AUGUSTA COUNTY
Statement on the Events of Jan. 6th 2021
Domestic terrorists at the 45th President of the United States’ encouragement stormed the U.S. Capitol and attempted to overthrow our Government. The continued conspiracy theories and outright lies from Trump and his Republican allies have directly lead to this violent insurrection.
I call on local Republican organizations to join us in condemning this act of terrorism. There must be swift justice for those who aided and abetted these treasonous actions, including our 6th District Representative Ben Cline. Those elected officials who have openly supported the Trump administration - John Avoli, Ronnie Campbell, and Chris Runion need to denounce what happened in D.C. yesterday and acknowledge Trump’s culpability in the attempted coup as a sign that they stand to represent the People and not an administration hell-bent on destroying our Democracy.
We ask that all patriotic and loyal citizens participate in Democracy by demanding that our elected officials hold these traitors accountable. We will not relent until justice is carried out.
While encouraged by Tuesday’s victories in special elections in the VA House of Delegates and the Georgia Senate run-off, and knowing that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will soon lead a new Democratic United States Government, we know we must be vigilant. This is the job of patriots.
In Solidarity,
Jennifer Kitchen
ACDC Chairperson
January 7, 2021
WAYNESBORO
Statement on MRRJ dated March 3, 2021
The Waynesboro Democratic Committee strongly opposes any expansion of Middle River Regional Jail:
Mass incarceration is a public health crisis. Incarceration harms inmates, families and communities. Incarceration can lead to job loss, housing insecurity, and trauma for children of incarcerated parents. Being incarcerated can exacerbate or even cause mental health conditions. Jail expansion is a long-term, permanent investment in mass incarceration.
Expansion of this jail would perpetuate and grow racial injustice. Currently, 22% of inmates at Middle River are Black. Just 6% of residents of the communities of Staunton, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, Augusta County and Rockingham County (the five jurisdictions that use Middle River) are Black. If we invest in a bigger jail without analyzing the reasons behind our current racial disparities, we will be investing in growing these racial disparities.
Overcrowding should be solved by reducing the number of people we incarcerate, not building a bigger jail. Despite being a low-crime region of a low-crime state, our incarceration rate is already double the national average. We don't need a bigger jail, we need to enact common sense criminal justice reform to reduce the number of people we are incarcerating.
Waynesboro Democratic Executive Committee
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Statement on the Events of Jan. 6th 2021
Broken Hearted…
As the nation and the world watched the events of January 6th 2021 there first came a flood of disbelief from many Americans. Then the reality that a sitting president full of ego, fueled an insurrection at the Capitol of the United States. While we have watched baseless falsehoods spread and create division in this land, we must face the truth and come together in agreement to demand accountability.
Adding insult, there are those like 6th district Representative Ben Cline who has supported President Trump’s rhetoric and helped to fuel this unrest. This cannot be accepted any longer, we call for his resignation as he is not currently representing ALL his constituents. Now is the time to send a stark message to those in office who consider themselves above the law and operate outside of the law, where average citizens dare not tread. The fact that there is no evidence of widespread fraud, seems not to deter those who follow the President.
We the Democratic Committee of Waynesboro, stand in agreement with Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, that there must be swift action to uphold the constitution of the United States. It is time to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald J. Trump from office; if this is not done immediately, we also support the removal of President Trump by Articles of Impeachment. It is a tragedy that this loss of lives has come from within our own borders. We stand for Democracy, we stand for the people and we demand that all elected officials uphold the constitution.
Waynesboro Democratic Committee
2021 Executive Board
January 8, 2021