Mayor wants divisive symbols to be pulled

Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer called on the Virginia state legislature Friday to convene a special session to push for new laws that would give local governments power to decide the fates of their Confederate war memorials and suspend some gun laws after his city was besieged by violence during a white nationalist rally.

Signer, a Democrat, issued a statement outlining what he views are the next steps for the progressive college town now reeling from the fallout of the violence, attention and outrage that has made Charlottesville the center of a national debate about Confederate history and white supremacy.

“Last weekend changed not only Charlottesville, but America,” Signer wrote. “While we are getting back on our feet, we are still traumatized . ... But we will overcome this hatred.”

To that end, the mayor said he is asking the General Assembly to give localities authority over their monuments and the power to ban open-carry or concealed weapons during public events that pose security threats.

But a spokesman for Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe later said the governor won’t call a special session while the issue is being decided in court.

One person was killed and 19 others were injured after police say James Alex Fields, 20, of Maumee, Ohio, plowed into a crowd of counterprotesters last Saturday with his Dodge Challenger. Fields was charged with second-degree murder after Heather Heyer, 32, was killed in the crash.