Charlottesville, Virginia Hate Crime

Recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, have sparked many questions and concerns regarding racism and white nationalism throughout the country. On Saturday, August 12th, this southern college town was the scene of what seems to be a hate crime. The “Unite the Right” rally was scheduled to take place here, so hundreds of white supremacists gathered to protest the removal of the statue of Civil War General Robert E. Lee. In response, counter protesters assimilated as well just two hours after the rally was shut down. Chaos then broke out when a car plowed through the crowd at high speed. One person was killed and more than three dozen were injured in what sources say was an intentional act of violence. A suspect was taken in shortly after, but little information has been released thus far. Since this incident, the governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe has publicly spoken out against the white nationalists and said, “Go home. … You are not wanted in this great commonwealth. Shame on you.”

We will update this story as new details arise.