By: Sahba Taslim Saravi, Managing Editor On November 17, 2017, U.S. Park Police Officers Alejandro Amaya and Lucas Vineyard murdered my friend Bijan Ghaisar on George Washington Parkway in Northern Virginia.[1] The case was immediately handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigations and all information was quickly sealed, blocking access not only to the public but also Bijan’s family.[2] Fairfax County Police were also … Continue reading The Bijan Ghaisar Case: Should the Officers Have Approached Bijan’s Vehicle with their Firearms Out? Short Answer: Absolutely Not.

By Edward Lebar, senior staff editor In October of this year, VCU Health, a health services network with seventy locations in the state of Virginia,[1] announced that they would no longer be filing suits against patients that failed to pay their medical bills in a timely manner.[2] Over the last seven years, over fifty-one thousand suits had been filed for over eighty-one million dollars in medical … Continue reading As Virginia’s Hospitals Cut Back on Suing Patients, the Focus Needs to Shift to Transparent Billing.

By: Dorie Arthur, staff editor Bankruptcy is a bad word. Those in bankruptcy often keep it a secret from their friends and colleagues. After all, the idea of an individual declaring bankruptcy is often used as a tool to shame or otherwise undermine the confidence we should be vesting in that person. To be sure, paying one’s debts is an ideal prudent people strive for, … Continue reading The 10-Letter Word: Pursuing Happiness Through Bankruptcy

  By: Samantha VanWinter, staff editor   According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), “families who pay more than thirty percent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, and medical care.”[1] However, millions of Americans divert a much higher percentage of their income towards their homes. About twelve million … Continue reading Defining “Affordability” and Why it Matters in Navy Hill

By: Olivia Seksinsky, staff editor Every year, 23,000 youth age out of the foster care system, often unprepared for independence.[1] The consequences of aging out of foster care include high rates of homelessness, unemployment, lack of educational achievement, and involvement in criminal activity. Twenty-five percent of foster youth who age out will experience homelessness within their first year of aging out, and fifty percent will be … Continue reading The “Age Out” Crisis: Supporting Foster Youth Beyond the Age of Majority

By Brianne Donovan, Staff Editor On Tuesday, November 12, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments for three consolidated cases regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).[1] The Supreme Court is tasked with deciding: “(1) [w]hether DHS’s decision to wind down the DACA policy is judicially reviewable” and (2) “[w]hether DHS’s decision … Continue reading An Uncertain Future for DACA Recipients

By: Chris Roberson, staff editor Currently VA code §54.1-3606(A) requires that anyone who wants to “engage in the practice of applied psychology, school psychology, or clinical psychology” in Virginia needs to “hold a license.” However, § 54.1-3601 states that: The requirements for licensure provided for in this chapter shall not be applicable to… [p]ersons employed as salaried employees or volunteers of the federal government, the … Continue reading Psychology License Exemptions in Virginia

By: Sam Galina, Staff Editor 24 words is all it takes to formally recognize equality for men and women in America. Somehow, it’s been 232 years and women are still waiting.[1]  The text of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment simply reads, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” … Continue reading OPINION: 24 Words & One State: The Future of Women’s Equality is in the Hands of Virginians

By Carly R. Wright, Staff Editor   Last year, the New York Times published a Princeton University study on eviction rates in the U.S. that revealed something troubling: The City of Richmond had the second highest eviction rate in the country.[1] In 2016, one in nine Richmond families were evicted through legal action and one in five were threatened with eviction.[2] Moreover, over 30% of … Continue reading Diversion: Not Just for Speeding Tickets

By: Mike Stehlin, Staff Editor Some called it El Campamento.[I] Used syringes were discarded, stacked on top of each other, and strewn about on the ground, a metaphor of the dead bodies that the drugs left in their wake. The “residents” of the encampment typically included 75 to 125 drug addicts at any one time.[ii] If one was looking for an image to capture the … Continue reading Safe Injection Sites: An Attempt to Bring Drug Users out of the Shadows and into Treatment