Thursday, September 28th 2017, from 6:30-8:30pm, at the Main Branch of the Richmond Public Library (101 East Franklin Street, Richmond VA), the Bijou Film Center and Richmond Peace Education Center are holding a presentation and panel discussion on the events of August 12th in Charlottesville. The event will begin with an exploration of the media perception of the Unite the Right rally and the counterprotests, followed by a panel discussion featuring those who were there. The discussion will cover approaches to opposing racism and fascism.
Free. For more information and to RSVP, see the link.
Showing posts with label Charlottesville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charlottesville. Show all posts
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Friday, September 15, 2017
Court Support for Brandon and Jeff, Disrupters of Jason Kessler's Press Conference
The day after the August 12th Unite the Right rally, a white supremacist assault on Charlottesville which culminated in the murder of activist Heather Heyer, its architect Jason Kessler held a press conference. Jeff and Brandon ran him off. Next Friday they're going to court; let's show up to support them.
Here are the details: Friday, September 22nd 2017, from 10-11am, at the Charlottesville General District Court (606 East Market Street, Charlottesville VA). Remember that cell phones are not generally permitted inside court buildings; lock it in your glovebox or leave it at home.
Here are the details: Friday, September 22nd 2017, from 10-11am, at the Charlottesville General District Court (606 East Market Street, Charlottesville VA). Remember that cell phones are not generally permitted inside court buildings; lock it in your glovebox or leave it at home.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Newsweek story: "Charlottesville Police Refused to Protect Synagogue from Nazis"
Newsweek's Jack Moore reports. To read the article, see this link.
As more people come forward with their accounts of the situation in Charlottesville this past weekend, something is becoming more and more clear: the police were on hand to protect the white supremacist rally, and nobody else. The Charlottesville PD couldn't even be bothered to have an officer on hand observing the armed neo-Nazis marching in front of Congregation Beth Israel, even though there had been public calls for an arson attack posted on Nazi websites prior to the rally.
We are living under a right-wing government, and can't expect its protection. It's up to us to defend ourselves and one another.
As more people come forward with their accounts of the situation in Charlottesville this past weekend, something is becoming more and more clear: the police were on hand to protect the white supremacist rally, and nobody else. The Charlottesville PD couldn't even be bothered to have an officer on hand observing the armed neo-Nazis marching in front of Congregation Beth Israel, even though there had been public calls for an arson attack posted on Nazi websites prior to the rally.
We are living under a right-wing government, and can't expect its protection. It's up to us to defend ourselves and one another.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Memorial Service for Heather Heyer
Tomorrow, Wednesday August 16th 2017, at 11am at the Paramount Theatre (215 East Main Street, Charlottesville VA) there will be a public memorial service for Heather Heyer, the anti-racist demonstrator murdered in Charlottesville this past Saturday. Guests are asked to wear purple.
After the Unite the Right rally had been declared illegal and ordered to dispersed, a contingent of the white supremacists went to Friendship Court, a nearby majority-Black housing development, to intimidate and harass residents. Heyer was part of a large group of demonstrators who went to block the white nationalists; when they arrived, residents said that they had the situation under control but asked that the anti-racists stay in the area. The counterdemonstrators, now joined by some locals, moved several blocks away as requested, and were joined by another group of anti-racists on Water Street. At the intersection of Water and 4th Streets, the neo-Nazi James Fields drove his car into the crowd, killing Heyer and injuring 19 others, some severely.
Heather Heyer, we will remember your bravery and commitment to justice forever. Rest in power.
Thanks Shut It Down RVA for the corrections.
After the Unite the Right rally had been declared illegal and ordered to dispersed, a contingent of the white supremacists went to Friendship Court, a nearby majority-Black housing development, to intimidate and harass residents. Heyer was part of a large group of demonstrators who went to block the white nationalists; when they arrived, residents said that they had the situation under control but asked that the anti-racists stay in the area. The counterdemonstrators, now joined by some locals, moved several blocks away as requested, and were joined by another group of anti-racists on Water Street. At the intersection of Water and 4th Streets, the neo-Nazi James Fields drove his car into the crowd, killing Heyer and injuring 19 others, some severely.
Heather Heyer, we will remember your bravery and commitment to justice forever. Rest in power.
Thanks Shut It Down RVA for the corrections.
Monday, July 10, 2017
Brief recap: July 8th 2017 Anti-KKK Counterprotest, Charlottesville VA
To see photos of the demonstration, check out the Virginia Defender's album here.
This past Saturday, I attended a counterdemonstration opposing a Klan rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. A segment of the Ku Klux Klan from Pelham, North Carolina held a rally in Charlottesville's Justice Park, in front of the Robert E. Lee statue, to protest the city's decision to sell its monuments honoring Confederate leaders. To my understanding, the group Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Charlottesville called this specific counter-demo, but there were a ton of groups with a presence, and various events earlier in the day. Lots of Richmonders were there in solidarity.
There were about 2,500 counterdemonstrators, around 100 police officers from the city, county, and state, and approximately 30 to 40 Klan members. There were also a handful of Klan supporters in the crowd, but they were a tiny minority who mostly stayed clustered near the police.
Police erected barriers to allow the Klan to move in and out of the park; a couple of activists tried to prevent their entry, and were arrested. The Klansmen ultimately entered at about 3:45, guarded by police in riot gear, and stood around shouting racial slurs and doing Nazi salutes for a while— I'm certain they spoke, also, but they were drowned out by boos and chants. When they were eventually ushered out, still under heavy guard, another group of counterdemonstrators tried to block their egress and were arrested. The police then issued an order to disperse, declared the gathering unlawful, and used three tear gas canisters. Mayor Mike Signer is now saying that police were provoked when protesters attacked them with pepper spray, but there's no evidence, video or otherwise, that this actually happened. Black Lives Matter Charlottesville has a write-up confronting this claim here.
Throughout the course of the event, 23 anti-Klan activists were arrested. You can contribute to their legal fund here.
Prior to the demonstration, anti-racist activists in the area faced police surveillance and unannounced visits to homes and workplaces from detectives wanting information on their activities and affiliations. Al-Jazeera recently published an article on the disparate reaction of Charlottesville police to left groups vs. far right groups like the Klan.
Groups like the Klan hold events like these for two reasons: to intimidate, and to recruit. When you show up to oppose them in numbers like Charlottesville did this weekend, you prevent recruiting and show them for cowards. For all their posturing, they were only able to show up and scream racial slurs from behind a line of riot cops.
That said, let's get ready for Round 2: a local white supremacist has called a larger "Unite the Right" rally on August 12th, at Charlottesville's Emancipation Park. More details on that in another post.
This past Saturday, I attended a counterdemonstration opposing a Klan rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. A segment of the Ku Klux Klan from Pelham, North Carolina held a rally in Charlottesville's Justice Park, in front of the Robert E. Lee statue, to protest the city's decision to sell its monuments honoring Confederate leaders. To my understanding, the group Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Charlottesville called this specific counter-demo, but there were a ton of groups with a presence, and various events earlier in the day. Lots of Richmonders were there in solidarity.
There were about 2,500 counterdemonstrators, around 100 police officers from the city, county, and state, and approximately 30 to 40 Klan members. There were also a handful of Klan supporters in the crowd, but they were a tiny minority who mostly stayed clustered near the police.
Police erected barriers to allow the Klan to move in and out of the park; a couple of activists tried to prevent their entry, and were arrested. The Klansmen ultimately entered at about 3:45, guarded by police in riot gear, and stood around shouting racial slurs and doing Nazi salutes for a while— I'm certain they spoke, also, but they were drowned out by boos and chants. When they were eventually ushered out, still under heavy guard, another group of counterdemonstrators tried to block their egress and were arrested. The police then issued an order to disperse, declared the gathering unlawful, and used three tear gas canisters. Mayor Mike Signer is now saying that police were provoked when protesters attacked them with pepper spray, but there's no evidence, video or otherwise, that this actually happened. Black Lives Matter Charlottesville has a write-up confronting this claim here.
Throughout the course of the event, 23 anti-Klan activists were arrested. You can contribute to their legal fund here.
Prior to the demonstration, anti-racist activists in the area faced police surveillance and unannounced visits to homes and workplaces from detectives wanting information on their activities and affiliations. Al-Jazeera recently published an article on the disparate reaction of Charlottesville police to left groups vs. far right groups like the Klan.
Groups like the Klan hold events like these for two reasons: to intimidate, and to recruit. When you show up to oppose them in numbers like Charlottesville did this weekend, you prevent recruiting and show them for cowards. For all their posturing, they were only able to show up and scream racial slurs from behind a line of riot cops.
That said, let's get ready for Round 2: a local white supremacist has called a larger "Unite the Right" rally on August 12th, at Charlottesville's Emancipation Park. More details on that in another post.
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