Click here to access the interactive map At a press conference today, Mayor Stoney announced that residents of the City of Richmond could visit nearly 50 locations around the city to pick up disposable surgical face masks free of cost.     The City of Richmond Fire Department, Office of Citizen Service and Response and Mayor’s Office teamed up to ensure every resident of Richmond has access to an effective, free mask. Residents can pick up masks at many community locations, such as Richmond Public Library Branches, Parks and Recreation Community Centers and Richmond City Health District Resource Centers.   “Wearing a mask is the easiest way to show love and respect for your neighbor,” said Mayor Stoney. “Masks are scientifically proven to help stop the spread, so we’re making sure everyone has access to them, regardless of the money in their pocket or zip code they live in.”   Under this new program, customers can access two new requests in RVA311: an individual request for masks and a

The recording of the first meeting of the Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety is available on the city’s YouTube channel.   Click here to access the video.   The   task force   meets every   other   Friday at 3:00 p.m.   Future   meetings will be available to view on the city’s YouTube channel.   List of current members of the Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety:   Alex Guzman Bill Pantele Birdie Jamison Brad Nixon Brandon Browne Brandon Lovee Brian Swann Brian Williams Carol Adams Colette McEachin Courtney Winston Daryl Fraser Destiny Hill Devontae Scott Djibril Niang Dontae McCutchen Ellen Robertson George Brown Glenwood Burley Helena Hudson Iman Shabazz Keisha Cummings Kimberly Russo Lashawnda Singleton Lisa Moon Lyons Sanchezconcha Mike Jones Natasha Crosby Patrice Shelton Ram Bhagat Robert Morris Rodney Robinson Shanel Lewis Shatara Hurt Sheba Williams Shytina Huey Torey Edmonds Tracy Paner Triston Harris William Pelfrey   ##  

At the August 10 meeting of the Richmond City Council, the Stoney administration introduced an ordinance to modify current Richmond City Code section 19-334.1; Carrying Firearms in Certain Places. Currently, the code bans firearms in city-owned and -operated parks and facilities. The newly introduced ordinance would also prohibit the possession, carrying or transportation of any firearms in any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way or any open public space when it is being used by, or is adjacent to, an event that requires a city permit.    This ordinance does not broadly ban firearms in these public spaces. Rather, it bans firearms when a permitted event, or an event that should be permitted, is taking place.   The expansion to the existing ordinance is intended to promote the health and safety of event attendees and city residents as a whole.   “The City of Richmond proudly hosts hundreds of public events each year, but I believe it’s in the interest of everyone’s

La Ciudad de Richmond ha recomendado que el Concejo de la Ciudad asigne $500 000 para crear el programa de Subsidios para la Recuperación Comercial. Bajo este nuevo programa que será efectivo por una sola vez, se les otorgarán subvenciones a los negocios elegibles locales, a las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro y a los dueños de locales comerciales para que recuperen los gastos debidos a los daños recibidos durante las recientes manifestaciones localizadas dentro de los límites de la ciudad.   “Aunque muchas protestas han sido pacíficas, algunas noches esporádicas en las que han ocurrido grandes daños a la propiedad han afectado a nuestra comunidad de pequeños comerciantes”, dijo el alcalde Stoney. “Estos subsidios ayudarán a que estos establecimientos vuelvan a funcionar, además de que los dueños y empleados de esos negocios recibirán el mensaje de que los hemos escuchado, los valoramos y estamos juntos en estos momentos”, agregó.   Los subsidios serán reembolsos de los gastos incurr

The City of Richmond has recommended that City Council allocate $500,000 to create the Business Recovery Grant Program. Under this new, one-time program, grants will be awarded to eligible local businesses, non-profit organizations, and commercial property owners to recover costs from damage during recent demonstrations within city limits.   “Though many protests have been peaceful, sporadic nights of severe property damage have hurt our small business community,” said Mayor Stoney. “These grants will help those establishments get back on their feet and send a message to the owners and employees of those businesses that they’re heard, they’re valued and we’re in this together.”   The grants will be a reimbursement of expenses paid to repair property destruction during the recent civil unrest.  This could include window repair, graffiti removal and more. The maximum grant award is $10,000 for a single commercial property address.   The city’s Commercial Area Revitalization Effort (CARE)