Eviction Defense Center Pop-ups and a Pedaling Pool Party
Cheers RVA!
Today will be mostly sunny with a high of 83. The weekend is looking great with sunshine and highs in the mid to upper 80’s.
the juice:
Eviction Defense Center pop-ups are being hosted around Richmond via a pilot program aimed at educating residents facing eviction, from Charlotte Rene Woods at the Mercury.
The Virginia Poverty Law Center is hosting in-person assistance three times a week at Richmond Public Libraries, as well as tools and resources available on their website.
Richmond has one of the highest eviction rates of major cities in the country. A report by the RVA Eviction Lab through VCU noted that 40% of eviction cases take less than 60 seconds in court.
The city is soon set to pilot a “right-to-counsel” program where tenants facing eviction would be provided a lawyer if they could not afford one.
Below is a map of Richmond and Chesterfield indicating the number of evictions filed in various parts of the city and county in the past year.
Read the full article from the Mercury here.
the pulp:
Pipeline Trail remains closed, with no foreseeable timeline for reopening, according to the RTD.
Two men were stabbed after a fight at the GRTC Pulse Bus Stop on the 1000 block of West Broad Thursday afternoon. A stabbing also occurred Wednesday evening at a Pulse stop resulting in the victim being treated for life-threatening injuries. The GRTC noted these isolated incidents are not representative of daily transit, and they are “reorganizing” their security department with staff and contractors working to develop security at all stations and platforms.
Richmond Public Schools will receive $15.3 million in funding through a Federal Grant to repair buildings at 22 schools. Richmond was one of 16 cities selected across the country for the Department of Energy’s $190 million “Renew America’s Schools” grant.
the dive:
Ride and Dive, a “pedaling pool party” to all of Richmond’s public swimming pools is coming up Saturday August 31, the last day the pools are open for the summer season.
A brief interview with organizer Alex Fisher:
What is Ride and Dive?
Ride and Dive is an annual group bike ride the Saturday of Labor Day weekend where a group of fun-loving cyclists of all abilities bike to and swim in every Richmond public pool in an afternoon.
When and where?
August 31, Noon. Starts at Fairmont Pool, ends at Triple Crossing Fulton about 5 hours later
When and How did it begin?
In 2019 a friend and I started going to our local Church Hill public pool. It was an easy bike ride from our houses and the pool was great! We couldn't believe that this was just free and open to everyone. We decided before the end of the summer we wanted to see all the pools and just thought it would be fun to bike to all of them in one day. We didn't have much of a plan and definitely didn't map out our route, we just got on our bikes and went. We did and it was great! A little tiring but a lot of fun.
The next year I convinced about 10 of my friends and one guy we met along the way to join me and ‘Ride and Dive’ was born. In 2020 the pools were closed because of the pandemic and this gave me time to dream about what Ride and Dive could become. 2021 was the first year that I (with the help of my wife and a couple close friends) opened the ride to the public and tried to recruit as many riders as possible. It started off small but in 2023 we had over 80 participants join us for the ride.
What is the purpose?
The mission of the ride has expanded a little since 2018 but still has the same roots. Our goal is to build friendships, showcase the great resources we have in Richmond's public pools, and empower more people to confidently use bicycles for urban exploration and transportation. It's a pedaling pool party.
Who all is welcome? What should they bring?
Anyone who can ride a bike is welcome. The entire route is 15 miles but it's broken up into 7 legs all done at a nice, easy pace. Participants should bring a bike lock (or make friends with someone who can share theirs), water, snacks and clothes that are comfortable to bike and swim in.
What would you say to someone interested but hesitant about the distance?
Don't think of it as a 15-mile bike ride: think of it as 7 short rides each being less than 4 miles long. And we go nice and slow.
The event begins at noon Saturday, August 31, at Fairmont Pool.
the vibe:
Heading out next week for a short vacation, but the cheers will be back in September.
Thank you, and have a great day and fun weekend RVA!