Rape at 24th & Grace

Jack reported apx 10:30pm as the time of the crime at our fojp meeting last night.

This is of great concern. I live just a couple blocks away from this crime. Was the woman released by these criminals? Did someone see this and report it?
I know many woman and men that take their walks with and without dogs, later in the evenings (including myself). I hope that the Richmond Police is scouring the area to look for suspicious behavior. I hope to find out more details of this crime and what precautions are going to be taken to protect this area we so try to keep safe for all of us and our neighbors.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victim of this horrible crime.

The police have released a composite sketch of the white rapist.

Another rape occurred in Forest Hill (link.)

Which allows me to express my concerns over the St. Patick’s Day event on Mar. 24 & 25th. Many women in Church Hill work weekends and evenings and when these events go on in the area it’s impossible to park near your home.

St. Patrick’s is suppose to provide parking and shuttles for those attending the event but don’t promote it. Which leaves the residents to fend for themselves parking several blocks from their home and walking alone, after the event starts.

If the Association would insist that St. Patrick’s would promote the parking more, it would make it easier and safer for the Church Hill Residents, especially for us who are on-call on weekends.

Kathy, S. Patrick’s does promote the shuttle. I have heard it on the radio. But, that’s beside the point. Parking can be a challenge on these 2 days, but it is hardly a personal safety issue. The festival usually peters out well before dark, making parking reasonable for those coming home from work — and this year it’ll be even more light out because of the earlier time change. And, let’s say that the festiva is still rocking, there’ll be a lot of people around, so the risk of an attack like these rapes is dramatically reduced.

It blows my mind that some people on the Hill get upset about the Irish festival … or High on the Hog … or the Italian festival. These events showcase our neighborhood and prove to the stuffy folks from the Fan and the west end that Church Hill really is a beautiful neighborhood. That makes our homes more valuable and helps encourage further renovation of our neighborhood. All for the paltry expense of it being marginally more difficult to park 4 or 5 days out of 365. I suppose it is far easier to whine about parking, though, than it is to appreciate the amazing efforts made by those trying to improve our neighborhood through supporting a (many actually) local charitbale enterprise.

Sheesh.

St. Patrick’s will have at least 22 Richmond Police Officers at the Festival this weekend, starting at 6 p.m. on Friday through 9 p.m. Sunday. The Officers will patrol inside and outside the perimeter of the event. We also have rented the parking lot on Broad by the McDonald’s and are renting a shuttle bus to take people back and forth.

We also pay the City to clean the streets before, during and after the festival.

We realize the strain on our neighbors for that weekend, and we have been approached many times about moving the festival to a bigger location in another part of Richmond. We plan to remain where we are as long as the neighborhood supports it. So far, in the many years we have done this, we have received very few complaints. We listen to the complaints and try very hard to correct them if we can. We appreciate your support.

St. Patrick’s has been a good neighbor since 1859, and we plan to keep it that way!

I beleive Stoakes means NEXT weekend. The Irish Festival is March 24-25.

Stokes, you are the man!