School kids and paint for the safe street Mosby ain’t

We have talked before about the importance of redesigning the East End’s streets to make it harder for reckless jagoffs to run over people/into buildings in their vehicles at high speeds. This stuff exists on a spectrum. Hard permanent barriers like the poured-cement curb bump-outs on Jefferson Ave. are effective, but relatively expensive compared to, say, a bunch of plastic flexposts bolted into the asphalt, which kinda-sorta rein in some drivers, some of the time. Hence, the premise of DPW’s “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper” projects, which forfeit maximum efficacy in the name of making streets a little safer a lot faster.

As the first phase of Richmond Connects’ longer-range street-safety strategy, that’s a good trade. But it also reinforces just how overmatched these comparatively flimsy fast-action installations are by the scope of the problem. For example, earlier this week WTVR did a segment on Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School students painting a mural on Mosby St. The idea is that, along with bright yellow plastic flexposts in the median, the colorful asphalt could help to remind careless drivers that they’re in a school zone. “There’s a lot of traffic in this area, and there have been a lot of issues with kids safely crossing," an artist working with DPW, Sam “Skrimpz” Prather, told the newscast. "So making this mural is to help slow traffic, creating a visual aid.”

Which is nice! But also has the same tone of those “inspirational” viral stories that used to make the rounds on Facebook every few months about a teacher working a second job to buy their class art supplies, or whatever. “These kinds of stories act as a glimmer of hope in a sea of societal hardship, and, simultaneously, are indicative of total systemic failures,” Samantha Grasso argued at Vox in 2019. I think that’s right. Having schoolchildren paint murals on a dangerous road is novel, and might improve their safety. It certainly makes for good b-block fodder on the nightly news. But it will not solve the underlying problem.

To do that, you’ve got to interrogate the false premise that reckless drivers in private vehicles are an immutable force of nature around which we must orient our entire community, including our kids’ safe passage to school. They’re not, and we don’t. Murals are good, but they’re only necessary because Richmond, like so many cities, has for decades prioritized car traffic above every other road user, to our collective detriment. Fixing that takes time, yes, but also much stronger stuff than paint. Hard infrastructure redesigns, speed cameras, and more aggressive prosecution of repeat reckless-driving offenders are all powerful tools in the municipal street-safety toolbox. Or the glovebox, as it were.

For the record, DPW isn’t suggesting that these murals—there’s one students of Linwood Holton Elementary in Laburnum Park will soon create another one at the notoriously dangerous intersection of Laburnum and Hermitage Sts.—are meant to solve anything on their own. A department spokesperson told The Richmonder earlier this week that it’s “planning murals in conjunction with other more ‘proven’ traffic calming measures such as the curb extensions created with flex posts.” Good! Car-centric streets enable asshole drivers and endanger pedestrians in the East End and across the city; we must continue to fund permanent, transformative upgrades to fix them. “Lighter, faster, cheaper” is a good start, and it’s good to start. But it can’t be an end in and of itself, and it cannot distract us from confronting car-borne chaos head on.

📜 Possum Poetry

Possum Poetry is original verse written exclusively for The Lookout by Penelope Poubelle, the Lookout’s litter critter-at-large. If you spot roadside trash you’d like her to immortalize in doggerel, email a photo to [email protected]. All submissions anonymous!

⚖️ The Lookout Interview with Tom Barbour, candidate for Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney

If you’ve been reading The Lookout for any amount of time, you’ve probably noticed I cover Flock Safety quite a bit. Last year, the Richmond Police Department contracted the surveillance-technology firm for hundreds of thousands of dollars to install its cameras and audio sensors all over the city, including Church Hill. The cops say they’re a “force multiplier;” civil-liberties advocates say they’re a privacy nightmare. Tom Barbour, a neighborhood resident who is currently campaigning for the Democratic nomination for the Commonwealth’s Attorney of Richmond, sees them as a symptom of a deeper problem.

“I don’t know that Flock is a force multiplier,” he said in a recent phone interview. “I think it's more a signal of a deterioration of trust in communities.”

The use of automated license plate readers was just one portion of my conversation with Barbour, who served as a Marine in the Middle East and a prosecutor in the previous Richmond CA’s office and currently works in private practice. We spoke for the better part of an hour in a wide-ranging interview that you can read in full here:

The Lookout has reached out to incumbent Richmond CA, Democrat Colette McEachin, requesting an interview about her candidacy. The Richmond’s 2025 Democratic primary takes place June 17th. Check the full ballot here, and find your polling place here.

🥪 First take on Chimbo Sandwich Shoppe

After a bunch of renovation and a bit of a waiting game with the city, Chimbo Sandwich Shoppe finally opened earlier this week in the old 8 ½ location on E. Marshal St. Then it promptly closed thanks to that gnarly storm Monday night, which knocked out its oven. But as of Thursday, the crew (which has some overlap with Riverbend Roastery, Liberty Public House, and the forthcoming Peaberry Coffee Shop at N. 32nd and S Sts., thanks to the ownership overlap of Alexa Schuett) was once again on the line stacking submarine-style sandwiches for hungry patrons. I ordered three, all on half-sized baguette:

1. The Chicken Caesar ($16): A fried garlic chicken cutlet, chopped romaine with caesar dressing, crispy parmesan and balsamic caramelized onions;

2. The Club ($15): Sliced ham, turkey, bacon, chopped romaine, red onion, sliced tomatoes, and mayo; and

3. BYO ($11): Turkey, provolone, chopped romaine, banana peppers, oil and vinegar.

As I noted earlier this month, the renovation made way for two window-length counters, with stools to dine in. We got to go, and from placing our order to being handed the bag, the process took about 15min. The sandwiches aren’t unmanageably big, but they’re substantial. “MADE TO FEED - THEY’RE HEFTY,” the menu says. I’m hefty, too, so I ate half of both The Chicken Caesar and The Club halves (so, two quarters, or one total half, to complicate the math) for lunch Thursday, but most people could easily get two lunches out of one Chimbo half. Of the two I tried, The Chicken Caesar was the clear standout with its expertly fried cutlet complemented by the crunch of the parm wafer. The Club was solid, and I’d get it again. My wife built the BYO, and found herself adding some oregano from home to get it where it needed to be flavor-wise, but that’s more a calibration issue than a kitchen deficiency. The house baguette is serviceable, but a bit denser than a typical open-crumb French loaf, and with a less sturdy crust.

Overall I think the shop(pe) is putting out quality stuff for its first week, and I’m excited to see how Schuett and co-owner Austin Curtis dial it in over the next few months. If you’ve been to Chimbo Sandwich Shoppe and have anything to share about the experience, you know what to do:

I’ve uploaded a photo of the menu to the Lookout’s share drive for you to check out at your leisure. You can also follow Chimbo Sandwich Shoppe on Instagram.

📢 Happenings on The Hill

• Shroomin’: Richmond Moon Market’s 8th-annual Mushroom Mania is popping sprouting up at Stone Brewing Co. this Saturday (4/19) with 40+ vendors, music, and more. Are you a funghi?

• Details on the 7th District: The next community meeting with City Council President and 7th District councilmember Cynthia Newbille is Thursday (4/24) from 6-7pm at The Kitchens at Reynolds. Add it to your calendar.

• Stick ‘em up: The Lookout’s next run of custom stickers is going fast! Send me one dollar and I’ll send you two stickers in the mail. Venmo here.

Happenings on The Hill is a digital bulletin board for events, causes, and other items of interest to East Enders that don’t necessarily merit full editorial treatment. Got something for a future edition? Email the relevant details, links, etc. to [email protected] for consideration!

📸 A Very CHill Photo

Want to share your Very CHill Photo from the neighborhood? Email it to [email protected] with your name as you’d like it to appear for publication, and the camera you shot it on.