of the past and glimmers from the future.

Public safety leaders seek peace – among themselves

City Manager Bill Lindsay said late Wednesday he’ll order an investigation into who leaked information to the press and a councilmember about a non-criminal Sheriff’s stop involving an Office of Neighborhood Safety staff member. The move is aimed in part at easing the concerns of ONS staff, who have complained publicly and privately about what they regard as a breach of trust in their relationship with Richmond police officials. Lingering tension between personnel in the ONS and the Police Department…