The writing is on the walls... and windows... and traffic signs...

How the VMI cadets defended and condemned the Nazi uniforms, blackface, and homophobic costumes at their Halloween Party in October 2004 and what it might mean...

Costumes from a 2004 Halloween party at Virginia Military Institute depicting cadets as Nazis, in blackface, and as “fairies�? appeared at Richmond Indymedia on January 25 and sparked a debate over the meaning behind the costumes and disciplinary action against the cadets.

The pictures had been on display on a personal photo-share site, but after contact information for VMI administration was posted at Richmond Indymedia alongside the photos the story mushroomed into a campus controversy and a national media feature. The Associated Press ran the story, prompting local Virginia outlets to carry it and then the Washington Post.

The cause of the sudden interest in the offensive pictures is a direct result of a post on Thursday, January 27 by “CBC�? on Richmond Indymedia. This article stimulated an intense debate and a vibrant dialogue on the site; there have been nearly 200 replies to the article. The volume of visitors caused IMC editors and tech support to scramble in an attempt to maintain the availability of Richmond Indymedia. The site also served as a tool to convey the public call for accountability, and emails from RVA IMC users convinced the administration at VMI to call for an investigation into the context and meaning behind such offensive and obscene costumes.

Over the past few days, Richmond Indymedia has been flooded by the high volume of people accessing the article, making the site almost completely inaccessible. While a large number of VMI cadets responded to the article to defend their peers, some students at the school agreed with public criticism, acknowledged the offensive nature of the costumes and told of dissent within the student body against the costumes. Another soldier, with 22 years of service, related the offensive costumes to the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. He stated that "Actions like this, viewed by the world, from an institution that supposedly puts leaders on the battlefield, only fuels their mistrust and pushes them to the insurgency against our efforts... You have to learn about this human sensitivity and to quit labelling it political correctness"....

For the 2004 Virginia Military Institute Halloween party, cadets dressed as Nazis, fairies, the starving poor and guys with bullseyes on their asses.

The inequalities at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA are alarming. President Anderson’s salary skyrockets over a quarter million dollars, while the salaries of many full-time classified employees are below the poverty line. President Anderson receives free housing, in a mansion paid for by the University, while the employees I’m speaking of have trouble finding affordable housing anywhere near Fredericksburg. While President Anderson lives in decadent opulence and leisure, some workers who are receiving poverty wages, carry UMW pagers and are on call 24/7 in case an intoxicated student vomits or urinates on the floor of our residence halls at 2 in the morning. This stratification exists daily in our immediate community, and this is why the UMW Living Wage Coalition organizes for workers rights.

A busload of 45 Richmonders, along with dozens of other independent travelers, joined the tens of thousands of people in the capital to jeer the president’s $40 million celebration. The day was spent marching along with the D.C. Anti-War Network’s Rise and Shine rally and march that swelled to more than 10,000 protesters. Flag-draped coffins moved along with the protest to symbolize the deaths of U.S. service people in Iraq.

Hello all you computer savy Indymedia readers out there. As you may have noticed, Richmond Indymedia was down all day yesterday. We're in desperate need of folks with tech skills to help make sure this site is online all the time. If you're interested at all to any degree (every little bit helps), read the full article for tech details about our site, and drop me a line today.

Don't hesitate to get in touch if you use and appreciate this site -- for it to exist, it must have your help.

If you're not a techie, help us spread the word. Mention us to anyone you think might be interested. Your voice and your efforts, as always, will save the day and save this site.

The state’s largest gay-rights group, Equality Virginia, and a prominent “traditional values�? organization, the Family Foundation of Virginia, have squared off in a legislative debate over same-sex marriage.

At 10am on Monday, January 17, 2005 the Calhoun Community Center's sidewalk was jammed with 30-40 people. The heavily bundled crowd braved the 25 degree temperature to march through Downtown Richmond's Gilpin court promoting non-violence. In the middle of the group stood two young men with a banner that read, "Stop the Violence. Sponsored by Youth for Social Justice."

Inez Thornton came to read a poem about youth violence. "Violence is the cry of an unheard voice. When a child has no one to listen to them, then they lash out. We see it every day in this city, black communities aren't being heard."

Come to the State Capitol in Richmond to lobby your elected officials.
We Need You There to Make History on Pro-Choice Lobby Day 2005!

There is not only a dreadful ecological toll to Mountain Range Removal--but it has a human face as well. This is a call to action. The picture is of Jeremy Davidson, 3, who was killed when a boulder was dislodged by a bulldozer and came crashing through his bedroom from a Mountain Top Removal site. He was crushed in his sleep. The picture was taken by Michael Williamson.

Mountain Justice Summer is a direct call to action for the people to stand up to the attempted destruction of a people and a cultural heritage through mountain range removal. We must have your help to fight. Others ask for your money. We need you.... We are asking for volunteers to dedicate a summer to our efforts.... We see our call to action as an emergency plea, in desperate circumstances -- to rachet up the resistance to the atrocity of Mountain Range Removal before it's too late.

"On Jan.9, a vibrant celebration commemorated the opening of Fulton Hill’s Neighborhood Resource Center at 1519 Williamsburg Road in Richmond....

....So far, the center supports two libraries for adults and children and a classroom for GED and computer classes. Planned Parenthood has joined the center by offering four community health workshops from Wednesday through Friday that involve teen parent support, women’s health and community health workshops. The center’s Young Writer’s club endeavors to provide area youth with a space for their lyrical creativity by encouraging young MC’s to write their own music, make their own beats and perform. Plans for a recording studio and a whole-foods café are underway to add to the spirit of the center...."