At the same time that more than 100 homeless people are taking shelter in tents outside to the city’s cold weather shelter, less than two miles away the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority is taking steps to demolish more than 500 public housing apartments.
The Virginia Defender
Established in 2005 as The Richmond Defender, The Virginia Defender is a free community newspaper, published quarterly for the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality. Print distribution is 16,000 and statewide. The online publication launched in Summer 2020.
REPORT: HIGH NUMBER OF YOUTH OPEN TO VOTING SOCIALIST
According to the fourth annual report “U.S. Attitudes Toward Socialism, Communism, and Collectivism” released last October by the fiercely anti-socialist organization Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, young people are increasingly open to socialism, and even communism.
KAINE & WARNER SIGN ONTO BILL THAT COULD GUT MEDICARE, MEDICAID, FOOD STAMPS & MORE
Virginia senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, have joined forces with Republicans to advance sweeping budget legislation that could trigger trillions of dollars in cuts to Medicare, Medicaid food stamps and other social programs – and potentially hobble the agenda of the next president.
CATHY’S CAMP EXPOSES RICHMOND’S HOUSING CRISIS
It started with a few tents, a place for people without homes to get in out of Richmond’s winter weather. At least it was dry, and with some blankets and enough clothing, it was bearable. And as the number of tents and homeless people grew, it was safer than trying to find a place to sleep alone outside.
ON RELATIONS BETWEEN IRAN & THE UNITED STATES
Western media outlets sell a very particular narrative to the American people about Iran, and I’m sure that there are many people in the United States who truly believe that Iran is the rogue nation that it is painted to be.
AN OPEN LETTER TO GUN RIGHTS SUPPORTERS
The Virginia Defender circulated this Open Letter laying out our view of the issues. Someone posted it on the internal blog of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, the group that had called for the mobilization. We reprint it again here in hopes that it will reach more of the people for whom it was intended.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: CONCERNING GUN CONTROL
Throughout the history of America, gun control laws have always been used against people of color to deny them their rights, as well as their ability to defend themselves and their communities from racist terror attacks. Both political parties have been equally guilty of this.
