Lassos, the Saguaro Cactus, and Overtime
Cheers RVA!
Today will be partly cloudy and windy with a potential rain shower, and a high of 65. Temperatures in the evening will drop down to 44. The week ahead looks mild, with highs mostly in the 60’s.
the juice:
Richmond police have an unveiled a new ‘lasso tool’ to subdue suspects who are uncompliant and likely to struggle or fight if they were to be handcuffed.
The department purchased 50 ‘Bolawrap 150’ devices, a small cartridge with a 7.5 inch Kevlar cord with hooked barbs at the end that can be aimed and fired at a suspect’s legs or lower torso to limit mobility.
The restraining device is intended to limit the use of force in situations were the suspect’s behavior does not necessarily merit being tased.
Fairfax county has already purchased 450 of the devices which are estimated to cost between $1000 and $1200 apiece.
the pulp:
Richmond is paying tens of millions for overtime each year, according to Sarah Vogelsong at the Richmonder. The majority of overtime is paid to the police and fire departments.
The Goad Gatsby reported on the protests at Sunday’s 250th Patrick Henry Speech anniversary, including footage of VA State Senator Ghazala Hashmi standing on the back of a pickup truck with a loudspeaker speaking to the crowd.
the dive:
Scott Bass from the RTD makes an argument for bringing college basketball and other events back to the Coliseum, which has been closed and vacant since 2019.
The Coliseum once booked stars such as Elvis and the Jackson 5, and was home to Julius Erving and the Virginia Squires in the early 1970’s.
The Richmond Renegades (and later the Riverdogs) played hockey there from 1990-2006, as well as the VCU Rams who called the arena home until 1999 when the Siegel Center was built:
There’s good reason why the Coliseum remains dormant, and VCU now plays elsewhere, and it’s rooted in simple economics — building a new $350 million arena is too much of a strain on the city’s tax base, with little tangible financial benefit. It’s what doomed the $1.5 billion Navy Hill project, and earlier efforts to finance a replacement for the Coliseum using “tax increment financing.” If it had advanced that far, the same issues would have hindered plans to build an area in Henrico County, as part of the now-defunct GreenCity development.
Read the full opinion piece here.
the vibe:
The Saguaro Cactus sign at Westland Shopping Center then and now:
Have an arborescent day RVA!
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