NORFOLK, Va. — Residents of John Knox Towers — a 12-story, 150-unit apartment building for older adults in Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood — staged a “sleep-in” protest on Sunday, July 5, saying years of maintenance concerns, communication issues, and fears about building safety had gone unanswered.
The demonstration was organized by resident Dr. Bill Newell, who has lived in the building for more than a decade. Participants gathered with sleeping bags to draw attention to what they describe as deteriorating conditions throughout the property.
A sleep-in is a form of peaceful protest in which participants intentionally sleep or remain overnight in a public area to draw attention to a cause…