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 bigly for your report, one that has a great deal of credibility compared to the MSM.
Good Observation LP
I have to say that I am not familiar with the acronyms so I looked up Antifa in the Urban Dictionary and it said...
Short for (militant) anti-fascists.
Middle-class champagne socialist/communist/anarchist white boys who don’t like nationalists or fascists. They consider themselves to be rebelling against the establishment, whilst upholding all of its ultra-politically correct views.
Antifa only dislike racism when its carried out by whites, and do not have the bottle to stand up against anti-white racism; leading to many people on the right to refer to them as ‘traitors’. I’d rather just call them morons.
Most are teenagers and university students who grow out of the fad when they start paying taxes.
Antifa is stupid.
*****
Next I looked up BLM, I thought it must stand for something else than Bureau of Land Management, evidently its what they meant???
So then I listened to the talking heads on the news today to come up with my opinion.
For those interested to this point, here it is:
The confederacy is part of our American History, as such the flag, the statues, and the historical evidence is as much a part of America, as Slavery, for Blacks, as well as whites, asians, and every ethnic subgroup that comes to America.
It is foolish, and ill conceived to remove any element of our history, it is rather essential to LEARN from our experience and make ourselves, ALL of our peoples better from the lessons, and to leave in place as reminders of our history, all those pediments and documents, that make us what we are today.
It is also evident, that what is not allowed today, was allowed yesterday, all one has to do is go back to recent history, in which protests over Trayvon Martin in Furgeson were allowed to go on unabated, with much damage to both persons and places, with no stepping in to quell it, as was displayed yesterday.
It should be pointed out that the legal rally, was abruptly stopped, at the time it should have gotten under way at noon. The timing was eloquent for the dispersal of the crowd. We will never know what would have been said. It was equally evident that the protestors were bussed in for the event, some wore paramilitary garb and were armed, so you could not tell if they were offical or not.
As was reported, many were there out of curiosity, many were there because they wanted the statue left in place or at least put in a museum.
The liberal agenda (IN my opinion) is that if you disagree with them, they do not move on, you cannot have your own opinion, it must be quashed. It cannot be voiced or given credence, and it must be vilified in the public square, and only their opinion can be give legitimacy. Unfortunately, it seems the MSM is marching lockstep (I used this word purposely) with the Antifa, and the Left.
Finally, I agree with Trumps statement, it was wordsmith-ed correctly. I think he knew exactly what he was saying, and the point was made and the MSM went crazy over it...Way to go Mr. President. I am proud I voted for you.
That might be going a bit too far- http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3576783/posts
Trump supporter exiting Trump rally struck on side of head with bag full of stones
Does any one know who these “right wingers” are who organized the original march? Have they been interviwed? Do they have an address? When I first heard “unite the right” I thought it sounded like a typical leftist campus thing. Right wingers would have been more focused, dpecific. Not so vague or general...
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 youd 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.
Thanks, TigerClaws. Soros's hobby is de-stabilizing world governments.
2016, Burlingame Calif. Tall lone Trump supporter walks, then runs, a long gauntlet of numerous, violent anti-Trump protesters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JWw8cTEN14
F-words galore, Hat ripped off, pushed, punched, has to flee through a HEDGE
Violence warning
Kitty Cat from The Truth Factory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfFto6VB9Bs
great site, great overall summary
LOL the Republican "brand" is beyond repair-from decades of not showing up for the fight and losing the country.
These kids find Republicans reprehensible. We didn't grow up in this world. We largely can afford to shield ourselves from it. (for now). We have no right to judge them.
Actually the Hispanic Heritage Foundation did a poll recently. High school students were trending conservative. 20% of black high school kids identified as Republican.
Awesome analysis. Thx !
TalBlack wrote: "Does any one know who these right wingers are who organized the original march?"
YouTube: Organizer Of Charlottesville Rally Jason Kessler explains permit, PD, Mayor Signer..
The link that you posted is repulsive and completely unreliable. In fact, it is a great way to prove the left right.
And I now believe that at least some of the counter protesters had a permit. Whether they should have been allowed to protest on a small street is another matter.
Flood social media. Of course that takes work and time.
‘1/ Use media to highlight existing fissures and competing viewpoints within a society.’
Sue everyone. Or at least, someone.
TWB
Thank you for your report. It is the most balanced and believable account I’ve heard so far.
I’m sure #FakeNews-CNN et al will be interviewing you soon. /s lol
bkmk
KyCats wrote: "...his story is this: I was just minding my own business driving my car. "
James Alex Fields Jr.(c.) brandished a shield from the Vanguard America group before the Charlottesville attack. (Go Nakamura/New York Daily News)NYDailyNews: Charlottesville suspect held hate group shield before attack
Antifa seems to be a rebranding of the Anarchy crowd. They rebranded and now represent a accepted (by the left) portion of the left protest movement.
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