Yasmine Jumaa

Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners will hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday. They’ll be voting on the sale of five properties through Rental Assistance Demonstration, or RAD — a federal program that aims to preserve public housing.

Virginia’s June Primary is less than two weeks away, and the state’s Department of Elections is urging voters to request absentee ballots in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Thousands of demonstrators marched the streets of Richmond on Wednesday during the sixth day of protests. Halfway through the day’s events, they were met with announcements from state and city officials backing the removal of confederate monuments.

After four days of demonstrations and reports of police violence, city residents took to Richmond City Hall to demand accountability from Mayor Levar Stoney and Police Chief William Smith on Tuesday.

Richmond Police Chief William Smith said they arrested about 230 people during a third night of protests on Sunday. This comes after the mayor and governor declared a city-wide curfew between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Several of Richmond’s Black and Brown-owned businesses were looted during the weekend protests, many of them along Broad Street. Already suffering from COVID-19 financial losses, some owners are concerned about their ability to recover.

As of Friday, Richmond’s General District Court has nearly 2000 evictions scheduled for the month of June. Although the city has an eviction diversion program meant to help people stay in their homes, housing advocates say COVID-19 will limit its reach.

A week after Virginia’s state of emergency declaration, Richmond city officials demolished Cathy’s Camp, a tent community outside the overflow shelter in Shockoe Valley. Advocates say that, and what happened next, reveals a bigger, systemic problem.

Virginia housing advocates are asking the governor to freeze evictions statewide, in an effort to keep people in their homes and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Hundreds of evictions are on the docket this week as some Virginia courts begin hearing non-emergency cases for the first time since a judicial emergency halted proceedings in March.. But advocates are concerned that a lack of instruction to courts and tenants will lead to wrongful evictions.