Stories for June 2020

Opinion: Column: Mourning, Afternoon and Evening

We had to euthanize Biscuit, our oldest cat, on Saturday, June 20th. He would have been 14 on September 20th.

Marijuana Decriminalized July 1 in Virginia

Will decriminalization of marijuana stop inequitable treatment for communities of color?

Who is more likely to be charged, asked Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw. An executive of a defense contractor smoking marijuana on his deck overlooking woods in Clifton or Great Falls, or the Black teen or young adult walking down Route One in Mount Vernon, or on a street in the Annandale or Culmore sections of Fairfax County?

Using Holistic Practices

How Yoga and Meditation can help ease anxiety over racial injustice.

Before the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent stay-at-home orders, Kesha Davis’s weekday evening routine included picking up her fifteen-year-old son at a bus stop in Old Town Alexandria.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: A Different Way of Looking at the Data

The Gazette reports that “African Americans are often targets of strong-arm tactics” by the Alexandria Police Department, and that disproportionate growth of the Department’s budget over the last 20 years has “led many to question the allocation of public resources.” (“Disproportionate Use of Force”, June 11, 2020.)

Engin Artemel Dies at 81

Former Alexandria Director of Planning spearheaded waterfront development.

The story is one of family legend. When Engin Artemel first arrived in the United States from Istanbul, Turkey, he had $20 in his pocket and virtually no English in his vocabulary.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Black Lives Matter

The people of our nation are being attacked by the very system that is required by law to help them, serve them, and protect them from crimes against them.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Terminate Local Agreements with Park Police

As you know, on Monday, June 1, 2020, the United States Park Police (USPP) used tear gas on citizens at Lafayette Square who were peacefully exercising their constitutional rights prior to any curfew.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: It’s Time to Rename Pickett Street

In 1953, the Alexandria City Council renamed more than 30 streets for Confederate military leaders after it annexed a portion of Fairfax County.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Police End Barricade Peacefully

On June 4, police were alerted to a person in distress in an apartment building in Potomac Yard that ended without incident thanks to a professional, measured, well-trained response from the officers of the Alexandria Police and Sheriff’s Departments, as well as assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Removal of Statue Denies City’s History

I am writing to comment on the removal of the iconic Confederate Soldier statue at the intersection of South Washington Street and Prince Street in Old Town, Alexandria.

Alexandria City Council Prohibits Firearms on City Property

Following a public hearing June 20, the Alexandria City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance prohibiting firearms and ammunition in City facilities, parks and areas requiring special event permits.

Black, Male and Arrested in Alexandria

Alexandria’s war on drugs hits black males hardest.

According to the Alexandria Police Department, 64 percent of people arrested in Alexandria for drug arrests last year were African American. Almost half of those arrests were Black males.

Appetite: On the Menu: Goings-On in Alexandria Restaurants

From permanent restaurant closures to a focus on private parties to wholesalers becoming direct-to-consumer distributors, the pandemic has brought with it quite a few changes to the area’s food-and-drink landscape.

Opinion: Commentary: Terminate Memoranda of Understanding with US Park Police

As you know, on Monday, June 1, 2020, the United States Park Police (USPP) used tear gas on citizens at Lafayette Square who were peacefully exercising their constitutional rights prior to any curfew.

Opinion: Column: Masking My True Feelings

For those of us living in states where mask-wearing is mostly mandatory (indoors: yes, outdoors: not nearly as much), it is very easy to hide one's emotions.

Seniors Join Protests for Racial Injustice

Remembering the past to inform the future.

Long before there was a Black Lives Matter movement and smart phones that captured police brutality on video, and long before throngs of people filled streets around the world to protest racial injustice, there were smaller crowds of pioneers fighting to tear down barriers imposed by Jim Crow laws.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Oppose Prohibition of Firearms on City Property

To the members of the Alexandria City Council: As a gun owner with a Concealed Handgun Permit (“CHP”) and native of Alexandria, I believe that your proposed anti-gun ordinance will infringe upon my freedoms.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Reconsider What We Expect Police To Do

The article by Michael Lee Pope, “Disproportionate Use of Force” (June 11, 2020), was most disturbing. I was angered by the story of the white police officer’s harassment of a black Alexandria citizen who was simply doing his job.

Feeding the Fight in Alexandria

Friendship Firehouse wraps up food delivery.

Members of the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association wrapped up a 6-week period of delivering over 600 meals to Alexandria firefighters with a donation of lunches June 5 from Foster’s Grille.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Help Struggling Businesses

For several months now, I have noticed the increasing number of empty storefronts downtown. King Street, Washington Street, Pitt Street -- all have “For Rent” signs now. Most recently, Walgreens on King Street closed on March 5.

A Vested Interest in Alexandria

APD K-9 Taz to receive body armor.

The Alexandria Police Department’s K-9 Taz, a 2-year old German Shepherd who was imported from Hungary, will receive a bullet and stab protective vest, thanks to a donation from local residents Chuck and Cathy Rey and the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K-9s, Inc.

‘Homegrown’ Filmmakers in Alexandria

ASO, Film Festival announce joint partnership selections.

The Alexandria Film Festival, in partnership with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, has announced the six filmmakers that have been selected to participate in its joint project, HomeGrown: American Stories in Music and Film.

Alexandria City Council Adopts Resolution 2950

SYSTEMIC RACISM: In its resolution, City Council acknowledges that the plight of black and brown Americans is not only present in the form of police brutality, but is also entrenched in institutions such as the judicial system, the electoral process, career advancement, education, housing and the health care system.

Shelter Experiences in Alexandria May Be Virtual, but They’re Still Warm and Fuzzy

“Tigger, Tigger,” 13-year-old Allayna said over and over, as a year-old pit bull terrier she had never met leaped in her lap and licked her face.

Titan Triumph

T.C. Williams holds online commencement.

It wasn’t the graduation ceremony the senior class expected when the school year began in September, but across the city students and families celebrated June 13 as T.C. Williams High School held a virtual graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020.

Serving People In Dire Need in Alexandria

Pop-up grocery moves from Christ Church to Personal Delivery Services with daily food deliveries to people falling between the cracks.

The regular Thursday morning pop-up grocery at Historic Christ Church has been closed for the last three months and transformed into a delivery service.

Alexandria: This Week in Covid

Library fees, George Floyd, pandemic within pandemic, combating institutional racism, playgrounds opening, auto loan relief and more.

The Virginia Department of Health updated its demographics dashboard to include additional racial reporting categories for case, hospitalization and death data.

Alexandria’s Income Gaps

Whites make three times as much as Hispanic workers, twice as much as black workers.

White Alexandria is pulling in significantly more money than Hispanic workers and African Americans, according to numbers from the United States Census Bureau. A look at average income shows non-Hispanic whites make more than $85,000 a year. That’s more than three times the average income for Hispanic workers, $24,000, and more than twice the average income for black workers, $37,000.

Appetite: How Are Restaurants Handling Phase 2 in Alexandria?

As Phase 2 of the state’s Forward Virginia plan nears the end of its first week in Alexandria, restaurants are settling into the new rules in different ways.

COVID-19: Not a Fair Fight

Regional perspective: pandemic exposes health inequality leading up to discrepancies in life expectancy.

The zip codes with higher concentrations of poverty, lower education levels, and crowded housing conditions tend to have the highest rates of COVID.

Opinion: Column: Taking the Results in Stride

Apparently, I'm back in the lung cancer business. According to the video visit I had June 8 with my endocrinologist, my thyroid cancer has not moved into my lungs where my oncologist thought it might have – given the results of a previous biopsy and some surprising tumor inactivity in my lungs.

Pandemic Patience: Counselor at NVFS Calms New Mothers

Tele-mental health during COVID-19 is the new normal for the Healthy Families Program.

Mental health counselor Bianca Molinari Anez knows what it is like to encounter postpartum depression; she experienced it herself. That’s one of the reasons she is so devoted to the group of women she counsels.

Northern Virginia Family Service: More than a Safety Net for 100 Years

During the Great Depression, they handed out coal and coats. Now, it’s an array of services.

Ninety-five years ago, Northern Virginia Family Service handed out coats and coal in Alexandria. Today, the organization has a much broader mission and geographic reach throughout Northern Virginia and – in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic – an increased need for its services.

Discussing Racial Injustice with Children

Books and visual art can help begin difficult conversations.

As horrific scenes of police brutality and images of passionate protesters fighting for racial justice are ubiquitous in a smartphone and social media obsessed society, parental control over information that children receive can be limited. Framing and discussing such issues can be equally as challenging.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Statement from the Mayors and Chairs of Northern Virginia

As the Mayors and Chairs of Northern Virginia, we raise our collective voices on behalf of the more than 2.5 million residents of our region to express our sorrow for the decades of injustices that have befallen the African American community in America.

The Other Alexandria: We Were Part of the Sunnyside Community: Lovell Arvid Lee

It was 1874 when junk dealer and real estate owner Charles A. Watson died in Alexandria, Virginia. He left his entire estate to his wife, Laura Ware (Wair) Watson. Together Laura and her three sons, Frank, Thomas Montgomery and Elbert turned their real estate into one of the first African American housing communities in Alexandria.

Safely Celebrating Seniors in Alexandria

Commonwealth Academy holds drive-in graduation.

Alexandria’s Commonwealth Academy creatively celebrated its class of 2020 with a drive-in ceremony June 5 in the Potomac Yard parking lot.

Twig Donates $100k to Inova Alexandria

Funds to be used in COVID-19 care.

The Twig Junior Auxiliary of Inova Alexandria Hospital presented a check for $100,000 to Dr. Rina Bansal for the Inova COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness Fund during a May 22 ceremony held outside the hospital’s entrance.

‘Not Again’: Tavares Floyd Mourns Loss of His Cousin George

“Not again” is the first thing that went through the mind of Tavares Floyd, a local Civil Rights attorney, when an aunt called him with the news of the death of his cousin George while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Phase Two in Alexandria

Indoor dining, retail operations can resume June 12.

Northern Virginia will begin entering Phase Two of the Virginia Forward plan June 12, with restaurants and retail operations able to resume indoor services under strict COVID-19 guidelines.

Alexandria Protests Continue

Hundreds gather at Charles Houston for George Floyd rally.

One by one the names were read aloud. For eight minutes and 46 seconds – the time that George Floyd suffered with the knee of a police officer on his neck during an arrest in Minneapolis – the names of African Americans who died at the hands of law enforcement rang through the crowd gathered June 4 at the Charles Houston Recreation Center.

Freedom of Speech or Zoning Violation in Alexandria?

Seminary Road debate resurfaces after sign violation.

The Alexandria Board of Zoning Appeals has rejected a request from an Alexandria homeowner to display a 4-foot-by-8-foot sign declaring his opposition to the controversial Seminary Road diet.

Alexandria’s Week in Coronavirus

Quaranteens, nursing home holes, virtual boxing, rental relief and more.

BACKLOGGED TESTS: Starting on June 9, the Virginia Department of Health’s COVID-19 data dashboard will reflect 13,000 additional tests that were backlogged.

Hundreds Come Out to Fight Racism and Police Brutality

Mount Vernon was ground zero for the latest incident involving Fairfax County Police.

Protest march

Disproportionate Use of Force

African Americans are often targets of strong-arm tactics by Alexandria police.

Documents outlining use of force by the Alexandria Police Department show force is used against black males more than any other group. In the most recent report, which covers 2019, 54 percent of the instances of use of force was against African Americans. That’s significantly higher than the black population in Alexandria, which is 23 percent.

Opinion: Column: “The News of My Death...

…is greatly exaggerated." So said Mark Twain. So said W.C. Fields. And so said Kenny Lourie.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Statement from the Mayors and Chairs of Northern Virginia

As the Mayors and Chairs of Northern Virginia, we raise our collective voices on behalf of the more than 2.5 million residents of our region to express our sorrow for the decades of injustices that have befallen the African American community in America.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Northern Virginia Houses of Worship Will be Open, But Not Their Buildings

The State of Virginia and Fairfax County have told us that we can reopen our houses of worship at fifty percent capacity. We will not be doing so at this time.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Northern Virginia Rotary Clubs Letter on Racism--

Signed by District Governors and 10 Area Clubs.

George Floyd’s needless and heartless death has set in motion a dramatic nationwide response that we refuse to ignore.

Summer Blooms

Heat tolerant flowers that add bursts of color to gardens and landscapes.

As spring flowers begin to wither under the heat and humidity of summer, the vibrant blooms that once graced yards and gardens begin to fade. It’s during this time that landscapers and gardeners rely on a bevy of color-rich flowering plants that are hearty enough to stand up to the relentless summer sun.

An Arlington Kitchen Gets a Facelift

From dark and dated to light and modern.

When an Arlington family grew tired of their home’s cramped, dark kitchen, they turned to interior designer Elena Eskandari to modernize and expand it, while creating a space for entertaining.

All I Need Is Aldi: A Kid-Friendly Treat to Cool Down This Summer

Lately, time has had a way of slowing down. The days have seemed longer at home, especially for those of us with kids that are out of school.

Hundreds Rally in Alexandria to End Racism

Peaceful demonstration held at police headquarters.

A group of more than 500 demonstrators gathered outside Police Headquarters June 2 as part of a vigil to “End White Silence in Alexandria” in the wake of the May 25 killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, while in police custody in Minneapolis.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: We Pledge to Prevent the Sprout of Racism in Alexandria

We, the undersigned, are members of the Alexandria Human Rights Commission, but we submit this letter in our own capacity as residents of this great city we call home.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: From Police Chief Michael Brown

Last week, I too watched a video that shocked me in many ways. Personally, and professionally, I was appalled at what I saw. I witnessed a homicide at the hands of a cop, and the victim of that homicide was Mr. George Floyd.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: We Cannot Wait to Win Over Hearts and Minds

I have been struggling to find words and honestly still can’t. The week has been draining both physically and emotionally on top of trying to figure out how to live in a pandemic.

Historic Moment in Alexandria

Controversial statue relocated to an undisclosed location.

For 131 years, the lone figure stood at the intersection of Washington and Prince streets in Old Town.

Opinion: Commentary: Harness Outrage to Battle Toward Justice

I begin by noting I am aware that words alone cannot rectify the problems our country is experiencing.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: A Moment to Act

I’m sure folks have seen the protests this weekend in response to George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police officers, and years of violence against the Black community.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: From the Bahá’ís of Alexandria

To Mayor Justin Wilson: Your May 29 letter takes a bold step in frankly acknowledging the pervasive culture of white supremacy that pollutes our nation and in sharing the collective despair that many are feeling.

Alexandria’s Week in Coronavirus

The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) remind everyone that the safest place to be is at home.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Republican Primary for U.S. Senate Seat

Since there has been little, if any, local news coverage of the upcoming June 23 Republican primary for Virginia’s U.S. Senate race I am writing to prod you into informing your readers.

Overlooked Primary for U.S. Senate

Three Republicans on the ballot this month.

Don’t look now, but Virginia is in the closing days of a primary. You might not have heard about it because of the global pandemic and the economic crisis. But buried beneath all the headlines about police brutality and racial injustice, Republicans are about to decide which candidate they want to appear on the ballot this November against incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Warner.

Appetite: 4 Ingredients for a Stellar Pandemic Picnic

A Friday-night picnic under the stars may look a little different in this age of social-distancing, but the weather waits for no pandemic, and the nights have turned warm and balmy.

Opinion: Column: Night and Now Daze

That wasn't so bad. Approximately 29 hours in the hospital in a private room and all I had to do was drink as much water as possible and shower half a dozen times.

Let’s Get This Right: Mask Up NOVA

It’s Phase One and Executive Order 63 for Northern Virginia’s reopening.

On May 29, The Northern Virginia Regional Commission announced that it produced a Public Service Announcement emphasizing the importance of wearing a face mask in public indoor spaces.

Governor Northam Declares State of Emergency

Assistance to localities authorized.

In Northern Virginia, Fairfax County Police assisted in Manassas when demonstrations there “became violent as some of the protesters proceeded into Sudley Rd., stopping traffic, and throwing objects at passing motorists and officers,” according to Prince William Police.

When One Drink is No Longer Enough

Increase in alcohol consumption during COVID-19 worries some.

Just three months ago, her evening routine was simple. She made dinner for her 10- and 12-year old children, and after they’d taken showers and gone to bed, she settled onto the sofa in her family room with a book and a glass of wine.

Area Girls Scouts Volunteering at Home

Girl Scouts from Vienna, Oakton, Reston and Alexandria have been volunteering tirelessly at home since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to help assemble components of reusable, eco-friendly menstrual pads for girls in low- and middle-income countries.

Departmental Progressive Club Making a Difference in Alexandria

Gift cards presented to Carpenter’s Shelter, ARHA.

Members of the Departmental Progressive Club joined forces to raise more than $1,600 to donate to Carpenter’s Shelter and the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

The Other Alexandria: Saluting One of Our Fallen Vietnam Veterans: Raymond Leroy Williams Sr.

In Washington, D.C. near the Lincoln Memorial is a black granite memorial erected for the Vietnam Soldiers who had died in action. On that wall, they listed over fifty individuals from Alexandria, including Private First Class Raymond Leroy Williams.

Looking for Lonely Seniors…

Senior Services of Alexandria’s “Friendly Visitor” Program

As we continue to stay at home and remain safe, feelings of loneliness and isolation might be setting in, especially for older adults who live alone or are confined to their living space in a residential facility.

Picture This: Your ‘Working-From-Home’ Pet

Animal Welfare League of Alexandria’s annual calendar contest launches June 1.

t’s been an unforgettable year for Abby, a six-year-old cattle dog/coonhound mix adopted in 2014 from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA).