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.
Every time this kind of thing is bound to happen, look for the buses and non-local plates.
I, too, have noticed the similarity to pre WWII Germany. I suspect the reasons it happened there are just about exactly the same reasons what we see is happening here. Except white conservatives are the new Jews. If there is a way to circumvent the predictable sequence of events I would love to hear it but I don’t see it happening. Trump has two options, get in front of people who support him or not. one would think it an easy decision. He ain’t gonna get support from the Antifa crowd by covering for them, I’d don’t believe. We’ll see.
No, we had to do battle with Stormfront for years.
Thanks for posting. You answered a question I have had regarding who started the violence. Who started the violence is key.
Just curious...why did you go?
Several reasons. One I was curious, two I am against the removal of the statue and three I live fairly close.
What exactly is your basis for claiming expertise on the subject of left-wing disinformation, Soros tactics, and the utilization of left-wing goon squads to infiltrate the ranks of right-wing demonstrators? What are your bona fides, as you seem to have a lot of information at your disposal? What makes you a subject matter expert in this regard?
I suppose we will hear next that the kid in the car shot the helicopter down.
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
I shouldn't do this. I know you're a lost cause, and you "know" that I work for some bearded little old man in Jerusalem who's running the whole thing. But here goes.
First of all, Blacks and Hispanics are on the road to becoming so evil that they will deserve extermination, just as the Canaanites and `Amaleqites deserved extermination. Now . . . is that "whitelandia virtue signaling?" I'm sure it is.
If white people react to this by embracing people who hate the Jews, the Torah, and the Talmud, then those white people are headed on the road to becoming so evil that they will deserve extermination. Believe it or not, the world will be go on without both just fine. I bet you don't believe that.
Only one nation is guaranteed to endure for all time, and it isn't the whites, the Blacks, the Hispanics, the moslems, the "indigenous pipples," or anyone else. It's that little old bearded man in Jerusalem who's fluoridating your drinking water.
After Chicago, Berkley, D.C., and other examples, there is NO EXCUSE for people on our side to go into situations like this with the level of stupidity as these people did if they were running a clean event.
People here need to stop with idea that they can just show up to these things blind. With no support, no pre-rally intelligence, no security, no video surveillance, no emergency procedures, no command center!?
Like it or not, this Norman Rockwell attitude isnt going to cut it.
- Stop relying on those idiot cops. Sorry, but they have no brain or humanity and will take orders to allow their grandmother to get assaulted if someone told them. Use them as a meat wall to gain a few extra minutes, but bring your own security.
Just because you have a permit does not mean these crooked dopes wont scheme against you.
- Monitor the internet! Get people to pose as a leftist and spy on these freaks to know what they are planning and when. Scope out your rally location and learn EVERY way in and out
- Get people with enough cameras to cover the zone with a video net where nothing is going to be left to guessing as to what happened and when.
- People at the rally whose job is to pick out the plants, and kick their ass out. Have people on stage who are charged with making in clear on the PA that they found a plant, and that plant is being order to leave.
-Have an off-site command center to upload photos and videos in an instant. Have people that can tweet, post, and upload anything and everything lightening quick so that any media accomplishes cannot use gaps to fill in their BS narrative.
Either we start being smart about this, or we can lay off the whining about how unfair the press is.
The statue should stay because it’s a part of history. The Antifa (otherwise known as the American Taliban) wants to purge history of all with which they disagree.
You’ve been here 11 years made three posts and one of them links to a neo-nazi website? Interesting.
Because he mistakenly thought the gov was in the chopper instead of his motorcade.
“Unite the Right” is fake. ...Just stay strong and do the right thing and ignore the insanity of the Left..... Don’t believe their lies.”
i agree with your assessment. This occurence is just a little too pat and convenient to have been spontaneous.
Thanks for your report, glad you are safe.
Here’s a better idea: Don’t hold a rally.
There is no way you will win. If a car had gone through the alt-right people, the media would be cheering it. There will never be sympathy for you.
“The so called antifa group is the shock troop arm of the DNC.”
Well considering the Republicans, even the President refuse to acknowledge them, makes you wonder.
The antifa DECIDED - “we can’t just let these guys protest; we have to go and provoke some violence”; don’t worry, the press will cover our asses and put all the violence provoking on them”. And the press dutifully did just that.
Nothing wrong with rallies. There have been plenty since January. Many of the ones Antifa has crashed have given them bad PR.
People need to stop looking at this like it is the end all, be all. This story will be forgotten in a week, and then people will need to start concentrating on their events, and making sure they play it smart against these people.
Let them make the mistakes in the future.
And this Set-up will be used to deny any group to the right of Antifa a permit to rally, along with all Nationalist/Populist now tied to “White Supremacist”. The Left, along with Republican senators did a great job.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.