Fighting Joe Takes on Jefferson Davis

morrisey

by James A. Bacon

As long as Joe Morrissey is in the public eye, politics in Richmond will never be dull. Yesterday, with his young wife at his side, Morrissey stood in front of the Jefferson Davis statue on Monument Ave. and declared that it was time to remove the sculpture. “The Jefferson Davis statue is a political statue that glorified a failed political organization and championed a cause — slavery — that all Americans now find abhorrent,” he said. See the Richmond Times-Dispatch report here.

A candidate for mayor, Morrissey led a wide field of contenders in the only publicly released poll conducted so far. He has been involved in scandals and controversies since his tenure as commonwealth attorney, but remains popular among African-Americans, many of whom he has represented as a plaintiff’s attorney. “Fighting Joe” has positioned himself as a tribune of the little guy.

The Davis statue gambit is sure to keep Morrissey in the public eye. Twenty years ago, Richmond was embroiled in a controversy over whether to locate a statue of African-American, Richmond-born tennis great Arthur Ashe on Monument Avenue, notable for its statues of Civil War-era figures. Times and attitudes have changed, but the proposal to remove the Davis statue could well reignite racial passions. For certain, it will distract from more substantive issues.

Among other challenges…

Spike in murders. There have been 40 homicides in Richmond so far this year, compared to 41 for the entire year in 2015. Only 17 of the murders have been cleared; police are investigating the others.

Poor schools. Seven schools in the Richmond Public School system were denied accreditation this year; the status of another 14 has yet to be determined. School officials noted that chronic absenteeism and behavior are major challenges.

Poverty. About 39 percent of the city’s children were living in poverty, according to 2014 data, more than twice the poverty rate for children across the state.

Administrative ineptitude. Each Virginia locality is required to file its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) in the November following the end of the fiscal year ending June 30. Nine months later, Richmond still has not filed its CAFR.

Those are just recent highlights. I could go on. It’s hard to defend the public display of a statue to Jefferson Davis — no one would propose erecting one today — so Morrissey really can’t lose. Anyone who would advocate keeping the statue on the grounds that it is part of the city’s history would not be inclined to vote for him anyway.

Is this a controversy that Richmond really needs? Morrissey says the statue is “painful” for a lot of people. But, then, so was the murder of three-year-old Latrice Walden and 39 other city residents so far this year. So is the failure of city schools to provide a decent education. It’s a shame that “Fighting Joe” doesn’t harness his intelligence, intensity and flair for showmanship to tackle problems that truly affect peoples’ lives.