The Journal of an Angry Black Man

Since moving to Richmond a year ago, I've really enjoyed being so close to the James River and all of the small parks and waterside spots that offer a piece of nature right in the middle of the city. Going down to the rapids and listening to the never-ending rush of millions of gallons of water is at it's very least, relaxing.  Taking a break from life's issues and going down to admire the ducks, the rocks, the fallen trees, the grass that seems to grow up out of the middle of the river and even the people as they swim, raft, wade and fish, is all part of it's magic. Today, after my man got off work, we took a trip down to Pony Pasture Park.  We'd been there before, walking the trails just to get some exercise. But this time the water level was a little lower and many of the river's rocks were exposed, offering a much more interesting panorama than we'd experienced down there before. Enjoy the pictures I took. Hopefully we'll go back down there this ...

I've written before about my background and my experiences with the law, and most of my readers already know that I'm a convicted felon.  I try to stay informed on news that relates to felons' rights and how local, state and federal government is acting to address the problems of mass incarceration, recidivism, and the restoration of rights of persons who have completed their respective sentences.  Recently, I came across an article  in The Virginian Pilot about the city of Norfolk deciding to remove the question of a person's past criminal history from initial employment applications.  This has taken on the name of the Ban The Box Movement across the United States. Of course, I was happy to hear that step being taken by Norfolk, following my hometown of Portsmouth, VA, which removed that question from it's employment applications back in April.  The city of Richmond has also joined the Ban The Box movement , and they've taken the question off of their city em...