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.
I do not see relevance in that case to current situation in Charlottesville.
Would you prefer to have Terry McCullough, the governor of Virginia, who is a lifelong democrat hack liberal to be in charge of investigation? If yes, good luck.
Great report - I was going to head down there to shop yesterday - knew nothing about the planned protests. Glad I got detoured ...
The media knew what it wanted to see and show and some how it also knew right where to find it. So that it could be used to taint the whole thing.
This article needs to be spread all over the net.
Won’t work. Look at the video I posted.
Even people on this sight have bought into the meme and are using those terms.
Now frankly I don't know what to call them either other than those protesting revisionist history.
After the peaceful protest Friday night I think most of us could have predicted that every Left Thug and Protester that could get to Charlotteville would get there. Wonder how many were paid. They went to intentionally start violence and of course the MSM and many in authority would make it to look like it look like it was a Neo-Nazi, White Supremacists rally when I don't think it was.
Well the MSM got what it wanted.
They did. The local authorities expected about 2:1 advantage by numbers, and also sought to relocate the protest to a larger venue, to facilitate "keepinmg the peace." A federal judge blocked changing the venue.
No, they are not all on the left. Progs, liberals, socialist, etc., have earned my distrust and disgust for them. I will NEVER AGAIN debate, discuss, talk to or give polite greetings to such vermin. On an Easter morning or Christmas night, I will but put my foot in their asses for merely speaking to me. May God Have Mercy On Me . . . . .
Snoot
Thank you!
My little burg would not give in easily if anyone tried to take down our one Confederate statue!
People who think it's good that the alt-right was shut down and had their free speech rights taken away should think about how they'll feel if somebody doesn't like THEIR speech someday, and shuts THEM down.
Smelling more and more like a set-up.
Thanks for the eye-witness reporting.
You owe it to the forum to name names.
The so called antifa group is the shock troop arm of the DNC. The equivalent of Hitler’s SA.
Get in the streets, cause havoc and have a compliant MSM put out the proper narrative.
1930’s Germany all over again.
Soros learned well from his NAZI masters.
Couldn’t agree more...outstanding summation of events from the ‘Kitty’...NSFW as Kitty has a bit of a foul mouth which also may offend pearl clutchers, but this is a MUST VIEW for seekers of the truth.
Okay, I know you're mind is already made up, but I just want to point out that no decent right winger has any business participating in a coalition with Nazis, even if the latter are only a "small minority." This is identical to the Communist "united front" transmission belts that used "decent" left wingers to magnify the influence of a minority of Communists.
Whatever happened to G-d in all this? G-d has been forgotten. Instead the rallying cry is now the white race or western civilization. I wish to remind FReepers that the greatest government that ever existed on earth (because it was the only true Theocracy that has ever been) was three thousand years ago. And they did it all without "western civilization," without Greek philosophy, without beautiful sculpture, without western political theory, without the Magna Carta, and without the First Amendment.
Anyone who thinks this fight is about anything other than G-d and His Laws (for everyone) is absolutely no product of the Bible Belt, whatever his geographical point of origin.
Okay. Now you can accuse me of working for Jewish Communist headquarters in Heaven and on the payroll of Soros. By the way, he's late with his paycheck.
Many people on FR are ready to throw everything away and make this into a race war in which Europeans are credited with inventing heterosexuality and writing Leviticus. I don't think they did either.
Exactly.
That’s the box they are trying to put us into.
If you don’t see any relevance of the Las Vegas case to justice under AG Sessions’ federal court in Las Vegas, I don’t guess that we have anything else to discuss. If you are OK with Bunkerville style justice, I don’t think that you have been paying attention.
They always have been
Dumbass whitelandia types
The gift that keeps on giving since 1861
Virtue signaling over race and other bigot bait is the only orgasm they’ve ever had
Who can blame them?
It’s free and they feel sated and superior
I been fighting this fight here 17 years and warning where wrrr headed
And they still drink the same Ivanka-aid
This is going to get a lot worse
Perhaps it is time to add another star to the flag...we have a West Virginia, how about a South Virginia; since that portion of Virginia has nothing to do with the portion north of US 17.
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