Were you at the two most recent Art Walks? There were about 15 fights at the most recent one, and a heavy police presence brought an intense vibe to the event. An event that has revitalized downtown Richmond now stands threatened by its own success, and by the age-old curse where we inadvertently ruin the great things that happen to us. Issues of race need to be addressed, and were clearly present at the last events.
The most recent First Fridays Art Walk holds a perfect magnifying glass over the problems we face moving forward and evolving as a city. There have been quite a few public reactions to the two most recent Art Walks.
Many responses have been racially charged, although I have seen a few public comments begging the city not to make this a race issue. Yes, we should use caution. Because we want to make sure EVERYONE feels welcome at First Fridays.
I think we would be better off addressing this issue, however uncomfortable it is, and then moving forward to fix prejudices of racism and classism. The Elephant in the Room only feeds on denial.
This is not about age, this is about race and centuries old tension in Richmond. I have seen a lot of people latching onto this growing idea that the “problems” and “skirmishes” at First Fridays are all coming from the “youth.”
When did everyone in Richmond become such an expert on age identification?
Yes, there are definitely more kids than there used to be, but in reality there are also more black people at First Fridays than there used to be.
Apparently, it is easier to say, “No, this isn’t a race issue, this is an age issue.”
Well, be warned, denial never fixes problems.
I call Bullshit. Granted, there were some underage kids there. There were also a lot of adults.
Here comes the elephant.
Several people have commented that they will not be returning to First Fridays. Several comments have been made, dramatizing the demise of First Fridays.
Many of the problems we’ve seen have only escalated over the past couple of years. We don’t need to ask how to salvage First Fridays, but rather, how to imagine where it goes in its next level of development.
It is unfortunate that cops have to break up crowds of people watching a dance exhibition (of random participants) outside of Backstage, or any other place where music is being played or made and people want to dance.
The cops have to do it because a crowd impedes the flow of traffic. They wouldn’t have to do it if Broad Street was blocked off though.
Many people have said that the event had a weird vibe to it. I was there for more 4 hours, from 7 p.m. to around midnight.
I had a great time. I did feel some stress because of all the police and because there were a lot of people just walking up and down the street. Up and down up and down up and down.
I do like that police are there breaking up fights. There were 15 fights broken up that night, a police officer said.
No guns. No arrests. One kid was beaten pretty badly, but ran off with his friends before the ambulance arrived.
People are reporting that there were fights in front of their galleries regardless of all the cops on the streets.
So the new First Fridays crowd is more intense. And this is a point that is statistically proven.
There have been threats made to police and a bunch of fights. When the crowd at First Fridays was predominantly white, there weren’t fights. The crowd of late has been predominantly black, and now there are fights.
So, why are some of these black people fighting? I implore you, will you please stop? This is ridiculous that a group of people can’t go to First Friday’s without fighting. We’ve seen it many times in the city. This is absolutely sad.
Hide a huge population in zipcodes divided from Richmond by the highways and y’all forget this is a predominantly black city; in 2000, the census reported the black population as 57.2 percent.
I would think that an event capable of pulling crowds from all races–especially the two predominant ones of our city–represents an accomplishment. Unfortunately we aren’t there yet.
Dear White People
Stop being scared of black people. I saw the looks on people’s faces that night–nervousness, shock. Stop complaining that First Fridays will fail because this new crowd isn’t buying stuff; art or food. I saw plenty of people buying food from street vendors. They are local.
No one has to come buy things. Isn’t enough that 5,000 people come to Broad Street, and countless others visit citywide venues, in the name of Art Walk? Certainly, ten years ago, no one really went to Broad Street east of Belvidere for much of anything. But people who were purchasing should not stop. It seems all the more important for people who love Art Walk to keep supporting it.
A true downtown revitalization happens when all ages, classes and races unite behind an event and celebrate its existence. Everyone needs to bring something positive to the experience.
Our police officers need to be able to protect without overprotecting. They also need to well set-up, for instance by having the Broad Street blocked off.
Heavy patrol on the streets–did it help?
We witnessed a Richmond City Police officer cruising beside a group of black people, down the 200 and 300 blocks of Broad Street, yelling “There will be no First Fridays next month or the month after,” over the intercom. Really? Are officers working overtime and just getting frustrated too easily? Or do they know something we don’t know?
In total there were 17 Richmond City Police officers, including the mounted police, said a police officer. Chief Norwood was also present, along with the assistant chief and two majors.
At least two VCU police cars also came over to help out.
For perspective, there used to be four police officers working First Fridays a year ago.
One cop told me “I used to work that assignment back when I was in (removed for anonymous purposes) because it was fun and easy.”
“Now you can’t get people to sign up for it,” he added.
So how did over 20 officers on scene play out?
It startled people. Flashing police lights, sirens and intercoms have the ability to make people feel like something bad is going to happen.
Also, perhaps that many cops will provoke rebellious behavior. I saw several instances where people antagonized police. I’m not saying that action is acceptable. I’m saying that it’s natural to be young and rebellious. A feeling amplified by frustration for being targeted, more than likely.
A group of people ran into the median and started dancing. It wasn’t malicious or menacing. It was fun and free-spirited–just dangerous.
Pro-actively policing
I would like to know why police didn’t issue any citations to juveniles who were out past curfew.
I did hear from one police officer that the sheer amount of juveniles was just so overwhelming that there was no way they could get to them all and therefore they just weren’t doing anything.
Wow, hope we don’t deal with, say, burglaries or drug problems this way.
What I did see instead were police following groups of black people, screaming over the intercom to “Go Home. It’s over. Just go home.”
Two problems with that. First, it isn’t illegal to walk the sidewalks of Broad as an adult.
So police can’t profile. They certainly were not up the street near all the white bars on Robinson following people stumbling up and down Main St.
I rode past the Main/Robinson Street bars on my way home from First Fridays. ‘Lo and Behold, outside of FW Sullivans, drunk white people blocked the sidewalk. They even spilled into the road!
Further west of that bar, gaggles of white drunks roamed the sidewalks. I didn’t see a single police officer.
When we were underage and used to come downtown to Grace St. and visit the Village (when it was on the other side), no cops harassed us.
Second, if you’re going to tell us that police should be chasing people up and down Broad Street because all those people were underage, then start issuing some curfew violation tickets!
Looking forward and lingering questions
Assuming that the Richmond Police were wrong, and First Fridays will go on next month, well, what needs to happen from here?
Maybe the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce and all i.e.* partners could get together and launch a brainstorming session on it?
Kidding. Only sort-of.
An overwhelming consensus of Richmond seems to support the closure of Broad Street.
The director of First Fridays, Christina E. Newton, has said this is too expensive, and impossible.
Broad St. is a major evacuation route, and so it is unrealistic to imagine its closure on a busy Friday evening. The road has been closed for festivals like Broad Appetit.
And now we have arrived at a bigger issue entirely: downtown revitalization.
What about the idea to change the traffic pattern of one-way streets into two-way streets? That was brought up in the Downtown Masterplan, right?
If traffic was rerouted along Grace and Marshall Streets, the closure of Broad would not matter.
Even if that didn’t happen, what about Altria, Dominion, or MeadWestVaco sponsorship to fund street closures? If not 12 months out of the year, how about the most trafficked months?
Give sponsors a beer garden and some signage!
First Fridays is run by a very tiny organization. Christina Newton has a lot on her plate.What kind of support can be offered to her?
Why isn’t the GRCC in on this? How much money has been spent on Save Low Fares and i.e.*–and with what results? Mayor Jones, this needs immediate attention.
Art Walk is one of the most amazing events in our city. I truly felt pride in Richmond when I went to my first Art Walk.
Imagine a First Friday’s with ample room to support foot traffic. A street festival would not hurt local businesses and galleries, rather it would provide room for more people to come and safely visit. Trust me, it makes a huge difference when people have room to roam.
Not everyone is accountable for the chaos of late at Art Walks. But we are all responsible for the future development and improvement of Richmond.
Our city doesn’t move forward unless a majority of its people has a respect and tolerance for themselves and each other. What we need to Create, RVA, are real solutions, real fast.
This is strictly an opinion piece. I suggest other reporters continue to do some investigative work into the situation. I am very interested in how gallery owners feel about First Fridays.
I do not assume to have all the answers, or any of the answers. If I’ve gotten it all wrong, tell me how, in the comments.
I just have a genuine desire to work with people to improve our city. If your comments here are not productive, and are inflammatory, I will moderate them. Don’t doubt that for a second.
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July 4th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
I like your candid take on this and I think addressing the “elephant in the room” is the main issue. First Friday on the Artwalk is too important to the City for them to just trash it and say “Oh well!” It is extremely frustrating trying to get through the crowds and not being able to but again, the goal should be to find a workable solution not just trashing the event. It is a tough one to navigate though. My whole perspective is if they do it in other cities then it can be done here successfully as long as everyone in the city is on board. Unfortunately that has been RVA’s downfall in the 20 years I’ve been in and out of this town. We’ll see though. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for any townhalls to address the issue and I will definitely be there.
Thanks for the honest piece…
July 4th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
I went to the June FF & noticed the change. My assumption was that it was deliberate anti-gentrification agitation. I could be wrong, but it was so sudden that I suspected shenanigans.
Which is fine. White or black, people generally like things as they are.
That being said, it’s very important for Richmond to improve its tax base, and the development of downtown destination events like First Friday is important to that goal.
July 4th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
The issue and the elephant are the same!
The bottom line is the teens – art walk is not for wondering groups of teens..
of any color..
before it was the “black kids”
it was the punk rock white kids in packs not spending money..
sitting in the coffee shop – talking loud..
There needs to be ANOTHER activity for teen.. a safe- alternative to roaming broad street.
Friday night movies.. open swim.. a outside concert and have a carnival event once a moth for teens – WITH PLENTY OF SUPERVISION!
If the teens had something to do..
then First Fridays could be turned into a street event
and teens without ID would be turned away without parent.
with the street blocked off..
move vendors, more crafters
and more performers can prosper from the event.
A cha-ching for the city!
The other issue is loud music..
turnstyle used to be the only offender..
and it was annoying to walk thru their DJ-display….
Loud music and DJ’s should be discouraged – What happened to the stupid noise ordnance anyway..
I thought after a certain decibel the cop were supposed to set in anyway!
Just for FYI..
i am an art collective owner – of color-
who thinks teens should be seen and not heard.. ALL TEENS -
July 4th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
I’m confused why you explicitly say this is a race issue and not age and then only describe an incident that involved kids, anecdotes about being underage, and an overwhelming number of juveniles who you feel should have been issued citations. I wasn’t even there and I can tell from your account the problems stemmed from there being too many unaccompanied teenagers. I’ve seen this time and again, the problem is these meddling kids!
July 4th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
Maybe try reading again, Stuart?
July 4th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Thanks Alix, I’ve parsed it a few times, here’s what I’m talking about:
“…One kid was beaten pretty badly, but ran off with his friends before the ambulance arrived…”
“I saw several instances where people antagonized police…. it’s natural to be young and rebellious.”
“I did hear from one police officer that the sheer amount of juveniles was just so overwhelming…”
Then there’s this anecdote, which is a strange thing to add since you say it isn’t about age: “When we were underage and used to come downtown to Grace St. and visit the Village (when it was on the other side), no cops harassed us.”
Maybe there were older people fighting too, I don’t know, like I said I wasn’t there so I’m only going on second-hand accounts. But I live in the neighborhood and seen on several occasions both at 1st Friday and when the “teen parties” were still happening, the problem is the huge crowds of unsupervised teenagers running up and down and across Broad Street fighting with each other. I think you are right to explore the role that race plays in First Friday (and in the gentrification of downtown generally) but I also think the problem is clear- it is the dozens and dozens of unsupervised adolescents mobbing the area and the reactions they are provoking from the police (and vice versa, like you said.)
July 4th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
I don’t say it’s explicitly a race issue. I write that race is a factor, youth is a factor, police are a factor and design/crowd management is a factor.
I’m sorry that isn’t more clear to you, but I appreciate the feedback, and you reading.
July 5th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
I think that it’s a bit unfair of you to say that people who believe this is largely a youth issue are in denial of race. Especially since much of your explanation of what you experienced cites the fact that these were “kids” who were involved in the incidents of violence, etc. I think it should be clear during any discussion about the art walk that this kind of situation can happen in any large group of unsupervised youth. The fact that the population of the youth in the city happens to be predominantly one of color should not encourage anyone to formulate a racist attitude towards the recent art walk crowd!
It may be fair to say the reaction by the police to the crowd was in part racially motivated, or the reaction of many of the white folks there was also partially motivated by racism. But, anyone who saw the large running crowds of screaming young people that passed (and yes, any moron could tell that they were mainly below the age of 18 without being an expert on age) certainly had a right to feel a little nervous. I personally was nervous because I saw young people running, screaming, fighting, and engaging in behavior that could harm them and I cared enough to be concerned for both them and my own safety.
I agree with you that the best solution isn’t to bring in more police or for people to stop supporting the art walk. For me, it’s a situation where there needs to be better options of activities for young people to do things in safe, supervised places – both as part of the art walk and in general. I think re-routing traffic away from Broad Street during the art walk is a great idea for the city to adopt to improve safety.
But, in order to accept that as a potential solution, you have to concede that making the streets safer for youth is at the heart of creating a better art walk. I mean, thirty/forty year olds don’t usually step out in front of moving vehicles.
July 5th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Interesting, it sounds like a lot of people think the problem is mainly kids. So the RPD triples it numbers of police staffing just for juveniles and then doesn’t issue any curfew violations tickets?
July 5th, 2011 at 5:28 pm
“…race is a factor, youth is a factor, police are a factor and design/crowd management is a factor.”
You said it Alix. I say police stupidity and laziness are definitely a factor as issuing just a few racially diverse curfew violations would send a definite message now into the future (you don’t have to arrest them all, dummies). Perhaps that is too simple and they want fights to erupt for their own self-fulfilling prophecy and drama as well as to make it look like they are working really hard. This city has the potential to be the most integrated in the country yet also the most racially divided. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I do like your solution of corporations footing the bill to close Broad street. Does Richmond at large want a solution though? Or does it just want to culturally, racially self-destruct once again and miss out on a fabulous marketing opportunity? Hopefully the former, realistically… Police are stoking the tension by not doing their job and then blaming the public just as they did with Cary Street New Year’s. Donuts never resist.
July 5th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
How could they possibly have even begun to tackle the situation by issing curfew violations. There were literally hundreds of underage kids on the sidewalk last friday night after 10 o’clock. How would it have been fair to pick just a few to make a point. That approach would hardly have improved the perception that the police were acting fairly.
July 5th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
I don’t believe it will be easy at all. The police utilize that strategy on plenty of occasions, don’t they? It would be much better to ticket the kids they see passing right in front of them than to just cruise the car down the street yelling at groups of black people (who def. looked older) to “Go Home.”
Maybe it would send a message that it isn’t okay to be out past curfew.
July 5th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
We’re not exactly talking about a few kids loitering in a parking lot after hours. We’re talking about a large number of people – again, hundreds. And, they definitely weren’t older like you seem to think. Refer to the picture taken early in the night posted here: http://www.gjwn.net/news/2011/07/02/were-you-at-first-friday-last-night/. Those kids in the foreground are clearly teenagers.
If you’re going to bring up the police telling people to go home, you ought to add in the fact that the police didn’t started yelling “Go Home” until after some boys in the parking lot of the pizza place near Belvidere started throwing firecrackers at each other. Then, due to the noise sounding like gunfire, large mobs of screaming girls were running up the side alleys into Jackson Ward because they didn’t know what was happening.
That’s not exactly a safe environment for anyone, so it’s hardly any wonder why the police were trying to force people off the street at that point. And, that was at about 10:30 to 11.
Frankly, the more you write about what happened, the less it sounds like you were even there after 10pm. Cause, what you’re describing – in terms of a supposed police infringement on rights – sounds patently different from what I saw.
July 5th, 2011 at 6:54 pm
Whoah Charles. I’m not here to fight. I’m here to help solve problems. If you can’t contribute calmly and nicely to a conversation, I will block your IP. I want to assume the best in you, ok.
Obviously I can’t be everywhere at once. We are relying on group reporting here.
A snapshot photo of one corner of First Fridays does not a case close. There were older kids there. I’m not crazy, nor or other people contributing to the discussion.
Nope, had not heard anything about firecrackers. Funny, I stood over there talking to a cop for more than half an hour and didn’t hear that. I did hear cops saying what I reported.
July 5th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
I’m not sure in what way I’ve been impolite or appeared not calm. I think you’re reading a tone in my words that isn’t there. Are you usually so eager to block those who disagree with you? At any rate, my point remains: I think a lot more went on then what you saw.
July 5th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
Sigh, no Charles. I understand that people disagree with one another all the time.
I was offended by:
“And, they definitely weren’t older like you seem to think.” which you try to prove by showing a picture from one block.
“Frankly, the more you write about what happened, the less it sounds like you were even there after 10pm. Cause, what you’re describing – in terms of a supposed police infringement on rights – sounds patently different from what I saw.”
Maybe I don’t need to be, and didn’t understand your tone. But I don’t feel that accusing me of not being there or faulting me because I couldn’t be everywhere at once is helpful.
Do you really think 17 police officers can’t walk into a crowd and start ticketing younger kids. No one says they have to get them all. Cops do the same with speeding drivers. They do the same with protesters, etc. etc.
July 5th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Alix, I’m very sorry if some of what I wrote earlier was unfair and I appreciate you calling me on it.
In turn, maybe you can admit that I (and others like me) are not just “in denial” (as you previously labeled everyone who feels this is a youth problem).
I don’t mean to harp endlessly, but it’s hard for me to believe that it’s a mere coincidence that this new crowd started coming around the same time as when schools let out for the summer. Based solely on who I saw, I think that when the schools stopped having athletic and other events on Friday nights, the young population was looking for something to do and latched on to the art walk.
It’s clear the art walk and the city itself isn’t yet prepared to handle the influx – regardless of where the new crowd is coming from. But, in my humble opinion, creating a good solution to this involves knowing the age of the new crowd. Because, I think a huge part of the problem is that the city has few safe, structured, and fun things to offer teenagers.
That’s all I have to say and will leave it to you to write the last word. Again, please accept my apology for being blunt.
July 5th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
I said people are in denial if they think it is just an age problem. It seems like a lot of your comments are just interpretation.
There might be a lot of young people out, but because they are black, there were more police than needed–that’s where the racism and denial comes in.
I don’t think the police are using very good methods. I challenge them to do better.
I can’t break it down anymore than that.
You seem to care about the issue, so I’m glad. And I celebrate the power in voicing different opinions so that education can happen.
Thanks.
July 6th, 2011 at 12:29 am
I don’t get it. There’s been plenty said about how there was some violence. That’s pretty clear from Alix’s account too. So I don’t understand what details support the thought that the police were there because of racism instead of a need to restore order. Were all 17 officers acting out of racism? Was Richmond’s Chief Norwood, an African American, sending his officers in because he engages in racial profiling against other black people? Seriously, that makes no sense to me.
July 6th, 2011 at 3:11 am
In defense of the police, I will tell you that issuing a “ticket” to a juvenile in Richmond is not nearly as easy as you might think it is. The juvenile has to be taken into police custody, a lengthy form has to be filled out. Then that juvenile has to be transported to police headquarters where he/she is fingerprinted, photographed and only then can an attempt be made to contact a parent or legal guardian so they can come and pick them up. The way the system is designed it takes about an hour to an hour and a half to process one juvenile for a curfew violation. That is the fault of the system, not the officers involved. If an officer decided to snatch up a group of say seven kids, and process all of them for violating curfew, at 10pm, he would probably be done with that around 4am. @JustinB, police are not “stoking the tension” by not doing their jobs. They are limited by staffing and the ability to be everywhere at once. Cops don’t make the policies and procedures that bind their hands, they just have to do the best they can with what they have to work with. As for the donut comment, that just makes you sound like an asshole. I’m a cop, and a vegetarian. Wouldn’t touch one if my life depended on it.
July 7th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Thanks Alix for sharing your thoughts on the July 1st First Fridays Art Walk event. I want to clarify that the number of police officers assigned to the event was only slightly more than usual. It is incorrect that there are normally only 4 officers and whomever shared that with you has no background on the event at all. This may be true for very early years but not over the last say, five years. On average there are usually a dozen officers and busy nights such as the summer normally sees a bit of an increase. Since we have recently seen increasing number of attendees at First Fridays and had experienced an unfortunate incident in June, a few more officers were needed. There is no issue of racial profiling, simply a need for public safety which is of the utmost importance to everyone.
Also, information about the evening shared by @sd and @Charles do indicate truths in the matter. While we agree that we would have preferred for the RPD to cite curfew violations, it is actually a very timely process that would take officers away from the area where they were needed. Large gatherings of people around Belvidere around 10pm and after did also attract a noticed police presence which was not First Fridays related but just in the area.
This is a very complicated situation overall and there’s no easy fix unfortunately, but our organization is aware of the concerns and are meeting with the Richmond Police Department, city administration, and the participating venues to discuss plans for the future.
Christina Newton, Director
Curated Culture
July 7th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
@Mike, thanks for reading, and a town hall sounds like a great idea. I hope that happens.
@Mareesa, yea, inner city teens, black/white/whatever color, need a place. When I was in high school we had ROCK INXS–a West End club. I lived there practically, for 2 years. I think kids need exposure to art. I don’t want them to be left out of First Fridays. Thanks for reading.
@Justin. We have to be courteous to each other. Even if SD ate donuts, we shouldn’t profile anyone. Thanks for reading.
@SD Thanks for shedding some light on what it takes to ticket a juvenille. I had no idea it was that complicated.
@Christinia The person who told me that info is a cop who has worked the beat for a long time–SD. I will look into more. It is a lot of info to sort through, and I definitely get different answers from everyone it seems! Thanks for all that you do Christina. We all love First Fridays very much.
February 11th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
I’m just now reading this, but I had to put in my $0.02. I live on Broad Street, and typically open my windows during First Fridays. FF was a primary reason for moving to Broad Street, in anticipation of more events of its nature. I made comments to my friends during the summer of 2011 that there was a large increase of youth, who typically travel in sizable packs. No comments of race were even shared, because we understand the social statistics involved (a – the closest communities to FF have large concentrations of blacks, b – the city is majority black, c – lack of free activities, especially for kids in the proximity (largely due to socioeconomic reasons, not race) = increase in their attendance.
We used to actually walk amongst the crowd, eat, enjoy the art, etc. Now (meaning from summer on) we just open the windows and crowd watch, enjoying our wine and food in house. It’s not (for us at least) the makeup of the crowd; it’s the shear volume of visitors who don’t seem to appreciate the purpose of the event (evidence as you said Alix, are they purchasing anything? going into art studios? etc? no, just walking!).
Christina is absolutely correct when she says the issue is not easily fixed. Let me add a little analysis about why. The kids who are coming to FF walking up and down the streets have brothers and sisters. A very, very typical activity for Richmonders with little money is to drive up and down Broad Street before clubs open. They don’t go to the bars and “pre-game”. No pre-club meals at the many Richmond eateries. No – let’s take our car (or mom’s car) and just drive until the club opens. So, if kids are hearing that this activity is occurring from their older counterparts, don’t you think they’d be more inclined to perform their own version? That’s just my theory.
And, for the record, I am of color, so this is not racially motivated. Alix, I greatly appreciate the color in your article, but I can see why some of the earlier comments took issue with your choice of word order. “Increase of blacks” at FF is so general – I’ve been attending FF for years and there have always been black people, but blacks of age [typically from VCU or just more mature adults 25&up]. I think saying “increase in black youth” would be spot on. Even though you say youth is only a part of it, it really is the stem from which all of the other problematic leaves grow.
Bottomline, get the youth some other activities. Then we can take FF back. We being everyone who wants to celebrate the true purpose of the event = art walking!
Love the blog. Keep it up (and stay blunt; of course you can’t always be 100% with your word choice when you are blunt; we know that and most of us like that!)