CHARLOTTESVILLE — Chaos and violence turned to tragedy Saturday as hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members — planning to stage what they described as their largest rally in decades to “take America back” — clashed with counterprotesters in the streets and a car plowed into crowds, leaving one person dead and 19 others injured.
Hours later, two state police officers died when their helicopter crashed at the outskirts of town. Officials would not confirm their identities nor whether the crash was related to Saturday’s protests.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), who had declared a state of emergency in the morning, said at an evening news conference that he had a message for “all the white supremacists and the Nazis who came into Charlottesville today: Go home. You are not wanted in this great commonwealth.”
Maurice Jones, Charlottesville’s African American city manager, looked stricken as he spoke: “Hate came to our town today in a way that we had feared but we had never really let ourselves imagine would.”
Charlottesville is my home town. I was born there, raised there and I married there. My parents met there. My family has been there for 8 generations, at least. This violence and chaos breaks my heart.
I want the statues left alone, as do most people from the area. I don’t want the hate groups coming in and making it happen for me. They were lawless thugs who came to town to inflict violence on anyone who disagrees with them. I don’t disagree with them about the statues, I just don’t want them speaking for me!
I was glued to my TV, all day long. I have never seen anything like the mayhem I saw today. Watching what was going on in Charlottesville was surrealistic. This is America. Americans don’t act like that.
I remain fairly speechless over this day which really started last night when a mob carrying torches marched through the University grounds, around the Rotunda. It seemed as though the group went on for miles. I thought I could write about the events, but I am discovering I cannot find the words. I mourn for those who were killed. I mourn for those who were injured. The crime was so unnecessary and evil. The 20 year old, James Alex Fields, Jr. from Ohio, appears to be a terrorist, in my opinion. The jury is out. Perhaps I am wrong. Early information is inconclusive.
I mourn the police officers who were killed in a helicopter crash outside of town. What a horribly depressing day. Can we Virginians recover?
Finally, was Corey there? How will he address those who came to town to harm and maim those with whom they disagree? Will Corey condemn these acts of violence or will he still want to defend his adopted state’s southern heritage? My authentic southern heritage does not include violence.
I thought of you when I heard this; know that you have
close ties to C-ville and UVA. It’s unbelievable that this could happen.
I won’t discuss Trump’s speech more than to say that he just
couldn’t help himself to speak w/o mentioning all the great things he has
done since January to “MAGA”.
I’m in mourning.
Sad, horrible 24 hours for beloved C’ville, in three ways.
1. Disgusting images on the tiki-torch / goosestep parade on Grounds. Their right to peaceably assemble, yes. My right to find it abhorrent, yes.
2. Outright murder (call it what it is) and possible terrorism (only qualifying because driver has been identified but so far no outlet is reporting on motive definitively, was it political, just nuts, etc). Cleveland paper near driver’s home town says the driver’s mother said “he was going to the rally” but the language (“woman claiming to be his mother”) suggests they’re not sure yet. Link: http://bit.ly/2fAXT7q Reddit also parsing. Recently registered Republican, Army wash-out. Link: http://bit.ly/2w1UMvr
3. “Many sides.” Some days, not today. Today, so far, McAulliffe, BHO, HRC, Biden (AYKM?) have had the right words. DJT, sorry, epic fail here. If BHO failed to name Islamic terrorism at points in his presidency, DJT has failed to name neo-nazism as a domestic evil.
Wa-Hoo-Wa.
North, I have to agree with you 100%. I am just mentally devastated after being glued to my TV for 24 hours…on so many levels.
DJT simply failed. He failed to call out alt.right. Even David Duke called out Trump. Trump then bragged about what he has done. He also continued with his vet bill. He should have rescheduled it until tomorrow and stuck to the horrible events going on in Charlottesville.
I am still absorbing todays events. I think I am going to stick my neck out and say that the entire event was domestic terrorism. Those people came to town ready to inflict violence on anyone who disagreed with them. They came to hurt people and to scare them. Today wasnt about statues or first amendment rights. You don’t have the right to beat the crap out of people who disagree with you. You don’t have the right to kill and maim people. That isn’t freedom of speech.
Thanks for your contribution, North. Wa-hoo-Wa.
MoonHowler,
Twitter is doing an amazing job on IDing the white nationalists and also piecing together the driver’s bio and timeline. Have to say, it looks increasingly like premeditation with political motivation, and if larger numbers were involved, that’s conspiracy. Many crossed state lines, that’s a federal crime.
This is poison. My (eventual) wife and I celebrated our engagement at the C&O a block or so from where the driver mowed down the crowd. I’ve walked those alleys and streets numerous times, most enjoyably working for a summer within walking distance of the downtown mall and seeing the place more from the town side. My oldest was there not a month ago for a STEM event. So sad and horrible and unclear (in short term) was it to be done.
I am so familiar with that C & O station! I won’t admit to how many years my memories go back!
I grew up off Rugby on Rosser Avenue. The rest of the family was on Burnley, until it was sold and my aunt moved to Tunlaw which is the hook up between Burnley and Rosser. I lived other places in the county when I was a teenager.
I can remember when the mall wasn’t the mall and you could drive down main street. I saw part of the mayhem and fighting in front of the funeral home that “handled” my parents. I can’t think of the word now. But that’s when it got real personal with me yesterday. Those people came to town armed with knives, brass knuckles, chemical sprays, sharpened poles, sharpened flag staffs, guns, and protective gear. They came for a fight and started one.
I have never seen anything like that. Ever. Renouncing the violence isn’t enough. The president must denounce and repudiate all fascist, new nazi, and white supremacy groups. Those groups are not what America is about.
I am sad today. I will have lunch with an old friend from Cville up here today. I am hoping seeing Diane will cheer me up.
NorthofNokesville,
Update: not looking good on #2.
Link: http://bit.ly/2vxFhcn
Odds of real terrorism, going up. Way up.
NorthofNokesville,
And yet in odd twist, a Bernie supporter?
Link: http://bit.ly/2vQoXWP
NorthofNokesville,
You’re kidding me! Bernie?
NorthofNokesville,
Just to close this out … no doubt now.
NYT: http://nyti.ms/2wUXa4r
Corey is disgusting.
https://www.facebook.com/CoreyStewartVA/
Listen at 5:15
Corey is deluded.
MoonHowler,
Not deluded. This is wrapping yourself in a clearly-scoped legitimate concern (protecting free speech, painful as it is) while obviously ignoring (a) the utter repugnance of the message and (b) failing to address murder, likely politically motivated murder, ie, terrorism, associated with the bearers of that message. That’s purposeful. As a Roman Catholic, Stewart should also recognize a sin of omission.
The best part is lambasting the media for ignoring violence from the left (not a meritless claim) while simultaneously ignoring violence from the right. It takes practice to get to that level of cold-hearted hypocrisy.
And here’s the question I’m left wrestling with. Isn’t denouncing the murderer of a citizen of the Commonwealth more important than catering to largely imported white nationalist/KKK/neo-Nazi stooges?
It’s not delusion. It’s manifest lack of fitness for office.
Very well said, North.
I sure can’t add anything to your comment.
Governor Mcauliffe spoke for me when he told these scum to go home. We don’t want you here. You are trash.
All this over a damn statue
No argument here.
These lines are from a poem by William Butler Yeats that I read for class my first semester at the University fifty years ago:
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”
It is saddening that people are dead and injured as a consequence of rabble rousing.
I am even more disgusted now than yesterday. Kessler had to be rescued by the police from counter protesters. What on earth is wrong with people. I hate seeing anyone acting like that. It is hard to criticize the neo-nazis when (damn the names are confusing me) the counter protesters are acting almost as violent.
Kessler is just an ass. However, those counter-protesters were way out of line.
MoonHowler,
Amen, Moon. The counter-protestors easily had the moral high ground (I mean, Nazis…), and some squandered it or at least ceded a part of it. Let me be clear, there’s no equivalency between ruckus and murder.
The best counter protestors …. the young and largely silent students at the Friday evening tiki torch desecration of the Rotunda courtyard. They linked arm around the statue of Jefferson, and reportedly got roughed up but did not retaliate. That’s how you counter-protest.
Link: http://bit.ly/2vsnlBD
NorthofNokesville,
Some really did squander the moral high ground.
I am not even sure who everyone is/was at this point.
I know I saw things on TV I did not think possible.
The opening lines of the poem I quoted earlier set the stage:
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; ”
The more things change, the more they stay the same, as the saying goes.
Horrible – unforgivable event.
But where have our “leaders” been the past 10 years. This has all been brewing for some time – and Encouraged by many in the Republican leadership. When Obama was being tarnished via birtherism – our leaders did not stand tall. When Obama was being tarnished for being a Muslim – they did not stand. When Trump has all but refused to call out these sicko’s – (many times before today) – where are the leaders in the Republican party? If they do not stand up and Denounce these groups – they are just pushing wash water around the issue, and supporting their cause.
Shame on Trump for having the likes of Bannon and Gorka in the white house – they are both Evil.
If Bannon advocates what I saw going on in cville then he needs to be jailed.
Some of those anti-protesters are not blameless in all this. I kept wondering why I saw uniformed people fighting each other. It was difficult to sort out who was who.
Some of the counter protesters came to town with malice and violence in their hearts also. Unfortunately, the innocents are the ones who were injured or died.
In my snooping around the internet, there are some pretty contemptible anarchists involved also. People who come to any city to do violence are scum-bags. They don’t have to all be Nazi scumbags.
MoonHowler,
At the risk of being excoriated, the events this weekend were a self-fulfiling prophecy. Could most of the violoence and deaths have been avoided, absolutely, it only took the exercise of a little bit of executive leadership. Sadly, that was missing at both the local and apparently the state level. Locally, the mayor and city council allowed the rhetoric to spiral out of control, whipping it to a frenzy with some of their own actions.
If you watch the tapes you will see fist fights and people swinging bats and shield at one another literally while leaning against the fender of an occupied police cruiser. Both sides were itching for a physical confrontation and came prepared, who the hell brings their own tear gas to march as both sides did.
I’m no fan of police states but that the law enforcement presence stood down and allowed this to escalate is inexcusable. Mind you, I don’t lay the blame on the officers as I suspect they had their orders, nevertheless, when the see people swinging clubs at one another, orders be damned they need to stop it. Rather, I lay the blame on the Mayor and to a lesser degree the Governor. I suspect they were behind the inaction by law enforcement and what you got at the end of the day was strictly a result of allowing unfettered escalation of the fighting in the streets. Just what the hell did they think would happen, a pillow fight followed by all getting in a circle and singing Kumbaya. Morons, on both sides, morons all and morons in leaqdership positions.
Mom,
No excoriation and I agree with some of what you said. However, I am going to defend the cops. They tried to have the rally moved to McIntire Park. Some numb-nuts judge ruled against them. They found out on Friday, late, that the rally would take place at Lee Park. They had already said that the area was too small to keep the warring factions apart.
I also understand that the heavy armament brought by the protestors (probably both sides) out weighed that of the state police. Now I see that as a problem.
I have managed to piss almost everyone off on this topic, btw. Everyone hates a moderate.
The City Council certainly does have some culpability for stirring up the entire statue business to a high fevered pitch. One of them, a lady council member, has been stirring about statues for over 10 years. She tried to do away with the Sacagewea statue over 11 years ago.
MoonHowler,
Kind of reminds me of the pretencious pricks that moved into the city and started the Venable Neighborhood Association to go after the fraternity houses (some of which had been there for a century) near the houses they had foolishly moved into expecting peace and quiet.
Have the Nighhawks or Skip Castro play a little too loud or too long and you knew it was only a matter of time until Charlottesville finest showed up with a noise meter.
It was fun however to procure our Christmas trees for our annual Christmas Party from their front yards and bamboo for our beach parties from their backyards.
Mom,
I can’t believe they were stupid enough to plant bamboo. That was a big thing in cville for years though. I think we had some in our yard over on Rosser.
I went to Venable. hi-5
More oddball connections: Kessler, neo-Nazi…. used to be an Occupy / pro-Obama activist? As recently as November 2016?
From the Southern Poverty Law Center: http://bit.ly/2fCkS1X
This is exceedingly odd. Does this guy have an ideology, or just clients?
And more… Rod Dreher a conservative (of sorts, he’s eclectic) really hits home, nailing Right and Left.
Link: http://bit.ly/2wJgBO5
Lot of theological meandering up front, worth sticking with it.
That was an excellent article.
I am going to defend some identity politics. I think it depends on how you acquire the identity politics. For instance, if you are a wheat farmer and need to fight some pest…either natural or otherwise, then you politics grows up around your need.
If you are some smug college kid who needs a place to hang your hat, then identity politics is just tiresome.
MoonHowler,
Can’t be much of an identity in those identity politics as most of those smug college kids hide behind a mask. Regardless the “cause”, if they don’t have the stones to put their faces to it but expect to be given a pass on acts of violence or destruction they commit, they might just deserve a bit more “justice” than the others. Frankly I view most of those wearing the masks as bored cowards looking for some “fun”. At least those on both sides of the fracas that put their faces behind their actions deserve some modicum of credit for that, regardless how moronic their behavior or beliefs are.
Only reason to cover your face is if you get maced.
Did the Charlottesville and State Police respond correctly?
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/could-the-police-have-prevented-bloodshed-in-charlottesville/536775/
It is too bad that the side in favor of preserving Civil War markers was hijacked by racists and nazi wannabes. There is a valid debate to be had about the removal of these memorials in Virginia, which of course was the epicenter of the Civil War.
My grandfather’s grandfather was drafted into the Confederate Army. Not surprisingly, my oldest living relatives view the removal of these monuments as a huge sign of disrespect.
The violence in Charlottesville will almost certainly be used as rationale to accelerate the removal of Civil War statues and monuments.
I know you are right, Kelly and it makes me sad. I consider the removal of art work like the statues to be Taliban mentality. However, the hi-jackers accelerated this problem. There should be more debate.
My grandfather’s grandfather was also drafted into the Civil War. He was “stationed” down near Yorktown. He was 36 years old when drafted. Fortunately, he only had to serve a year. Virginia was the epicenter of that war. The war destroyed its property and its people of all genders and races. Virginia didn’t originally secede. It only did so after it was ordered to draft up soldiers to go help the rebellion in the states who had seceded.
I guess I don’t need statues for me to commemorate what my ancestors sacrificed. They were caught up in things way beyond their control, pretty much the same as the next guy. I will honor the sacrifices they had to make. No, it isn’t lost cause mentality. It’s respect for people who did what they had to do to survive. If they hadn’t, I sure wouldn’t be here having this discussion.
Virginia paid war reparations until well into the 1920’s.
I hope there is an in-depth investigation to find out exactly what happened in Charlottesville. Exactly what were the circumstances that led Fields to drive into the crowd. Was he suddenly enraged? Did he plan it all along? Did someone put him up to it? Each of these answers has very different implications regarding criminal intent and malice.
nod. Yes, we do need to know.
I am just depressed over all of it. I also think that the statue of Lee is just an excuse for people to act out. It isn ‘t really about the statue.
One thing I noticed about the counter-protesters. In footage from 50 years ago you’d see a group of black people walking down the street and maybe one white preacher walking next to MLK. In the footage over the weekend you see a lot of non-black faces among the counter-protesters. Just an observation.
This particular (Lee) Statue was commissioned in 1917 and erected in 1929 – 59 years after the Civil War ended.
I have an issue with people that think we should forget our past – we should not. Even bad history needs to be remembered to ensure we do not repeat it.
The Lee statue in Charlottesville was erected in 1924. I don’t know when it was commissioned.
McIntire commissioned 4 large statues: Lee, Jackson, Lewis & Clark & Sacagawea, and George Rogers Clark.
I agree with you about historical preservation. We can’t erase our mistakes.
The driver of the car (I refuse to spell his name) – could not even make it through Army basic training – and he is one to judge the direction of the country. There are many many minorities that make it through basic training.
Me thinks – he is just a loser that was lucky to be born white, and he wants to blame minorities for his own failures.
And he abused his mother who is wheel-chair bound.
http://www.breitbart.com/radio/2017/08/15/corey-stewart-violent-left-antifa-emboldened-charlottesville/
Stewart blames leftists
There is an article in Bristol Beat showing Corey’s true colors. I was even more disgusted.
http://bristowbeat.com/news/chairman-stewart-blames-left-charlottesville-violence/
Corey lacks the moral compass to hold office.
The odd thing is that both these groups (to save keystrokes I’ll call them alt-left – Antifa and alt-right – KKK, Neo Nazi, etc.) share some common ground as sick and as twisted that may sound…
* Both embrace physical violence in the name of their cause
* Both REALLY hate Jews
* Both REALLY REALLY hate Israel and the thought of it’s existence
* Both seem to glorify evil characters throughout history that murdered in the name of their cause.
Differences… the only major ones that I can think of off the top of my head:
* The President (Republican) didn’t outright condemn the ‘alt-right’ group(s) by name just after for their actions which I find unacceptable. Republicans in both the house and senate have called them out by name and shamed them.
* Many elected officials (Democrats) not only don’t condemn the ‘alt-left’ but some even go as far as to endorse them. I have yet to hear a single elected Democrat call Antifa out for their violence and views. The only mention that I’ve heard about them from elected Democrats is they are just like WWII veterans storming Normandy (without a permit) or that they support their goals.
I suppose technically you can classify that as a similarity rather than a difference but that is just my two cents.
I hadn’t heard of antifa until a month ago. I have since studied what I can about them. I don’t think this recent organization has the long background of being a hate group like kkk, nazi, etc. Yes they are violent. I know what I saw. I hope they are arrested just as easily as the next guy if they are violent.
I don’t know that antifa hates Jews. I am not sure who they glorify. Maybe this is a stay tuned….
We do know the history of the KKK and the various Nazi groups. Need I say more…
MoonHowler,
They have been around longer than you may think Moon. They are the ones that always dress in all black, cover their faces and attack conservatives on college campuses. Their more recent claim to fame is the shutting down of various ‘conservative’ speaker on multiple college campuses by rioting and beating people that do not agree with them including women and minorities.
They have recently started organizing or combining with anti-Semitic BDS groups which have been around for several years now.
I am not defending antifa. I said they have no moral equivalence with Nazis of KKK. Being a thug doesn’t make you a group that commits genocide.
from NBC News:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-stark-contrast-inside-and-outside-a-charlottesville-church-during-the-torch-march/2017/08/19/a2311a7a-847a-11e7-902a-2a9f2d808496_story.html?hpid=hp_local-news_cvillechurch-1005am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.d741ec770818
Chilling description of people in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church as the neo-Nazis approached.