NEWSLETTER: Opportunities to hold Arlington leftists accountable

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I sat in courtroom 11C as a Sheriff’s deputy allowed Richard Kenneth Cox to join his public defenders at a table in front of Judge W. Michael Chick, Jr., on Monday morning.

There were no victims or witnesses in the small courtroom — only a representative from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, Cox and his defense, a few reporters and court staff/officers, and me.

As the preliminary hearing began, Cox’s defense attempted to close the courtroom to guests, prompting Judge Chick to ask why. Though the proceedings were taking place under the banner of “Juvenile & Domestic Relations” (J&DR), there were no juveniles in the courtroom.

Cox’s defense withdrew the request and asked for a continuance — a delay — and Cox is scheduled to appear in court again on May 23rd at 11am when Judge Chick will hear from a range of witnesses/victims, including minors. 

The courtroom will likely be closed to the press and to the public during those proceedings, given the ages of the witnesses/victims.

You can listen to the conversation between WMAL’s Julie Gunlock and Sean Kennedy, President of Virginians for Safe Communities, from Monday morning at 6am here.

WJLA’s Nick Minock, who has covered this story thoroughly and was present in the courtroom on Monday, provided a series of updates this week:

Supervisor Pat Herrity’s effort to discuss changing the locker room policy in Fairfax failed at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday for a lack of a second, but it’s a policy our elected officials refuse to even discuss — because you and I have no voice on the Arlington County Board or the School Board.

That’s why it’s so important for you to consider running for office this year — to force unaccountable elected officials to make the case to voters why they think sex offenders should be granted access to women’s spaces and school locker rooms.

After Monday’s preliminary hearing, a mother and frequent guest of the Washington-Liberty High School pool provided this update about the security measures Superintendent Francisco Durán implemented in the wake of Cox’s repeated access to county facilities. 

Your efforts to keep this story in the headlines are having an impact in Arlington.

APS Superintendent Francisco Durán admitted at a recent School Board meeting that APS’s decision to abandon 21,000+ followers on Twitter/X was due, in part, to the public awareness raised about Cox’s alleged activities in high school locker rooms.

Superintendent Durán and APS want this issue to go away, but I will continue to update you as this story develops.

You can hold them accountable by running for office this year.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to elect someone to the School Board to advocate for girls in the wake of the left’s ideological war on women and girls in Arlington Public Schools.

Please take a few minutes to read about other events and updates below. And — as always — thank you for everything you do for our community.

Onward,

Matthew Hurtt, Chairman
Arlington GOP

P.S.   There are a host of events and other updates below. Please consider participating in these opportunities to make an impact in our community.

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Please find the following events and updates below: 

  1. Arlington Civic, Community, and Political Events
  2. Arlington Public Schools “Your Voice Matters” Survey
  3. Other Headlines
  4. Social Media Links & Fundraising Appeal

You can use Command+F on a Mac or Control+F on a PC to “find” the relevant section of this email.

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Arlington Civic, Community, & Political Events

There are a host of civic, community, and political events in the coming weeks. Here are a select few, which may be of interest to you: 

Arlington County Budget Work Sessions, Hearing, & Adoption | Host: Arlington County
📅 Dates from March 6th to April 9th  | Details Here & Here

Resource Fair for Federal Workers and Contractors | Host: Congressman Don Beyer, the City of Alexandria, the City of Falls Church, Arlington County, and Fairfax County
📅 Saturday, March 8th from 12pm to 5pm | Details Here

Candidate Interest Meeting for House of Delegates | Host: Fairfax GOP
📅 Saturday, March 8th from 2pm to 4pm | Details & RSVP Here

Community Meeting with APS Superintendent Francisco Durán | Host: Arlington County Civic Federation
📅 Tuesday, March 11th from 7pm to 9pm | Details Here

AAFCYR March Meeting | Host: Arlington-Alexandria-Falls Church Young Republicans (AAFCYRs)
📅 Monday, March 17th from 6pm to 8:30pm | Details and RSVP Here

Arlington GOP March Membership Meeting | Host: Arlington GOP
📅 Monday, March 24th from 6:30pm to 8:00pm | Call & Agenda Forthcoming

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APS “Your Voice Matters” Survey 

Arlington Public Schools is asking parents, students, and staff to take their “Your Voice Matters” Survey before March 14th. If you are a parent of an APS student, a student, or staff member, please complete the survey and register your frustration with Arlington Public Schools.

Families should have received an anonymous link through school-wide communications. Students in grade 4 and above can take the survey at school. And staff will receive a direct email from third-party vendor Panorama Education

You can read more about the “Your Voice Matters” survey here and here.

This survey went viral online this week when it was reported parents were asked “to provide their child’s gender identity including the option of ‘nonbinary’ and to talk about how gender identity, sexual identity, etc. affects them in school.”

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Other Headlines

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and other interagency partners coordinated a series of raids on Tuesday morning, arresting 32 MS-13 and 18th Street gang members and sexual predators.

Arlington County officials are using your tax dollars to provide resources to criminal illegal aliens in defiance of federal efforts. You can read a few headlines about the raid and the county’s efforts here:

Arlington County officials see themselves as the “resistance” to the Trump Agenda, meaning they will do everything they can — legal or illegal — to thwart Trump’s initiatives on immigration and crime, on issues in our schools, and on tax and economic policy.

As a supporter of President Trump’s Agenda, it is up to you to hold Arlington County officials accountable.

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Social Media Links & Fundraising Appeal

Please connect with us on Facebook, Twitter/X, or Nextdoor — we’re working diligently to get our message in front of as many people as possible, and your support for our social media efforts helps a lot.

Also, please forward this email to your friends and encourage them to subscribe to receive regular updates from the Arlington GOP by clickinghere.

Arlington Republicans are already in the midst of an aggressive communications and campaign strategy to hold Arlington’s far-left elected officials accountable. Please chip in $25, $50, $100, or more by clicking here.