Report: Still More Richmond Citizens Tear Gassed By RPD Than Vaccinated

RICHMOND, Va. — A new study published by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) says that despite rising numbers of vaccinations throughout the city, there are still more Richmond citizens who have been tear gassed by the Richmond Police Department (RPD), the VDH announced Wednesday. 

“Unfortunately, the numbers don’t lie,” Derrick Moore, a spokesperson for the VDH said in a statement, noting that at the current vaccination rate, the amount of citizens vaccinated should surpass the amount who have been doused with mace by police at various protests in October later this year. 

“While it’s optimistic that more people will soon be eligible for the vaccine, the numbers still pale in comparison to the amount of citizens tear gassed by law enforcement since the start of the pandemic. Specifically, for every citizen vaccinated, you’ve got three that have taken in the fumes of a lachrymator agent from one of Richmond’s finest.”

Moore went on to mention that the VDH was considering having police officers carry vaccine formula in tear gas canisters in an effort to speed up the vaccination process particularly for minority communities.