"Ive looked at life from both sides now..."
Posted on 08/13/2017 10:08:46 AM PDT by Altura Ct.
I am not a writer but will do the best I can. I arrived about 10:30ish. Was actually surprised that I was able to find a parking space relatively close to Lee Park. In fact I thought that perhaps the turnout wouldn't be as big as I was anticipating because I didn't see much at first and I was only 5 blocks from ground zero but I was wrong. By the time I had walked one block toward the park the police presence was strong. Many in riot type gear. They had most streets and walkways blocked off funneling everyone into two or three entrances to ground zero. As I got closer to the park you could feel the tension. The Antifa presence was strong as was BLM. Didn't see many 'alt-righters' till I got to the park. (One note here - I think some people were there just to watch. It also wasn't always clear who was who.)
E Market St was the only way the police were allowing entrance to the park. The park is not huge. I'm guessing, but maybe 1.5 acres or so. It also is on a mound/hill so you have take steps up from Market St to get to it. There are two sets of steps up to the park from Market St. I was coming from the south. The northern entrance was for those protesting the removal of the statue and had been cordoned off as best they could. The southern entrance was for everyone else although most people in the park were statue removal protesters (alt-right). As I got to the park the crowds were already pretty thick. The northern entrance had some priest/religious figure locking arms with antifa and blocking the entrance. The rhetoric and name calling was heavy from both sides. By the time I got to the park it was maybe 10:45 with the event slated to start @ noon. It looked to me there were about 300-400 alt-righters up top at the park and maybe 1000 -1500 others on the street being a mixture of the left and right but mostly left. By noon I would say the total number of people on all sides had swelled to 4-5,000. I position myself at the southern entrance on top of a retaining wall alongside 3 or 4 reporters/photographers. There were plenty of BLM signs, African Flags & various left supporting banners/flags. Of course many signs spouting about hatred and Nazi's too. The right had many Confederate Flags, various state flags & US flags, A Few Don't Tread On Me and a couple I didn't recognize. I've seen some pictures that show a few Nazi Flags/armbands but I didn't see them. Not saying there weren't there but again I didn't see them.
About 11:10 or so a group of about 50-75 statue supporters were making their way down Market street toward the park from the South. As they approached the southern entrance to the park is when the first violence started. Bottles of water, balloons of paint and bags of urine were thrown at them from the crowd. When that happen the shoving started, fist were flying and people hitting each other with sticks. Of course the right stood up for themselves. Now I'm not saying some on the right wouldn't be violent anyway BUT I can say for a fact they didn't start it. Also the police did nothing to quell the violence. Once it started it went on for at least 30-40 minutes or more with crap flying every which way. Also within this 30 + minutes a second group of about the same size also made there way down the street and this just exacerbated the chaos.
In looking at the pictures I took I see there aren't really any during this timeframe. I also wish I had taken more overall but all I know is if you weren't looking up and paying attention you were liable to be hit. Crap was being thrown in all directions but in a general direction without care to where it landed. I myself stopped 6 bottles coming in my direction, one from hitting the photographer next to me in the head.
As we approached noon the violence and shouting was prevalent. At this point the police started making the announcement on a bullhorn that the alt-right was having what had been declared an illegal gathering and that they must disperse or be arrested. They did nothing to contain nor restrain the left only the right. The right, who had legally obtain a permit to be there. They complied which I not sure if I was in charge I would have done, but that is another story. After this, while things continued to be chaotic people became more spread out and violence started to dissipate. As a side note I didn't see the vehicle thing.
I've never been in the middle of something like this. I found it fascinating & unnerving at the same time. In a split second things can escalate.
You can say what you want about those that were present on the right. They were there to speak to the removal of that statue and history. The MSM and politicians are railing on about the hatred and violence from the 'white supremacist' yesterday? But the left was full of vitriol & had no problem with violence even though you'd never know it from the press. I am not saying those on the right were all boy scouts but they had a right to be there and to have their right protected to assemble. Had the left not been there I am relatively certain no violence would have happened.
Thanks.
I find it odd that I haven’t heard anything about the deceased.
Because it was an accident. If it was brought down by fire from the white supremacists, you bet it would be headline news.
Does the belief that the statue should stay automatically make a person “alt-right” or “white nationalist”?
>>137194308
Ok Here’s the Soros SOP for a color revolution. (Basic steps, it’s more subtle, but here’s what you’ll recognise.
1/ Use media to highlight existing fissures and competing viewpoints within a society.
2/ paid agitators infiltrate both groups.
3/ create or co-opt a protest.
4/ agitators from both sides use violence to provoke the moderate supporters within either camp.
5/ An atrocity. Mostly snipers firing into crowd, targeting vulnerable like women and children on one side, law enforcement / government on the other.
6/ both sides blame the other for the deaths, damage and violence
7/ media complicity in creating narrative. Violence blamed on one side - usually government,
8/ Event used to justify further violence. Calls for President and government to resign.
9/ rinse and repeat with increasing protests and violence.
If you’d like to see how this actually plays out - what a color revolution looks like. YT “Crimea! the long way home”. The crowd tactics used by the UKie Soros agitators is clearly identified and explained.
The Soros color revolution template has been used in 30+ Countries.
Americans are oblivious as their media has never told the real story behind the protests that lit the fuse in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia (Arab spring!) Syria, Ukraine.
You could simply tell from the shrieking media yesterday, all immediately crying “neo-nazis!” in unison that there is little truth being told about the events yesterday.
The Left tried to set up this play at the KKK rally a month ago but the dumbass AFascists attacked the police, an optic that canceled the narrative. So they had to reset.
3 people getting killed was like a cherry on top for the Left.
Thanks for the info. Document whatever you can.
Given the civil rights violation investigation, I’m curious to see if that’s abused to only look at alt right or if it will include antifa, blm, city council and McAulliffe.
Even if it abused, it’ll be out there for all to see, just like the different treatment for Trump and Hilary.
Bingo.
The MSm wants to label anyone not part of the American isis efforts to erase our history as a white nationalist.
Sadly many republicans are joining this effort to wipe out history.
Yesterday was an orchestrated event taking place on George Soros’ birthday. The leftists and globalist are attempting to fight back Trump’s popular support by making it look like it is far right.
Most of the pictures that show the location of the incident seem to show that to be the case. The media keeps saying he "plowed into" the protestors. In my mind, that's creating a false narrative, unless his car left the street.
I don’t think it does. Of course I refuse to let the MSM oe left define anything.
Heather Heyer, age 32. Paralegal. Must not have been worried about losing her job by participating in such an event...wonder why? And, now some attorney in the area needs a paralegal. Probably a lot of attorney's staffs in these protests along with government workers, if the truth were known.
Just as I suspected, the leftists were there to cause trouble and they got it in spades. The police were foolish not to be more proactive in separating the leftists from the permit holders. I'm certain that had the Antifa BLM not been there, it would have been a non-story, maybe showing up on page six, right next to "Peruvian Bus Plunge Kills 25".
There should be a lawsuit on the part of the permit holders. The police were negligent, and if there were any "civil rights" violations it is obvious that the alt-right were the victims.
Berkeley, DC, Charlottesville — violence and destruction is the Antifa/BLM method of operation. Don't the police have any intelligence briefings on who these people are? Over 200 Antifa got arrested and are on trial for riot, vandalism, and destruction of property in DC during the inauguration. They have caused havoc in Berkeley, shutting down the civil rights of anyone they don't agree with.
Nota bene: The Antifa are avowed anarchists hellbent on chaos and destruction. They are not kumbaya peaceniks. It looks like Charlottesville's Andy and Barney Fife fell down on this one. They were too busy putting on their Rambo costumes.
Which makes them extremely dangerous.
I did too. I said half will not because they like Antifa. Maybe I was too subtle.
The article I saw claimed she was from Greene County. There ain’t much in Greene County so I wonder if she lived elsewhere.
Half the public institutions in W. Va are named after former Klansman Robert Byrd. Shouldn't we rename all of those?
Nevermind, I know the answer.
Great reporting, Altura! The Slimes could use you, but of course they won’t.
Thanks for the eyewitness report.
The left was definitely in the street. I can’t speak to the car incident. I neither saw it or knew about it till later.
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