The AMI conversations feels (and is) wonky but people in #rva need language for why they look around at all of this new subsidized "affordable" housing and they still can't afford to live in it. They already intuitively understand that's not right. secure.ngpvan.com/PvTacrHvO02t...

Tell the Avula Administration: No Private Profits Without Public Good

The city’s affordability label does not represent reality for the majority of Richmonders it's meant to serve. We are asking for real leadership on the part of elected officials in their commitment to...

secure.ngpvan.com

Richmond For All@richmondforall.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Despite the construction of scores of privately owned "affordable housing" units across the city in recent years, many residents of those buildings and Richmond at large struggle to keep a roof over their heads.

Charlie is a really special candidate. He's a civl rights lawyer, a law librarian, and president of the Richmond Community Legal Fund. I took his urban politics class at VCU and it changed the way I thought about organizing around elections. If you're in the 77th please vote for him this Sunday.

Richmond For All@richmondforall.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Richmond for All is proud to endorse Charlie Schmidt for the House of Delegates representing Virginia's 77th district! Charlie is a lawyer, organizer, union member, and a founding member of Richmond for all. The primary is THIS SUNDAY!

I know I'm too online because when I saw that this man posts daily Richmond weather updates I thought "Wow, he's like Richmond's David Lynch"

Sean Sublette@subletteweather.com · 8mo ago

Wednesday morning RVA weather brief: Rain is done. One-day warm up with gusty breezes today. To be fair, a quick shower is possible this afternoon, then cold air races in tonight beneath a clear sky. Windy and cold tomorrow and Friday. Daybreak on Black Friday: Breezy, upper 20s, clear sky.

With Black Friday approaching, there will inevitably be well-intentioned talk that these deals are only possible because workers are denied a livable wage. Don't buy into this. It's not low prices vs. fair pay. It's the demand for ever-higher profits and shareholder returns that forces deprivation.

#rva since we're on the topic of publicly available info, there are two competing Richmond FIOA Library bills on the agenda for the 12/08/25 city council meeting. Def recommend showing up to give public comment in support of transparency @ city hall.

Mike O'Brien@obrien.page · 8mo ago

Seems the DeFlock app supports quickly adding Flock Ravens, the gunshot detectors all over the East End of RVA that are leaking west into the downtown wards. deflock.me/app

Can't wait for the 2027 congressional inquiry into why the CIA AI told the DOD AI to order a drone strike in Wisconsin.

More Perfect Union@moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Amazon says it will spend up to $50 billion on AI infrastructure to support the U.S. government. The tech giant says the project will let government agencies develop AI solutions.

This sort of voter disenfranchisement is so common in #rva that we train canvassers to walk residents through applying to have their voting rights restored or check if they have been. In many cases, we're seemingly the first people to tell them this is possible.

NPR@npr.org · 8mo ago

Virginia is one of just a few states where only the governor can restore voting rights for people with felony convictions. But Virginia's rules may soon be changing. n.pr/4pwm3xr

I don't wanna sound too pessimistic here so I'll say I hope this is one of many bills introduced to protect folks from ICE brutality. Incrementally expanding the civil liability of ICE agents brutalizing residents cannot be the best we can do.

Arthur Brill@artbrillart.bsky.social · 9mo ago

This is big news for #Virginia. From the #Shenandoah to #RVA to the #757 #nomasks #ICE #nokings #handsoff

Tonight the #rva school board dealt a serious blow to collective bargaining in Richmond Public Schools. Their public facing message outlined the need for mutual compromise but they made sure the unions knew that they weren't required to take any public feedback into consideration on this topic.

The Richmonder@richmonder.org · 9mo ago

School Board votes yes on changes to collective bargaining procedures

They will call this practicality or fiduciary responsibility. It is cowardice and we should call it that.

When chaos erupts at the national level, some local officials will fail to raise the alarm and fight for the people they serve. Instead, they will attempt to quietly scale back policies and programs that protect the working class.

As Richmond watches Republicans & Trump drastically weaken key social welfare programs like Obamacare, food stamps, and Medicare we urge you to channel some of the outrage you feel into pressure on local officials to take a bolder and braver approach in supporting working class residents.

Amazon may have made VA a datacenter hub and be pumping money into the state for now but VA politicians would do well to remember they're a fair weather friend. If you need evidence of this, just look how Seattle is doing after effectively selling their city to Amazon.

Data centers create few long-term jobs, cause skyrocketing energy bills, and have major environmental impact. Meanwhile, Amazon just laid off 30k employees and the AI industry is already signaling the need for a government bailout.

Richmond DSA Eco-Socialism Working Group@rva-ecosocialism.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Halting the construction of fossil-fuel guzzling data centers must be a top priority of the new #Virginia @vademocrats.bsky.social majority! @abigailspanberger.com insideclimatenews.org/news/2910202...

When I was 24 I broke my wrist in a car accident & with permission from a sheriff that witnessed the accident got a ride from my step mom to the ER. A different sheriff showed up at the ER to tell me he should charge me w/ leaving the scene but wouldn't b/c he was such a nice guy

Sen. Danica Roem@pwcdanica.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Talk to someone who's uninsured. I lived that life for 2.5 years in my early 30s. I don't wish it upon anyone. I can tell you first hand, you absolutely do think about "how the ___ am I going to afford this?" when deciding to call for an ambulance. No one should have to live like that. It's awful.

I think it's fair to say this framing is a little overblown but by many measures things have gotten harder for working class people. So I'd encourage folks to ask "Is this framing a huge problem or something I find personally annoying?" Also Haley's son says some way wilder things in this piece

Simon Lester@simonlester.com · 9mo ago

People wildly overestimate the economic security experienced by past generations. There's no period in American history where significant numbers of young people were just handed high paying jobs. Nostalgia for a time that never existed is a huge problem.

For both logistical and health reasons current American food systems rely on processed and fried foods just to meet the caloric needs. There's a reason Chipotle cannot stop giving people salmonella

Erin Biba@erinbiba.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Thinking about the social stigma against eating fast food in a country where poor people are being starved by the govt, the cost of groceries and fresh vegetables are astronomical, and a cheeseburger at McDonald’s costs $3.50. “Clean” and “healthy” eating rhetoric is racist, ableist, and classist.

I'm not trying to get spit in my Strange Mac

@whitebreadpicnic.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Medium famous is generous

Tech guys six months ago: haha yes we’re cutting all this WASTEFUL spending by eliminating medical research and USAID Tech guys now: yes I think taxpayers will be excited to bailout my non consensual pornography machine