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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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2013-02-02 |
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| Name | Rick James |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
Unknown
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| Contributor | RBH |
| Last Modifed | Juan Croniqueur
Jun 20, 2023 02:56am |
| Tags |
Black - Army - NAACP -
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| Info | Rick James is a husband, father, Army veteran, retired police officer, educator, and activist who has dedicated his career to serving people and improving lives. Rick is running for Delegate because he knows we can do better and he has experience to deliver results. He’ll work to end gun violence, protect reproductive rights, strengthen mental health access, and increase economic opportunity.
Born in Norfolk, Rick was the youngest of six kids raised by a single mother who worked nights as a nurse at the Norfolk Naval Hospital. Rick’s mom was his role model and he learned about hard work and selflessness from her. She had been in the first class that allowed Black students at nursing school at Norfolk General Hospital, but then could only work at the Naval Hospital since Norfolk General did not hire Black nurses.
Federal integration efforts bussed Rick from his working class home to Maury High School, where he worked hard and began his service to his community. Rick volunteered at Norfolk General Hospital as an orderly and plumber’s assistant before graduating high school at the age of 16.
Rick wanted to serve, so he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He became an Airborne Combat Medic, serving overseas and with the 82nd Airborne Division for six years before returning to Norfolk to work for an air ambulance service.
Having dealt with patients with traumatic yet preventable injuries, including gunshots and drug overdoses, Rick soon decided he wanted to serve in a way he could stop people from being hurt. He joined the Norfolk Police Department and went on to a distinguished 27-year career as a police officer.
Rick started by volunteering for the public housing beat, and he helped turn around one of the most dangerous communities in Norfolk during the late 1980s. He went to college at night while working his beat during the day, earning a degree in criminology and a master’s degree in government and public policy. Rick was also sent by the NPD to be trained in forensic science and as a maritime captain, and he was trained in criminal law and urban planning.
While at the Norfolk Police Department, Rick served as the liaison between the department and local and federal officials, including Congressman Bobby Scott. And he began teaching criminal justice, forensic pathology, and constitutional law at Tidewater Community College, where he rose to department head after retiring from the police department.
Rick has also served for 10 years as the Chairman of the Legal Redress Team of the Norfolk Branch of the NAACP, through which he has provided free legal services to people of color and individuals with disabilities. He’s taken on big insurance companies to secure benefits for injured workers, challenged and reduced excessive sentences when the criminal justice system failed people, and worked to address access to mental health services.
Now working as a legislative aide to State Senator Lionel Spruill, Rick helps to write legislation and build coalitions, including the law to protect kids in juvenile detention from abuse. And he also leads programs at the Norfolk City Jail aimed at mental health, education, and rehabilitation to break the repeat offender cycle and protect families.
Rick has been married for over 30 years to his wife, Theresa, and together they raised four kids in Virginia Beach, sent them all to college, and they now have 12 grandchildren. Their youngest son, Richard, runs a family-operated landscaping business in Virginia Beach that Rick helps with in his spare time. And they still actively support the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad after volunteers saved Richard’s life when he stopped breathing at the age of 3.
Known for always answering his phone, Rick continues to get called to action in the middle of the night to help people. His wife often wakes him at 2am to answer a ringing phone with, “Somebody needs your help.”
Rick is a doer. He’s done a lot and he’s ready to do more for us.
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