NAACP dissatisfied with Va. legislature

The General Assembly got a failing grade from the Virginia NAACP yesterday on the day the national organization commemorated the 100th anniversary of its founding.

Early voting, the "gun-show loophole" and payday lending are some of the areas in which General Assembly action has fallen short of needs, said King Salim Khalfani, executive director of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP.

"This is why the NAACP is necessary," he said during a news conference.

"This is our first day of the next hundred years. We've got more to do than we ever had to do."

On voting issues, Khalfani said, "The people are demanding early voting, but the Virginia General Assembly has always been recalcitrant."

Gun-show legislation "was watered down so bad that it was unacceptable to almost anyone, including the governor," he said. "We need to protect citizens.

"It's really unconscionable that you can go to a gun show and buy as many weapons as you want and not be subject to a background check."

On payday lending, "We worked so hard to get a bill passed last year," but by the time it took effect in January, payday lenders "started doing open-ended loans that weren't subject to any regulation," he said.

The state budget also has created concerns, Khalfani said.

"We asked, 'Don't balance the books on the backs of working and poor people.' . . . It's always the people who suffer. We lose while corporate interests gain."

After the news conference, the NAACP cut a cake to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the organization.

Khalfani read part of a certificate signed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine recognizing that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's actions "have improved the quality of life of African-Americans and benefited all Americans well into the future and foster a lasting progressive spirit in this nation."

Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or .