Fatal shooting in Creighton (UPDATED)
Hearing a lot about a fatal shooting this evening in Creighton, but nothing official and no real details. Anybody got anything?
This has been confirmed by Richmond Police as a homicide investigation. This killing is the 10th in the East End in 2011 and #30 for Richmond.
The city’s Current Traffic Information has this:
From the RPD:
Can someone translate this for me?
“MALE STRUCK C/B…NO SUSP INFO…MALE NOT C/NOT B”
What does C/B stand for?
And is this two incidents? One said on scene at 10:20, the other says 7:40.
There was also a fatal shooting Friday night in the Bottom. Tough month or so in the East End.
C/B = Conscious/Breathing
The Richmond Police Department has identified the man found shot to death in the 2000 block of Creighton Road last night as Lewis J. Johnson Jr., 27, of the 700 block of Admiral Gravely Boulevard.
So upsetting. I hate to see another one. I wish that until some other use for the courts is found, all able bodied, unmarried men over the age of 21 were prohibited from either living there or visiting after dark including driving on the streets. That would be drastic, but I think appropriate and within the ability of the RRHA.
It always seems ironic to me that tourists go on ghost tours of the Richmond train tunnel collapse (3 deaths) or the site of the Richmond Theater Fire of 1811 (72 deaths). If there were such a thing as ghosts, Richmond’s pubic housing would be the place to find them. Where else is suffering so localized, commonplace, and ignored??
I guarantee that the number of young men who have been senselessly killed- or had their lives forever ruined – in public housing is equal to or greater than the number of Union soldiers killed at Belle Isle Prison during the Civil War. Unfortunately in Richmond’s pubic housing, young men aren’t the only casualty and death is only one aspect of this modern day “Site of Suffering.”
The murder of so many young black men is a national tragedy of epic proportions. But I doubt it would sell many ghost tour tickets- it seems to get little attention from us at all. RRHA perpetuates this tragedy by keeping our own version of social concentration camps in business. The violence will continue as long as poverty is concentrated and their suffering is ignored.
Not Creighton, but from the direction, sounded like it might have been Mosby. Sunday nite 10-09-2011, 9:30pm. 4 gunshots fired. Anyone else here that?
Elaine I heard that as well.
When is the City going to put an end to the violence in Shockoe Bottom? People continue to be murdered in the heart of RVA and our city officials are too political to actually resolve the issue at hand. Violence like this should not happen in the heart of any city! RVA needs some game-changers in office…I’m tired of waiting for these issues of gun violence to sort themselves out…among other things…
Here’s the story I heard today from a resident of Creighton Court who is really upset about this murder:
Allegedly, the men involved in this crime were gambling. Reportedly, it was a dice game, possibly with others players who would be witnesses to events leading up to, if not including, the murder.
Reportedly, the victim was winning at dice and said he wanted to leave the game. At least one of the other players was said to have protested the victim’s departure. The victim allegedly left the game with his winnings, whereupon the murderer shot him and then proceeded to take the victim’s winnings.
What upsets my friend the most about his tragedy is the fact so many children (residents of Creighton,) were exposed to this violence. I have no way of knowing whether his account of events is what really happened that night. Hopefully, someone who was involved will be brave enough to step forward and tell authorities what they saw.
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/news/2011/oct/10/8/after-slaying-head-of-shockoe-bottom-group-urges-m-ar-1373824/
@JD, here is part of the problem. A police chief who is willing to sit by and wait for the violence to happen before making an arrest. I know that patrol officers have been increased in the Bottom. But they can’t be everywhere at one time and there are just some things that can’t foresee. But if you arrest the troublemakers before they cause bigger problems, then not only does it get them out of the area for the night but it begins to send a message to others that some behavior will not be tolerated. It’s the Tipping Point theory (an excellent book). When the small problems are not tolerated, it aids in the bigger ones being eliminated.
A vigil will be held Thursday for Lewis J. Johnson Jr., 27, [...] at 5:30 p.m. outside Johnson’s home, in the 700 block of Admiral Gravely Boulevard.
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2011/oct/10/vigil-to-be-held-thursday-for-lewis-johnson-ar-1373925/
I hate to say it (and I know I’m not the first person to say it) but some of the nightclub establishments in Shockoe Bottom are a blight on our city. Crime, litter, and a general disregard for the well-being and safety of residents and visitors of Shockoe Bottom should not be tolerated by city officials. Enough is enough.
Hey, if enough is really enough, don’t write to CHPN (sorry John)…write to your council rep. Better yet speak at a meeting.
For those interested in the dynamics of public housing, mixed-income development, decentralization, etc. I recommend the following:
http://www.frbsf.org/community/conferences/2011ResearchConference/docs/5-joseph-slides.pdf
I saw the presentation this past Spring and was impressed with the depth and objectivity of the research. The presentation doesn’t tell the whole story, but for those who want to dig deeper it’s a good place to start…
The projects are the projects. It’s a shame and heartbreaking…. I think the bottom situation is more managable and attainable.
I’m with karen. This police chief is publicly stating he won’t arrest people? Put a drunk angry person in cuffs and see how well he can shoot. Why are we building a new jail? Not to arrest people? I believe in rehabing, but throw the true hot heads behind bars even if it’s just overnight. Let the decent folks get home safe. This police chief is damn fool, and and it’s time to get off the internet and say something as a group in a live public forum. I worked at Awful Authur’s back in the day and the scene in the bottom has since regressed. Back in the early 2000s there was less police presence and less violence. The bar owners policed their own spots and called the cops as needed. That area of 18th and Main st is dramatically hindering other legit busineses. Geographically it’s a small area to police as compared to other cities. I just don’t get it.
18- must be one of those things that you had to be there to appreciate as the powerpoint presentation is lacking any real meat. Sounds like an interesting topic though and I’d be interested to see a research paper or something more fact laden if you can find it.
Also if anyone else knows of any good research (quantitative, detailed) that looks at the effects of mixed income or other alternative approaches to public housing projects, please share. I am particularly interested in how well each achieves the goal of actually breaking the cycle of poverty. I’ve been looking for something like this and it doesn’t seem to be out there. Secondary accomplishments like raising standard of living for the current generation are great but if we can’t break the cycle, these are unsustainable improvements.
Post 13 sounds like the plot of an episode of the Wire (season 1/episode 1 if memory serves). It was a lot more amusing to watch on tv though. My heart goes out to the family of this young man. I’ll also echo the posts about the need for heavier patrols of the projects and enforcement of laws in high crime areas. I’ve started noticing patrol cars making the rounds in Church Hill area but it’s important to make sure they stay visible.
Has anyone posted this study yet?
http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/affordablehousing/library/modelguides/2004/200315.pdf
It’s from 2003, but I think it still has a number of interesting case studies of mixed-income housing.
Good stuff Rachel, thanks!
I’ve been a believer that mixed income seemed like the right way to go but realized recently that I had never really seen any real data that backed this up. This is helpful, though I must admit the argument for mixed income still is not as clear as I’d like and there are some possible issues that need to be addressed (that this calls out).
Paraphrasing this somewhat, it sounds like the authors’ case for mixed income is (with my thoughts):
1. Mixed income housing results in mixed schools (this is definitely a benefit if we can achieve)
2. Mixed income housing brings jobs closer to lower income workers / raises employment
3. Mixed income houses have less negative impact on property values than mass concentrations of poverty
#1 is probably the strongest argument IMO since it has the greatest chance of breaking the poverty cycle. However, I am still skeptical whether it would materialize in a place like Richmond. Even in integrated neighborhoods today, the schools remain largely segregated. I am not sure how this could be addressed.
#2 is of minor weight currently because of the presence of a strong busing system in Richmond.
#3 is tricky because to build mixed housing of the quality required to blend in more affluent areas without hurting property values (assuming lower income residents don’t damage values by themselves but that it is lower quality houses that hurt prices, which I think may be true if this data is accurate) would be a massive undertaking.
Given: the share of Richmond’s population in public housing now, the high value of the non-public housing homes in the city (the bar we need to meet is high) and the already high tax rate, it seems like a stretch to assume that we could solve the projects with mixed income housing within the city alone.
Certainly if we could spread the population throughout the greater Richmond area, #1 and 3 might be easier to achieve but #2 might be a problem since long bus rides (assuming service even goes that far) could make things difficult.
Am I overlooking something in here? As I said earlier, I am asking from the perspective of trying to find ways we can solve the problem, not to be a naysayer. I am just concerned that this may not be a realistic goal.
Perhaps the answer is to look at ways we can achieve mixed income communities/benefits by offering incentives to folks to send their kids to public schools?
Or try to draw in middle and upper class folks from the suburbs rather than disperse the poor throughout the area?
@ Alex, right you are. I should have looked through the presentation more thoroughly before posting. There are a lot of gaps in the slides, filled in during the presentation. I’d refer back to the resources and additional research from the Case Western professor. More here:
http://msass.case.edu/faculty/mjoseph/mixed_inc_research.html
Really good points Alex. To expand on some of your ideas:
1. Mixed income housing results in mixed schools (this is definitely a benefit if we can achieve)
-Definitely a worth-while goal. Even if mixed-income takes off, I would still be for busing in kids to different schools, as it will take time after mixed-income shows up to also break the segregation seen today in schools.
2. Mixed income housing brings jobs closer to lower income workers / raises employment
-Richmond has a strong bus system? Not really. The bus system here is actually pretty terrible, but better than some other cities in America, from what I’ve heard, which is pretty sad in itself. I’ve given up on all on the buses except the VCU campus connectors and shuttles (which community members can ride too for $1.50). The other GRTC buses run late, are infrequent, don’t seem to run based on the schedule on their website, and sometimes don’t show up at all. Many of the more useful buses (to shopping centers and the airport) don’t even run on evenings and weekends, and bus coverage is poor for most suburban areas. I am a veteran bus rider from Vancouver, Canada, and even my patience has run out for the bus system here. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to rely on GRTC as your sole method of transportation – at least I am able to use my bicycle for shorter trips, and Zipcar (car sharing) for longer. Otherwise, not owning a car myself, I’d be hosed. 1-1.5 hour bus trip vs. 20 min. by car or bike? No brainer.
3. Mixed income houses have less negative impact on property values than mass concentrations of poverty
-I agree with your worry about property maintenance. If mixed-income housing sprung up overnight, we would still have to deal with poor maintenance and trash, etc. for a few years at least. Coming from the projects, where most everyone just throws stuff on the ground without giving a second thought, to a neighborhood that people value and care for will take some time to transition and for learned habits to change. I don’t think it’s impossible, though, it will just take time, and maybe just a time of extra patience, and extra maintenance support from the Richmond housing authority and Richmond city during a transition period lasting 3-5 years.
-There is no quick-fix. No one can sweep into a neighborhood, do some work and leave, and expect the problem to be fixed. Involving all residents in planning and upkeep of mixed-income will be necessary. I have seen this first-hand thru the Union Hill Community Garden Project in Mosby court. People are involved, and they’re excited about how their rental property looks. Neighbors are starting to respect each other and each other’s property. It’s exciting to see.
-Programs that may provide incentive to better maintenance could include rent-to-own for low income individuals. This could also help break the cycle of poverty.
Some responses to your responses (pardon the brevity, I’m on an iPhone).
1. I worry that busing could create a full scale exodus. There’s also not enough white students in RPS for that to be very effective even if no further exodus occurs. Busing out to counties might work? Find a way to desegregate effectively could have nice benefits for neighborhoods like ours where property values are held back by segregated schools. Compare home prices for Mumford vs Chimborazo districts.
2. Busing system is already receiving awards. It may be attrocious compared to Canada but it’s good by US ones. It’s also bleeding money as is so further fixes are going to be a tough sell. Rationalizing routes might be better since same number of routes could be reworked to serve more riders.
3. Giving ownership is something I find hard to swallow since it opens the door for all kinds of fraud and waste but I agree it does create incentives for good care. That’s the carrot way. The stick version also could do – give a nice place to live but require sweat equity for the discount. Even a few hours spent to maintain the community would build some pride in keeping it up an would build job skills, compensate developer for offering housing (could reduce tax payer dollars needed to fund). Jobs not done correctly could result in loss of housing discount / giving to someone more deserving.
[...] Fatal shooting in Creighton; Church Hill People’s News [...]
Anyone know what happened last night? Maybe around 2:00 AM or so. I was awakened by the sound of 8-10 gunshots followed immediately by police cars and then an ambulance moments later. Sounded like it came from the area around Ocean Grocery.