Memory of violence still fresh in Va.
Unite the Right event moving to DC, but memory of violence remains fresh
Anti-fascist supporters walked through the downtown of an eerily quiet Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, with some members carrying a large banner reading, “Good Night, White Pride,” protesting white nationalism. A year after a violent white-nationalist rally left three dead and dozens injured, the city is taking extra safety precautions ahead of the movement’s 2018 rally in Washington, D.C., today. Charlottesville was riddled with concrete barriers, metal fences and security checkpoints as well as adorned with flowers, notes of solidarity and apologies for the violence that unfolded when white nationalists marched through the University of Virginia campus.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A year after a violent white nationalist Unite the Right rally left three dead and dozens injured, the city is taking extra safety precautions this weekend ahead of the movement’s 2018 rally reboot three hours away in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.
With the city eerily quiet from the lack of vehicle traffic, a group of about 50 anti-fascist supporters walked through parts of downtown Saturday – many dressed in black. Some members carried a large banner reading: “Good Night, White Pride.”
Charlottesville was riddled with concrete barriers, metal fences and security checkpoints but also adorned with flowers, notes of solidarity and apologies for the violence that unfolded last August after white nationalists bearing torches marched through the University of Virginia campus.
Amid heavy police presence on sidewalks and at checkpoints, police confiscated a pair of brass knuckles, a
“It was devastating what happened.
... This is our community.” Karen Walker Owner of Hedge Fine Blooms
razor, a knife and aerosol cans, city officials said.
Two people were arrested on misdemeanor charges, one for trespassing and one for disorderly conduct.
While the city prepared for the worst, it also took time to honor the memory of Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old legal assistant, who was hit and killed last year when a young neo-Nazi slammed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters. Two Virginia state troopers also died when their surveillance helicopter crashed near the protests.
On Wednesday, a section of Fourth Street – where she died – was renamed “Honorary Heather Heyer Way” in her memory. Chalk messages, flowers and other mementos were placed at the site.
In the window of a nearby shop, a large sign with two intertwined hands reads simply: “Strength.” It’s part of the #joinedinstrength campaign. The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau mounted the campaign to demonstrate its opposition to using the city “as a platform for hate again.”
Karen Walker, the owner of Hedge Fine Blooms, said she gave out flowers last year. “It was the right thing to do. It was devastating what happened,” Walker said.
Walker, who normally closes her shop on Sundays, said she will remain open this weekend – in solidarity with the rest of this university city of 47,000.
“I feel like everyone is in a pretty good place. This is our community,” she said.
The city, along with parts of Northern Virginia, is under a state of emergency. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said the order was an “administrative tool” to prepare the Virginia National Guard and other security details for any riots that might arise.
UVA President James Ryan spoke to a crowd gathered Saturday morning for a service of reflection on the anniversary of the march. He said those who stood up against the racists showed remarkable “courage and bravery,” and the university must admit its mistakes.
“I am sorry. We are sorry,” Ryan said, addressing the students and community members who faced off against white nationalists last year and whom critics say the university didn’t do enough to protect.
President Donald Trump also reflected on the clashes, tweeting Saturday morning that he condemns “all types of racism and acts of violence” and calling the riots that ensued last year “senseless death and division.”
The statement differed significantly from his reflection on the rally last August, when he told a news conference: “You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”
This year’s Unite the Right rally is aimed at advocating for “white civil rights.” It is set to take place Sunday in Washington’s Lafayette Square with a march from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Organizers tried to mount the gathering in Charlottesville but gave up a legal fight with the city over a permit.
Contributing: Associated Press