Racist terrorism took over Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend. White supremacists, KKK members and Neo-Nazis wreaked havoc on the city and we’ve rounded up the details. More inside…
Racism. 2017. Yes, it’s real. And it’s getting totally out of hand.
On Saturday, white supremacists, KKK members, and Neo-Nazis banned together for their “Unite The Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. And it was INSANE.
Deandre Harris and five of his friends stepped out to counter protest the white nationalist rally when he was attacked by a group of white men. The white supremacists and, Neo-Nazis and KKK members beat him with poles and the picture captured of the assault has gone viral.
Here’s a clip of how the assault began below:
Fight broke out. Nazis beat black kid w/sticks at end. I kick one in back 2 help & he runs after me. Kid is safe but bloody #Charlottesvillepic.twitter.com/kr11a8zQ0K
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) August 12, 2017
By the way, the men dressed in black militia gear are NOT official law enforcement, simply people dressed up as such to participate in and enforce the "rally."
“Me and about five of my friends were out protesting,” the 20-year-old told The Root. “We thought [the racists] left, but at one point they came back. Everyone was exchanging words with the group, but then the KKK and white supremacists just rushed us.”
According to reports, this was Deandre’s first time attending a protest. He moved to Charlottesville from Suffolk, VA about two years ago for a job as an Instructional Assistant for a special education program at a local high school.
He was rushed to the hospital where he was treated for “a concussion, an ulnar fracture, a laceration on his right eyebrow, a chipped tooth and bruises to his knees and elbows.”
While he suffered several injuries, Deandre doesn’t regret going out to the protest.
“It was a good experience to go out there and see the real hatred and racism that exist out here,” he said. “People say they know racism, but you don’t know racism until you look a KKK member’s hatred in the eye.”
He plans to seek legal action against the city of Charlottesville. And he said if the alt-right groups decide to come back, he’ll be right back out there.
“If they [white nationalists] come back I will be there. The police and KKK are together. The police weren’t doing nothing out there today. This is where I call home. And seeing what I saw today, is not somewhere I want to call home.”
A GoFundMe campaign was launched for Deandre’s medical bills. Thanks to supporters, he has already raised over $106,500 exceeding the target $50,000. You can donate here.
Peep a clip of Deandre describing his experience below:
More tragedy struck during the alt-right rally on Saturday.
James Alex Fields Jr., a 20-year-old white man from Ohio, rammed his car (a Dodge Challenger) into a group of people who where protesting the white nationalist rally. He KILLED 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer, a Charlottesville native who was out there protesting the rally, and injured 19 others.
If you can stand it, check out the clip above showing the man ramming his car through the group.
WARNING, graphic material.
Albermale county jail just sent me the mugshot of today's suspect in today's Charlottesville tragedy. James Alex Fields Jr, 20. pic.twitter.com/ucALl7oSyi
— Sebastian Murdock (@SebastianMurdoc) August 13, 2017
Today, James, dressed in black and white prison suit, went before a judge via video conference from the local jail where he was denied bond.
He’s being held on suspicion of second-degree murder, malicious wounding and failure to stop in an accident that resulted in death. He did not enter a plea. The alleged killer said he could not afford an attorney and the judge had to hold off appointing him counsel because someone in the public defender’s office is related to an individual injured. The judge eventually appointed Charles Weber as his court ordered attorney.
With the way our judicial system is set up, we wouldn't be surprised if he got off.
One of Heather's friends/crash survivor, Marissa Blair, opened up about how her fiancé saved her life by pushing her out of the way of the car seconds before it ran into a group of people. He was hit by the car, resulting in a broken leg. She said Heather “died fighting for what she believed in.” Peep the clip above.
By the way, two Viriginia State police officers, were killed in a helicopter crash while monitoring the Charlottesville protests.
After receiving tons of backlash on social media and in the news, Donald Trump served up another response to the tragedy in Charlottesville. When he initially addressed the situation, he made sure he did NOT use the correct terms to describe the people wreaking havoc on the city, i.e. white supremacists, KKK and Neo-Nazis.
Today, he stood before the nation and called the hate groups (white supremacists, KKK & Neo-Nazis) “repugnant” and that “racism is evil.”
"Racism is evil -- and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans," Trump said in his 2nd response. "Those who spread violence in the name of bigotry strike at the very core of America.”
Peep his full response above.
Charlottesville, Virginia, Police Chief Al Thomas also released a statement addressing the tragedy revealing the city "regrets" losing three innocent lives over the weekend. Hear his full response above.
There's word that more of these white nationalists rallies will be popping up across the nation in September.
Scary to think this is where we are in 2017.
Photos: Zach D. Roberts
