The City of Charlottesville will be partnering with the Community Relations Services division of the U.S. Department of Justice to begin a road to recovery for our community.
Representatives from CRS will work closely with a working group of area residents to develop a vision, develop a robust community engagement plan and create recommendations for an action plan. The working group will be comprised of people from all walks of life in our community and will begin meeting in the next couple of weeks.
As a first step in the community engagement efforts the City will host a Town Hall Meeting on Thursday August 24th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center (1400 Melbourne Road). The City will provide an update on recovery efforts and offer opportunities for public comment.
In addition to the formal meetings with the CRS, the City will be creating ongoing opportunities for our community to speak with City officials, ask questions, make new connections and work through this experience in a wide variety of ways. As these are scheduled, they will be announced to the public.
“Our community has been shaken to its core,” said City Manager Maurice Jones. “We see this partnership with CRS as the beginning of a process of recovery and renewal. Charlottesville is a resilient City and I am confident we will come through this tragedy stronger than ever.”
Created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, CRS is the only federal agency dedicated to helping state and local governments, private and public organizations, and community groups with preventing and resolving racial and ethnic tensions. The City has partnered with the agency in the past to facilitate discussions with the police department and our residents.
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