State of emergency declared in Va.
Move made ahead of rally anniversary
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and the city of Charlottesville declared states of emergency Wednesday ahead of the first anniversary of last summer’s white supremacist rally that turned deadly.
The declaration, which took effect Wednesday afternoon and could run through Sept. 12, will increase state and local law enforcement’s capacity to respond to civil unrest that may occur as white nationalists and neo-Nazis and counterdemonstrators mark the anniversary this weekend.
“Declaring this state of emergency in advance of the anniversary and the related planned events will help us ensure that the state and the city have all available resources to support emergency responders in case they are needed,” Northam, D, said in a statement.
The declaration also earmarks $2 million of state money to pay for the response efforts.
The city expects a large crowd for its planned commemoration of the three people who died Aug. 12 — counterdemonstrator Heather Heyer, who was killed when a man drove his car into a crowd, and two Virginia state police troopers who died in a helicopter crash as they monitored the day’s events. But officials are preparing in case other violent clashes break out.
“… it’s unfortunate we’re here this year planning for potential violence and potential civil unrest again,” said Col. Gary Settle, superintendent of the Virginia State Police at a news conference Wednesday.
The violence at last year’s rally seemingly caught the city flatfooted, raising questions about its preparedness. A scathing independent review criticized the city’s response and the fallout was widespread, leading to the police chief’s resignation and leaving the city manager’s contract unrenewed.
It would be irresponsible if city officials didn’t plan differently, said Brian Wheeler, director of communications for the city of Charlottesville.
“We acknowledge that mistakes were made last year and we’re implementing best practices this year,” he said.
At the Wednesday news conference, law enforcement officials said residents and visitors can expect a heavy police presence throughout the weekend. Officers from Charlottesville and Albemarle County, along with state troopers and the Virginia National Guard, will total well over 1,000 and constitute one of the largest deployments of law enforcement personnel in the state’s history, Wheeler said.
“We hope we have a safe weekend so that healing can continue,” interim city manager Mike Murphy said at the briefing. “The only acceptable outcome is that we ensure public safety.”
In downtown Charlottesville beginning Friday evening, several streets will be closed to vehicles and police will set up a tightly patrolled security area with just two entry points. The city has published a long list of items prohibited in that area; firearms are not among them.