August 19, 2008
What do you mean, “you people”?
The Richmond Crusade for Voters held a public forum for the candidates for city council this evening at the Military Retirees Club on Chamberlayne Avenue. Recurring issues among the 18 candidates running for the 9 seats were economic development and affordable housing, with public safety and education coming up as well. The three candidates for the 2nd Distric seat being vacated by mayoral candidate Bill Pantele began to really differentiate themselves when asked how to handle the impending redevelopment of Gilpin Court.
Tyron Bey urged that we learn from Blackwell, proposing that the redevelopment can start immediately by building on the empty lots in the area abutting Gilpin Court and in doing so increase the housing capacity in the area before any demolition occurs.
Charles Samuels said that “the decentration of poverty is key” , but that “you have to make sure that no matter what, the people in the courts have a place to go”.
Patrick Kjellberg echoed the commitment to ensuring that no one is displaced, saying that, “as Christians, it our job to ensure that everyone has housing”. In explaining this, he dropped a “you people” and a “those people”, to which the crowd strongly murmered in disapproval. (The young man in front of me said that “he (Kjellberg) is finished, he’s done”. )(It was awkward, yes.)
The Richmond Crusade for Voters was founded in 1956. The organization grew out of the Council to Save Public Schools, itself initially formed to fight a January 1956 law which allowed cities in Virginia the option of closing public schools rather than integrate them.
I am surprised no one has reacted to Patrick Kjellberg’s comments. It’s obvious he is very much out of toudh with a large majority of the constituency of the district. I was not at the forum due to a previous commitment and I don’t have the full context of his remarks but just reading this post leads me to interpret his comments about “you people” and “those people” as insensitive to everyone who was in attendance and those who were not.
I think that says more about how small the site’s readership is than any complacency with Kjellberg’s word choice.
Could be!
It should also be noted that Kjellberg’s is trying to use an etrance into Richmond politics as a way to further advance his envolvement and investments in bars in the area. If anybody would check they would find he is an investor in bars in the area that have multiple ABC violations.