Listen Up with Host Al Neely
Hi, I'm Al Neely. I've spent most of my life asking, " Why do people behave a certain way? Why don't people understand that most everyone wants basically the same thing? Most everyone wants their fundamental need for peace of mind, nourishment, shelter and safety."
What I have learned is that because of an unwillingness to open one's mind to see that some of the people you come in contact with may have those same desires as you do. We prejudge, isolate ourselves, and can be hesitant to interact, and sometimes we can be belligerent towards one another. This is caused by learned behavior that may have repeated itself for generations in our families.
What I hope to do with this podcast is to introduce as many people with as many various cultures, backgrounds, and practices as possible. The thought is that I can help to bring different perspectives by discussing various views from my guests that are willing to talk about their personal experiences.
Hopefully we all will learn something new. We may even learn that most of us share the same desire for our fundamental needs. We may just simply try to obtain it differently.
Sit back, learn, and enjoy!
Listen Up with Host Al Neely
From Family Values to Fighting Crime: Suzanne Richmond's Journey
Suzanne Richmond's doesn't just understand Virginia Beach—she embodies its spirit. As a native daughter who was raised in the heart of Kempsville, Suzanne brings a unique perspective to her candidacy for Commonwealth Attorney, one shaped by deep community roots and professional expertise.
The daughter of a federal prosecutor, Suzanne grew up in a household where truth was non-negotiable and doing the right thing was expected. These values formed the foundation of her approach to both life and law. With 17 years of legal experience, including significant time as a prosecutor, she carries forward her father's legacy of public service while bringing her own compassionate perspective to the role.
What sets Suzanne apart is her balanced philosophy toward criminal justice. "We can walk and chew gum at the same time," she explains, advocating for tough approaches to violent crime while implementing thoughtful reforms for issues like addiction, mental health, and veterans' needs. Her proposal for a veterans docket reflects this nuanced understanding—recognizing that those who've served our country may need specialized support rather than traditional prosecution when they encounter the justice system.
As a mother of three boys, Suzanne views everything through the lens of parenthood. When she heard a Virginia Beach mother describe her eight-year-old daughter being afraid in their own home due to neighborhood violence, it struck a deep chord. This is precisely why she's running—to ensure every child in Virginia Beach feels safe and protected.
For the first time in twelve years, Virginia Beach voters have a choice for Commonwealth Attorney. Suzanne wants residents to understand that this crucial position isn't appointed or inherited—it's elected by the people. She envisions a prosecutor's office that's accessible, collaborative, and responsive to community needs across all districts of the city.
Ready to learn more? Visit suzanne4vb.com and join Suzanne Richman's campaign to bring a fresh perspective to Virginia Beach's justice system—one that honors our community's values while meeting today's challenges.
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Hello, I'm Al Neely with Listen Up Podcast and today we have Suzanne Richman. She is an assistant Commonwealth attorney for the city of Newport News.
Speaker 2:Yes, I am.
Speaker 1:However, she was born in Virginia Beach and she's running for a Commonwealth attorney for the city of Virginia Beach.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:All right, yes, how are you doing?
Speaker 2:I'm good.
Speaker 1:Good Thanks for having me on.
Speaker 2:I'm excited.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, so you're a native.
Speaker 2:Yes, I am.
Speaker 1:Tell me a little bit about growing up here in Virginia Beach.
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 1:So I was like for you. You were.
Speaker 2:It was good.
Speaker 1:Both your parents are attorneys.
Speaker 2:My father's an attorney.
Speaker 1:OK, so go ahead.
Speaker 2:So I, we lived in Stratford Chase. We always lived in Kempsville and kind of in the heart of kemsville. Then, when I was in second grade, my parents built a house in bellamy woods and, um, I had a very um, I had a great childhood. I was really lucky. The street we lived on there was about a dozen houses and it was a cul-de-sac and it was all families and there were probably 20 something 24 kids on the street and it was a very Norman Rockwell type of childhood. We were in and out of each other's houses all the time and we would have block parties at the end of the street. It was you're in contact with these, I am.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we would have block parties at the end of the street. Really Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:You're in contact with any of those people? I am, yeah, Okay, Virginia Beach is unique because it's such a transient area and I think a lot of people live in. A lot of military people live in Virginia Beach or people come here for jobs and they don't have family and so people, they find friends and like our street, it was just like one big family and the sense of community. I took it for granted at the time and then, looking back and talking to people, I realized not everyone had that but it was good and my parents my mom was very outgoing and very. She called herself the mayor of Sotheby Court and she would. Our house was right in the middle and she would sit on the porch and just kind of she knew everything that was going on there. Nothing got by her, but my parents had an open door kind of policy and people would stop by. They were very welcoming and they were both really active in the community.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, so your father talk about him.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:He was an attorney right.
Speaker 2:Yes, so my father was a federal prosecutor.
Speaker 2:Oh really, he was an assistant united states attorney and he's retired now. But growing up, um, he that's what he did, um, and he he had a demanding schedule. He's a trial lawyer and there was maybe one time I remember he was in a long jury trial. He was working a lot then. This was not typical, but he would leave before I woke up in the morning and then he wouldn't get home until after I was asleep. And I remember one morning saying to my mom I miss my daddy. I just wish daddy would be here. But he was active. He was a very active father. He coached our sports. He always came to our things, our events, and I always appreciated, even though he had a demanding career. He always came to parent-teacher conferences and he always made it a priority to show up for his kids. I mean, both my parents did.
Speaker 1:Oh you have brothers and sisters, I do. Yeah, there were four of us.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, so I have an older sister.
Speaker 1:Are they still here in the city?
Speaker 2:My younger sister is Okay. My older sister lives in Richmond, she's three years older than me, and then I have the middle child. I have middle child syndrome.
Speaker 1:So I like this attention.
Speaker 2:And then I have a brother who's 18 months younger than me and we were we're still very close. In high school we had a lot of the same friends and we were just kind of always together. And then I have a younger sister and she lives in Virginia beach. My brother lives in South Carolina.
Speaker 1:How many are attorneys?
Speaker 2:Just me.
Speaker 1:Oh really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just me. That's awesome so thanks.
Speaker 1:Why did you decide to run for Commonwealth Attorney? What inspired you?
Speaker 2:no-transcript. And you want justice, fairness, um, and those are things that my parents instilled in me from a very young age.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Talk about that. Talk about how your background.
Speaker 2:Okay, so we? I think the number one rule in my parents' house was tell the truth and that, no matter how bad it is, the worst thing, that the worst defense would be to lie to my parents. So that was our, that was like one of our top family values, and then do the right thing, and so you know what I want to know right. What.
Speaker 1:So what's the worst thing you ever did?
Speaker 2:I was actually pretty good, I wasn't a great.
Speaker 2:I wasn't a great driver and I. So there was like a six month stretch where I had more than one fender bender and I was in high school and one day I called my dad at work and he just heard me and he said did you get in another car accident? And I said yes, um, but I was. I was pretty good, um, I. I was shy as a child, um, and then when I went to high school, I started running and I did cross country. Um, that was one of the. That was a challenge and it gave me confidence. Just persevering and it was hard and I feel like that developed the kind of the roots for just grit and just following through.
Speaker 1:And also, you said working as a prosecutor, you have to work as it with other prosecutors as a team, right? So I'd imagine that probably helped you with team building. Yes, right, yes.
Speaker 2:And it's I think prosecutors offices work best when everybody works together and it is kind of like sports that we all have our position and you're all trying to accomplish one goal.
Speaker 2:And it's it kind of when you're sitting in court I was actually thinking about this this morning. You know we sit there on benches and only one case goes at a time, so you're kind of watching the other lawyers and it's almost like sitting on a bench in a game and then like your coworkers are sitting there and like how you would talk to a teammate. You're kind of like talking about can you believe that, that or what'd you think about this, and you're kind of like whispering holding up a legal pad. You're kind of like whispering holding up a legal pad, but it's, it's uh, it's good. And I think lawyers, we have a unique profession where we teach each other and, um, some of the best teachers I've ever had have been lawyers and just watching other lawyers in court or, um, just watching other lawyers in court or listening to them reading opinions. I've learned a lot from other lawyers and judges.
Speaker 1:So in the legal profession. I don't know if it's like anything else.
Speaker 2:You have mentors.
Speaker 1:I would imagine. So who would you say? You've um see as a mentor, or you've gotten a lot of influence in terms of your career?
Speaker 2:So, uh, my dad is a mentor to me and I I I've had several.
Speaker 2:I've been really fortunate that I have a lot of really good mentors. But I was just thinking earlier today I was kind of going through my career history, I guess, and I remember distinctly my father showing me how to write my name, how to spell my name, and he also told me what it means for a criminal defendant to have standing for the purposes of the Fourth Amendment, and it's kind of cool. I don't think many people can say that their dad showed them how to write their name and then can explain criminal procedure to them. But I have that with my dad and I don't know it's special and, um, as a prosecutor I mean he was a prosecutor, so not so much anymore Do I call him about cases. But when I was younger I would call him and say what do you think about this? Or you make offers, cause a lot of cases will you resolve them with a plea agreement? So I would call my dad and say what do you think about this as an offer?
Speaker 1:um, just bounce it off him yeah, um, how long have you been an attorney? You look really young oh, that's nice.
Speaker 2:So I graduated law school in 2007. Um, so I don't do math. That's why I went to law school maybe 18 years, 17 but I was a law clerk for a year after law school. Then I worked at the Norfolk Commonwealth's attorney's office and probably the most influential mentor that I've had in my career. She was a senior assistant at the Commonwealth's attorney's office and she taught me everything I know about being a prosecutor and there was no she. She's been the lawyer for a long time. She's a judge now, but there was never a question that was too small or too big and she always made time for me and just um, she taught me so much and that is who I credit with Um, I mean, I was young, pretty fresh out of law school, and she, she was.
Speaker 2:She is a legal giant in the community really and um, but she took me under her wing and she, she taught me everything. So, and I she was just a great teacher and teaching me how to try cases sitting with me as a young attorney, like first time in court, or being able to go to her office after court and kind of do an autopsy of the case and what could you do better? Um, but I, um, I really she was very wise and had a lot of experience and I'm really grateful that I had that experience where she taught me so much.
Speaker 1:Right you were talking about earlier. You were talking about the influence of your father and your mother on the family and then that relationship, what it was like with your father being an attorney. Do you have children? Do I? Yeah, yes, you married with children. I'm not married, oh, okay, but I have children Do I?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, I'm not married, um, but I have three children. Oh, how old are they? Uh, so my oldest son is 12. Then I have a 10 year old. There are three. I have three boys, um. Hank is 12. George is 10 and Billy is seven.
Speaker 1:Talk about your relationship with them, because you've obviously you don't want to do what made you feel like your father was not there, right?
Speaker 2:only time I remember thinking and it was, it was one trial that it was a really serious case, but I guess I said that more that you know, for the 18 years and then even college and I actually lived with my parents when I was in law school, yeah, but it was only one time and he was a federal prosecutor and there was only one time I remember okay, him um working a lot but he always made time for us so um. So the boys are um, they're funny and are they active?
Speaker 1:yes, outside of school, yes, so they the summer.
Speaker 2:They swam, they did swim team and Hank plays lacrosse and basketball, george does volleyball and football, billy does kind of whatever we sign him up for.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So he's going to do football in the fall. I think Hank's going to do lacrosse and George is going to do football, but they're busy and they're also active in scouts.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And I like the organization and the values that they teach.
Speaker 1:That was very big in the, I guess the 40s, 50s and 60s, through the 70s, I would imagine. But it had a message and it taught you One. Taught you how to think and figure out how to solve problems. So you know, I run into guys all the time that can't change a tire or you know. So you know they couldn't start a campfire with. You know flint and stone or something. So those values that it teaches you are really, really helpful in life and we've kind of gotten away from that. Was that your idea?
Speaker 2:So that was their dad, their dad and it's. I really like the program and the scouts. It's almost a Montessori type uh structure and the older scouts teach the younger scouts that's how to put up a tent, how to they shop for when they go camping. They shop for their own food and they cook their own food they shop yeah, I mean they'll. They go to a grocery store and, ok, oh, they buy like the food they need for their camp out.
Speaker 1:You're not doing that at the campground. I'm like do they call honey shopping now or something, or?
Speaker 2:fishy, it's cute and I actually that has been kind of a guidepost for us as parents. And there's the scout law. I really like it's. A scout is trustworthy, loyal, hopeful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. And I, when I'm talking to the boys, those are the things I kind of always try and steer them back to is the scout law and the 10 commandments. And I say, if you ever are wondering what you should do, like these are the 10 commandments and then the scout law, and think about, when you think about those two things, what do you think you should do? And they usually arrive at the right decision. Most of the time I mean, uh, but it they. Another thing I like about the scouts is, um, one another. One of their mottos is one good turn a day and just doing one good deed a day and how if everybody does one good deed a day, we can affect real change. And so I've noticed the boys will do small acts of kindness and sometimes they think I'm not watching, but I am.
Speaker 1:That has to make you feel good in the way the climate is today?
Speaker 2:yes, they're good boys.
Speaker 1:I'm really lucky you were talking about the Ten Commandments, so let's talk about your structure, of you growing up in your household, with your family, your parents. They attend church.
Speaker 2:Yes, so I am a cradle Catholic and I still go to church. I go to St Nicholas and Virginia Beach. We went to church every weekend. We actually went to Saturday night mass, went to church every weekend. We actually went to Saturday night mass. Um, and that, uh, my mother had a very deep faith, um, but we, we went to church every weekend and it just there was no, there was no getting out of it, it we just knew. And if we asked to do something that was during church, you knew, going into it, that my mom was going to say no, because that was something we did as a family every weekend when we got older, in high school, I mean, with sports and everything that changed. But my mom still she would say, well, if you're living in this house, then you're going to go to church, even if that means going to a different mass at a different time.
Speaker 1:So you had to go when you were in law school.
Speaker 2:She didn't, I would go and it's there's something that had been instilled. There's something about it that it's. It's comforting, because the mass is so traditional and I mean parts of it have changed, but uh, I feel like it grounds me and um, it also uh, just the reflection and the peace. Um, so I actually enjoy going to church.
Speaker 1:My mom would be proud, that's good, you said that she would be.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That would indicate that she's not with you. She, okay, yes, that's something you wouldn't mind talking about Sure Okay.
Speaker 2:So my mom passed away in 2017. Um and uh, I knew that she had been sick, um, my siblings and I knew that something was wrong, but she refused to go to the doctor and her birthday, uh, was on January 25th. And my younger sister was at my parents' house and she called me the night of my mom's birthday and she said something is wrong with mom. And I said well, what do you mean? Like what happened? And she said, well, tonight she fell. And I I asked well, did something happen? Like Elizabeth said well, tonight she fell. And I asked well, did something happen? And Elizabeth said no, she collapsed.
Speaker 2:So I knew that there was something wrong, but I went to visit my parents, because my parents actually lived in. They moved to Lynchburg for a period of time. Because my parents actually lived in, they moved to Lynchburg for a period of time. So the weekend after her birthday, I went to my parents' house and my mom looked very sick. I knew she did not look like herself at all, but I stayed for the weekend and then I went home and she told me that she felt a lot better and she was fine. She was going to be fine. She told me that she felt a lot better and she was fine. She was going to be fine.
Speaker 2:Um, then the following week, um, she got really sick and my dad um said uh, either I'm going to take you to the emergency room or there was a doctor who lived across the street from them and he said I'm either going to you're going to go to the emergency room or I'm going to go across the street and ask Laura to come over because you're really sick. So she said okay, I'll go to the emergency room. Um, and then two days later, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and so this I was actually telling Morgan about it, but she was diagnosed on February 2nd and she died February 27th. So it was. It was a shock.
Speaker 1:She didn't tell, let on that. She was feeling sick that whole time.
Speaker 2:She didn't let on that she was feeling sick that whole time. I knew she wasn't feeling good because she and my dad had come to visit at Christmas and she was usually very active and very talkative and she, her energy level was just really low and she didn't really want to eat, but she refused to go to the doctor and so, um, I think she probably knew she just didn't want to, um, didn't want to know, and so or she didn't want to tell you guys. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Parents like that. Yeah, they have. I don't want to worry them, yeah that was her.
Speaker 2:Everything's fine, everything's gonna be fine, um, and she, uh, my mom was a fighter, um, and it was, uh, she did not have it's. It's hard watching your parent suffer and I, I think the only thing. After my mom passed away, I went back to work and I was talking to a woman in the courthouse and she they knew that my mom had been sick cause I'd been out and, um, she said there's nothing worse than watching your parent die. And I said the only thing that I can imagine would be worse is watching one of your kids die. Yeah, and she it just um, it left a hole and at the time she wanted to stay home and she wanted to die at home. Um, and we kept, we were able to keep her home and I, my siblings and I, we kind of took shifts and we were taking care of her. But it's so exhausting taking care of somebody and then you're not really processing the grief because it's um, you're just kind of doing the next thing. And one of us would sleep next to her in case. She woke up in the middle of the night and I had two little boys, um, george was two, hank was three, about to be four and I was pregnant with Billy Um, and I just remember, after I wasn't there when she died, I left two days before to go back to my house, um, my kids, other grandparents, actually it was incredibly kind.
Speaker 2:They came and stayed and took care of them so that I could be with my mom, um, and when she died it was just kind of like this, all of the exhaustion just kind of comes crashing down on you and um, then like I felt like my cause, I talked to my mom every day when she was alive and I would, my brain would kind of forget that oh, she died. And I remember one day, just I was driving home and I was like God, I haven't talked to my mom, I haven't talked to mom in so long. And then it's like, oh yeah, but it was weird the way, that kind of adjusting to that. And my mom had such ton of friends and, um, I was talking to a family friend shortly after she died and he said your mom, like it's a huge void, because if your mom was in a room you could feel it and you knew she was there. And it's so true.
Speaker 2:And people talk about the holidays being hard, and they are, but the times I miss my mom the most are quiet days, because she would come visit me and stay and she loved to do laundry. So she would be like we're going to get all your laundry done and I would be like, ok, but we would just hang out together. I mean we would watch movies, we would do laundry together. I still, every once in a while I will see an adult child and their mother at the grocery store or Target and I miss just simple things like that that I used to do with my mom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I could imagine my yeah Gives you a brand new perspective on not losing Someone. Gives you a perspective on the value of Relationships, yeah, yeah you take so many things for granted.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I, um, that did shift my perspective and I, after she died, I kind of made an internal decision that I was really going to focus on relationships and friendships and, um, because I think that that's what feeds our soul is yeah, and I see that with my kids and your father. Yeah, but, you invest in your kids and you teach them and it's so rewarding to see see them learn something new or do the right thing, and it it's. It's an awesome I mean in the true sense of the word awesome thing to see.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Wow. So let's talk about why you decided.
Speaker 2:since we're talking about relationships, let's talk about why you decided, since we're talking about relationships.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Why did you decide that you wanted to run for the Commonwealth Attorney's Office for Virginia Beach?
Speaker 2:Sure. So I'm a Virginia Beach native, born and raised here. My favorite job as a lawyer is being a prosecutor, and I love the city and I love the job.
Speaker 1:Why do you like being a prosecutor?
Speaker 2:I think the work is really important and a lot of times there are cases that are complicated for different reasons. It might be because the victim in a child sex case is very young or might be on the spectrum and trying to work with the witness because they have to testify, or the victims might be elderly. There are also cases where people might be afraid to come to court. And, again, I think, building relationships with people and this is something I learned from my mentor at the Commonwealth's attorney's office. She had a lot of street cred in Norfolk and so, and she would tell me that people knew her and, um, I mean, one guy actually wrote a rap about her and, yeah, and she was prosecuting, but he, he told his lawyer, he said, no, I know, if she says she's going to do something, she's going to do it.
Speaker 2:And having the level of shootings that are happening in our city, um, one of them actually, I, my son, goes to my kids go to public school. I went to virginia beach public schools but there was a shooting in j June and I got the text message that no parent ever wants to get. Older Nation School was briefly put on an external lockdown this morning while police investigated an incident near our campus and there was an officer involved shooting across the street from where my son goes to school. Um the individual, the gun was not a real gun, but this is just one of many.
Speaker 2:There's just been so many shootings in the city and um the people who are either the perpetrators or the victims, a lot of them are incredibly young, and it's young men in seeing it, like 17, 19, 22. Um, I think we can do better as a city, um, better as a society, and so that's something I want to change. I also it's interesting when I've been talking to people and telling them that I'm running for office, a lot of times I get the response oh, that's elected people. It is, it's elected and for the first time in 12 years, voters are going to have a choice on the ballot. It's not appointed, it's not inherited, it is elected in a citywide race.
Speaker 1:I want to bring I don't think a lot of people know who their Commonwealth attorney.
Speaker 2:I don't think they do.
Speaker 1:You know, if you ask them. You know, we just got on the street and asked. They probably wouldn't.
Speaker 2:So that's another reason I want to run. I want to change that.
Speaker 1:I want why would you want to change? Let's talk about why you think it's important to change that.
Speaker 2:I think people should know that they elect a prosecutor.
Speaker 2:Ok, I think people should know that they elect a prosecutor, okay, and each city and county in Virginia has an elected Commonwealth's attorney. Virginia calls them Commonwealth's attorneys because we are a Commonwealth. A lot of other states call them district attorneys. Okay, attorneys, okay, but that person is the top law enforcement prosecutor for the whole city and a lot of things go unreported. Um, you know, we see what's in the news but we don't get pronounce of calls for service from the police. So I guess another thing that made me want to really increase community presence I was at a city council meeting a few months ago and at the end of Virginia Beach City Council meetings they will have an open mic and people can go up and address the city council.
Speaker 2:There was a group of people from Red Mill in Virginia Beach and when I think of Red Mill, I think of families, young people, suburbia, kids playing and there was a group of people who stood up and they were talking about the violence in their neighborhood and one, several people spoke. One woman spoke and she was talking about how her eight-year-old daughter was crying and telling her that she didn't feel safe in her house. And I think, after becoming a mother, I view everything through the lens of a parent, and that's heartbreaking. No child should feel unsafe in their own house.
Speaker 2:You have all boys, I have all boys and I afterwards I was thinking I wonder if she knows that there's a prosecutor who's? And you work for the people, you work for the people of Virginia Beach, and so I want to be approachable and I want to collaborate with people on city council. And I want to collaborate with people on city council, I want to know what's going on in people's districts and just if we can collaborate and build relationships across the board. I think we can make a lot of progress and it's not going to happen overnight. I think we can be tough on crime but also be responsible with reform. And another thing I want to do is I want to implement a veterans docket in Virginia Beach. The Virginia Supreme Court has authorized alternative dockets for the trial courts. There's a mental health docket, a drug court docket and they have authorized a veterans docket.
Speaker 1:What is that?
Speaker 2:It's a specialty docket where if somebody's charged well, a drug court docket if somebody has a possession charge and they're suffering from addiction, they can ask to be screened for drug court and they'll work. It's various groups kind of come together and work with the person to get them the services they need and for drug court to try and get sober Um mental health court if somebody's suffered has been diagnosed with a mental health um disorder and sometimes people get off their medication.
Speaker 1:So why is it called veterans docket?
Speaker 2:So the veterans docket would be unique to veterans and um okay. I see that I mean Virginia beach. We have one of the largest populations of veterans, a lot of military here.
Speaker 1:They have a lot of challenges.
Speaker 2:They have a lot of challenges.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've had several work with me. It's just an issue.
Speaker 2:And a lot of these people have served our country. If they've been in combat, it's very likely that they'll have PTSD been in combat it's very likely that they'll have PTSD.
Speaker 2:And at a time when veterans are kind of AIDS getting gutted from them, now is the time. I think local governments, local communities, we need to start stepping up. And in a veterans docket I mean, I had a case recently where a woman she was probably in her mid 30s, she had no criminal history and this is a public record, so that's why I'm talking about it but I'm not naming any names. She was intoxicated and driving and passed out in her car, but she had no criminal history. So the police officers, they found her, she's OK, they took her to the emergency room. They have body cameras on, so I'm watching the footage and she just has a mental breakdown and she thinks that she's in combat and she was covering her head and this was probably one of the worst days of her life. But she has no criminal history and so I don't know. I mean, I'm the prosecutor and she has her own attorney, so there's only so much information that I can get. But something I think triggered her and then she had, she probably has PTSD.
Speaker 2:And then turning to substance abuse. Turning to substance abuse Um, so it's, the veterans docket would be a collaborative effort from probation the Commonwealth attorney's office um the circuit court in Virginia beach, and finding alternative treatment for veterans like this woman. Um, that's just an example, and it's not violent crime is different. The people who would most likely be accepted into the veterans docket, drug court, the mental health docket they are not committing violent crimes. So when I say you can still be tough on crime, but be smart with how you're treating addiction, mental health, ptsd, I say we can walk and chew gum at the same time. It doesn't have to be all one or all the other, and so that is something I very much want to do in Virginia beach.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right, so tell us something that no one knows about you.
Speaker 2:About me. Yeah, okay, I like to binge watch shows. That is actually, on a Friday night, one of my favorite things to do. What?
Speaker 1:was the last one series that you've been.
Speaker 2:Oh, I, I've watched it before, but the last series I I watched all the episodes was a show on Netflix called nobody wants this. I don't they have a podcast? I was going to ask you if you watched it, but it's just something mindless. And I like watching tv.
Speaker 1:um, I also you have one of your kids or one of your kids like you, or just you sitting there doing this it's just me, okay, they're with their dad when I binge.
Speaker 2:I don't let them actually watch a lot of tv. That's something, something I got from my mom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was about to say, it sounds like your mother my mom.
Speaker 2:we were not. After we ate dinner, we were not allowed to watch TV. The only time she let us watch TV was on Thursday nights. We would watch the Cosby show, okay, and that was like a big deal. That can you believe mom's letting us watch TV. So, um, yeah, I, uh, I like binge watching shows. I also I love fashion. Um, I like looking. I think we were we were talking about it earlier. I collect Audrey Hepburn books and, um, I have a lot of coffee table books. I just, I enjoy looking at pictures. Um, and I also I really liked Jackie Kennedy and her style, so I have a lot of books about her. Um, ralph Lauren has a great coffee table book and it's something just relaxing that I just like to look through, and the pictures are, um, I just like to see what they did with color or, um, unique outfits. Um, audrey Hepburn had an interesting way of and Catherine Hepburn too where they would take men's clothes and somehow make it feminine, and so things like that Did you do that.
Speaker 2:No, I've never really been able to pull that off. I don't know how they do it. They were probably a lot smaller than me, but I know I like shoes and pearls. I have a lot. I always seem to grav shoes and pearls. I have a lot. I always seem to gravitate towards pearls.
Speaker 1:That's probably a Jackie Kennedy Audrey Hepburn thing.
Speaker 2:I'm going to probably date myself here.
Speaker 1:Okay, what's your favorite Audrey Hepburn movie?
Speaker 2:Okay, my favorite.
Speaker 1:No go ahead.
Speaker 2:Oh sorry, Do you?
Speaker 1:want to go first, go ahead.
Speaker 2:It's Sabrina. No, go ahead.
Speaker 1:Oh, sorry, do you?
Speaker 2:want to go first? Go ahead. It's Sabrina, oh really, and she and Sabrina. It's a little bit of a coming of age movie. It starts out like a little bit of a Cinderella story. She's a tomboy and has long hair and a ponytail and she goes to Paris.
Speaker 1:Then she comes home and she's transformed into this beautiful, elegant woman, so that's my favorite. Yeah, I like New York, so can you probably guess which one? It is Breakfast at Tiffany's. The clothes in Breakfast at Tiffany's, though, are killer, that is.
Speaker 2:I love Holly Golightly's outfits in Breakfast at Tiffany's. What's your favorite scene in the movie?
Speaker 1:When she's sitting in the car across the street from Tiffany's. Oh you see in the background in the car.
Speaker 2:My favorite is the party she has in her apartment.
Speaker 1:Oh, that one was pretty good too. I forgot about that.
Speaker 2:I love that scene.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of character to it.
Speaker 2:And also when they go and have the day in New York City and they're like walking through the city with their masks. But they swiped from the five and dime. But that's wrong. They shouldn't have stolen those.
Speaker 1:Would you prosecute her?
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:I don't know you let her go, huh.
Speaker 2:Just return it.
Speaker 1:All right, so let's, let's end this with what you need. What would you like for people to know?
Speaker 2:I'm pretty open if I am happy to meet with people in the city. If anybody has any questions or wants to know more about my campaign, yeah, and I guess spread the word. I want people to know that there are two candidates in the Commonwealth's attorney's race.
Speaker 1:OK.
Speaker 2:And I just I love Virginia Beach, I love the city. I'm a product of Virginia Beach Public Schools. I, this is the city that raised me, and so I want to serve the city. I think being a prosecutor is, um, a calling and uh, I want to serve in that capacity.
Speaker 1:How long is the um term for that? It's four years, okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, um, both my parents were, uh, lifelong public servants and I think I don't know that they really ever said that explicitly like to serve other people. My father, I mean, he had a 30 something year, maybe even be 40. I think it actually is 40. He where he was an assistant United States attorney and all he did was serve, and, um, the work he did, the trials he did, they were so serious and, um, he made it at the time, made it look easy, but now, once I started doing it, I was like, oh man, he wasn't really playing around. These are like some serious cases. Um, my mom, she stayed home when we were little and she served her community and a lot of volunteer ways. Um, she was PTA president.
Speaker 2:She taught um our catechism class.
Speaker 2:She was always very active in our church, um, and one of the things I mean I love a lot of things about my mom, but she was a person who had a reputation in the community that people could count on her and people could rely on her, and if she ever heard of somebody needing help or needing something, my mom was one of the first people to bring somebody dinner, or if somebody had surgery, she would help them.
Speaker 2:She would always tell people like she would babysit, just she was just reliable and steadfast and I mean both my parents were. My mom had more time during the day to do those kinds of things and then when she got older, she actually was a victim witness advocate at the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's attorney's office and she really enjoyed that work. So she would. If there was a victim of a crime, my mom would basically stay with them, explain the process to them, sit with them in court, and so both my parents were public servants, had a deep appreciation for taking care of your neighbor, taking care of your friends, your family, and a lot of compassion for victims of crime, and so that I feel like that's been instilled in me throughout my life.
Speaker 1:Sounds like it, so tell us how we can get in contact with. Tell everyone how they can get in contact with you. Do you have social media sites set up and emails or places where they people can contact you?
Speaker 2:So I have a website. Okay where they people can contact you. So, um, I have a website, okay, and it's wwwsuzanne4vbcom. Okay, so, suzanne s-u-z-a-n-n-e-f-o-r-v-bcom, and um, my campaign manager is awesome and she is working on getting me set up on social media. Ok people can follow me on my personal page but I am going to shift to a candidate page. But Suzanne Richmond, and if anybody would like to hear more about my campaign, you can reach out through my website.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right.
Speaker 2:I think so. Yeah, do you have any other questions?
Speaker 1:No. Is there anything else you want to say?
Speaker 2:No, this was fun. Okay, well, good All right, all right.
Speaker 1:Well, everyone, thank you for joining us at Listen Up. We'll catch you next time on Listen Up. If you enjoyed today's episode I. We'll catch you next time on Listen Up. If you enjoyed today's episode, I'm going to ask you to click on the links below Follow, subscribe, become part of the conversation and remember listen up.
