For a man who drives a happily painted peace-mobile, Rick Tatnall isn’t afraid to call it like he sees it. River City—and the good ol’ US of A as a whole—is frayed at every edge he says. That’s right; we’re a seriously self-destructive lot, with a crumbling infrastructure.

“Slam the brakes,” Tatnall insists, “America is a societal vehicle headed for the cliff of no return.”

But will River City really listen?

A longtime Richmonder who has built a rep for sparking grassroots efforts throughout the city for years, Tatnall is here to make sure you do. 

From his organization’s digs in Scott’s Addition, the city activist leaps from a heavily weathered chair, spins around and further explains, “In 2007, the American society can hardly be called an engaged, caring community. Unless serious changes are made quickly in all aspects of our existence, America is doomed, and the rest of mankind won’t be far behind.”

His answer to this pickle is quite simple—stop the downward spiral and start giving back to River City, or wherever you may reside. And do it now. 

To amp up this movement, Tatnall has released the “Slam the Brakes Manifesto,” a stirring call for action that suggests that the Richmond, American, and global communities each currently possess the collective resources necessary to solve all of their problems and achieve community objectives if we could only come together as a group for real action. Tatnall says that at the moment most resources are controlled and managed by community leadership that relies on an aged-out infrastructure, one that is years—if not decades—behind the challenges facing our cities today. 

Regularly hosting incubator think-tank parties at his warehouse style headquarters, the spirited community leader has collected ideas for change from an array of artists, musicians, government officials, community activists, CEOs, and non- profit leaders. And out of such grand collaboration the recent Slam the Brakes manifesto was hatched.

In order to slam the brakes in Richmond and beyond, Tatnall, along with his Citizens Against Crime (CAC) super group, has created a roadmap, part of which involves the “1,000,000 Hours/ $1,000,000 Campaign,” which asks everyone to become a member of this fight and volunteer 10 hours of precious time, along with a donation of $10 every 6 months, starting in 2007. 

Tatnall, whose track record is quite impressive when facing tough odds, insists that his band of do-gooders will enlist 100,000 members before the end of year, creating a whopping 1,000,000 volunteer hours and $1,000,000 to kick start to the “Slam the Brakes” initiative around the Commonwealth. “CAC and a host of partners throughout the region will act as conduits for members to volunteer in their community, showing Richmonders that caring for their community can be fun and rewarding, offering many benefits that will continue to grow as their involvement grows. Together, Richmond will show the rest of America why and how to slam the brakes.”

Yes, the impassioned Tatnall-charged crew is targeting the crime that has always run rampant in and around River City, but there’s much more. Tatnall sees the larger issue as being the drastic drop in citizenship that has occurred over the past 50-years everywhere, a disconnect that has seeped into city life at the very same time citizens are asking why government isn’t doing more. Paying taxes he says is the way most people feel that they contribute to society, yet these are often the very same folks complaining that taxes are too high. “Reaction versus action is the norm, allowing problems to fester and grow.  Individual liberties are promoted above the best interest of the community at large,” he opines.

Tapping into the individual stewardship that he says each of us owe back to this fine city will ultimately benefit Richmond, and at the same time benefit individual urbanites everywhere. Tatnall feels that volunteering in such a way will increase our personal opportunities and overall quality of life if we’re each constantly involved in the community. The only way out of this black hole he claims is for an immediate increase in community involvement by not only Richmonders, but citizens everywhere. 

Tooling around town in his graffiti tinged peace van, with his mission colorfully emblazoned on the side, Tatnall is attempting to spread the word yet readily admits that moving the region towards the kind of action that inspires an entire country will most certainly require intense energy—both immediately and consistently. 

Tatnall says though that he and a boomlet of concerned citizens in old Virginny will keep hammering away “as long as it takes to stop going in the wrong direction….it will involve an initial period of chaos after the brakes are first engaged.”

With piercing eyes widening, Tatnall insists, “Everybody needs to find their own way of slamming…and life as we know it will change.”