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.
Thank you for posting
Ok, thanks.
Don’t you think there’s a lot of noise around this event but very little genuine info?!
Yes! And it is long past time for cookie-cutter conservatives to wake up to that dangerous truth!
And miss an opportunity to rape and loot? You have to be kidding.
The 'kitty' at Truth Factory laid out a case for such a lawsuit.
“Rather look for more of the Dems and RINOS to be thrown out next year.”
A delaying action.
How long does the average politician stay in DC before they become part of the problem?
The RINO wing seems to subvert just enough people to keep themselves in positions of power.
I am very confident of that. Plus many Americans own guns.
Like you, I never heard a word about this until Fox News started covering it live and non-stop on Saturday.
However, today I read that Richard Spencer (who apparently coined the term alt-right) and David Duke both made speeches in Charlottesville yesterday, so apparently some of the folks in the Hard Right heard about it.
Also, I looked up Richard Spencer on Wiki, because I don't know anything about him. Wiki says he's a UVA graduate, and that he lives in Alexandria, just a couple hours from Charlottesville, so that might explain his presence.
That has started to backfire since November of last year.
Thanks for truth.
The KKK was always pro-Democrats
” are not your friend”
They are your existential, mortal enemy.
Bttt.
5.56mm
bttt
Name them and shame them.
Good reasons. I really was just curious.
Charlottesville Grants 2 Permits for Counterprotests of Unite the Right
On August 12, 2017 Peoples Action for Racial Justice (PARJ) will be held in Charlottesville's McGuffey and Justice Parks from 9AM to 7 PM.
Counterprotesters are always expected, and generally fall under the same "permit" that the protesters obtain.
The powers that be in the city of Charlottesville were angry at being ordered by a federal judge, to allow the protest at "Emancipation Park." The expressed this anger by arranging the physical space so as to force physical contact between opposing groups, then they ordered the protesters to exit "through" the ranks of the counterprotesters. It was a setup by the local police.
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