Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Charlottesville car attack

![2017 Charlottesville car involved in ramming][float-right] The Charlottesville car attack took place on August 12, 2017, when James Alex Fields Jr., a 22-year-old self-identified white supremacist from Maumee, Ohio, deliberately accelerated his 2010 Dodge Challenger into a crowd of counter-protesters on Fourth Street in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing Heather Danielle Heyer, aged 32, via blunt force injury to the chest and injuring 28 others with varying degrees of severity.^[1]^[2]^[3] The incident occurred amid the Unite the Right rally, a permitted gathering organized to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee from Emancipation Park, which had already seen violent clashes between rally participants—many displaying neo-Nazi and white nationalist symbols—and opposing demonstrators earlier that day.^[4] Fields, who had traveled from Ohio to attend the event and was photographed carrying a Vanguard America shield emblazoned with the group's logo, reversed his vehicle after the initial impact before fleeing, only to be apprehended shortly thereafter by local police.^[1]^[5] Fields faced state charges of first-degree murder and malicious wounding, for which a jury convicted him in December 2018, rejecting self-defense claims and sentencing him to life without parole in July 2019; federally, he pleaded guilty to 29 hate crime counts in March 2019, receiving a concurrent life sentence in June 2019 after admitting his actions were motivated by racial animus against African Americans and Jews.^[6]^[4] The attack intensified national debates over free speech, public monuments, and extremism, with Fields' neo-Nazi affiliations substantiated by prior online activity and associations, though some analyses noted broader failures in local crowd control and de-escalation preceding the ramming.^[5]^[1]

Historical Context

Removal of Confederate Statues and Local Tensions

In February 2017, the Charlottesville City Council voted 3-2 to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, erected in 1924 in what was then Lee Park (later renamed Emancipation Park), citing its association with white supremacy and the need to address historical divisions.^[7] This decision followed a national surge in efforts to dismantle Confederate monuments after the June 17, 2015, mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where a white supremacist killed nine Black parishioners, prompting over 140 such removals across the U.S. by 2020.^[8] Local opposition argued the statue commemorated a historical figure rather than endorsing slavery, while proponents viewed it as a symbol reinforcing racial hierarchies established during the Jim Crow era.^[9] The council's resolution intensified local divisions, with lawsuits filed to block alterations to the monument under Virginia law protecting war memorials, though these were later overturned by the state Supreme Court in 2021, allowing removal.^[10] On July 8, 2017, approximately 50 members of the Ku Klux Klan held a permitted rally in Charlottesville protesting the statue's removal, drawing several hundred counter-demonstrators who significantly outnumbered them and engaged in verbal confrontations.^[11] Police deployed tear gas to disperse clashes after the Klan departed early, resulting in 23 arrests, primarily among counter-protesters for charges including disorderly conduct and assault.^[12] These events highlighted escalating tensions, with counter-protests featuring groups like Black Lives Matter and antifa affiliates confronting pro-statue demonstrators, leading to mutual accusations of incitement and isolated incidents of property defacement, such as graffiti on public spaces.^[13] In response to the city's statue policy, organizer Jason Kessler applied for a permit on June 13, 2017, for the "Unite the Right" rally on August 12, initially approved but later challenged by municipal revocation attempts; a federal court injunction, secured via ACLU representation, upheld the First Amendment right to assemble at Emancipation Park.^[14] This legal affirmation underscored the rally's origin as a permitted expression against perceived erasure of Southern heritage amid broader municipal decisions favoring removal.^[14]

Planning of the Unite the Right Rally

The Unite the Right rally was organized by Jason Kessler, who applied for a permit with the city of Charlottesville on August 7, 2017, to hold an event at Emancipation Park protesting the planned removal of the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.^[15] Kessler described the rally's purpose as uniting right-wing activists to oppose the erasure of Southern history through statue removals, as well as broader concerns including immigration policies and multiculturalism, framing it as a defense against perceived cultural displacement.^[16] Key figures such as Richard Spencer, a prominent alt-right leader, joined as co-organizers, promoting the event online to attract a coalition of participants ranging from white nationalists to some traditional conservatives opposed to municipal decisions on Confederate monuments.^[17] City officials initially granted the permit but sought to revoke it on August 11, citing anticipated large crowds, logistical challenges, and threats of violence that would overwhelm public safety resources.^[18] The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia represented Kessler in federal court, arguing that revocation violated First Amendment rights and that content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions could not justify denying the assembly permit once issued.^[18] U.S. District Judge Glen Conrad issued an emergency order on the morning of August 12, 2017, mandating that the city allow the rally to proceed at Emancipation Park, though with conditions for crowd control, emphasizing that anticipated counter-protests did not constitute grounds for suppression.^[15] Organizers anticipated attendance in the hundreds to low thousands, with Kessler publicly aiming for 1,000 participants via social media promotion, while law enforcement intelligence estimated up to 6,000 total attendees including counter-protesters.^[19]^[20] Security preparations involved coordination between Charlottesville Police Department, Virginia State Police, and the Virginia National Guard, with state police tasked to provide general security and traffic control support under a joint operations plan developed in advance.^[21]^[22]

Prelude to the Attack

Friday Night Events

On the evening of August 11, 2017, several hundred participants associated with the Unite the Right rally, including members of alt-right, neo-Nazi, and white nationalist groups, initiated an unannounced torch-lit procession starting from the University of Virginia campus grounds and proceeding to the Robert E. Lee statue in Emancipation Park. The marchers carried commercial tiki torches for illumination and chanted phrases including "You will not replace us" and "Jews will not replace us."^[23]^[24] The route of the march passed in proximity to Congregation Beth Israel, the local synagogue, coinciding with prior online postings on neo-Nazi websites calling for the synagogue to be burned. In response to these threats and a lack of police protection, the synagogue's rabbi arranged for an armed off-duty officer to guard the premises during the event.^[25] Upon reaching the UVA Rotunda, where a smaller group of counter-protesters had assembled and linked arms around the statue of Thomas Jefferson, physical altercations broke out between the two sides. Participants from both groups exchanged punches and deployed chemical irritants such as pepper spray. Contemporary video recordings documented reciprocal acts of shoving, striking, and spraying, indicating aggression initiated and continued by individuals on each side. Police intervened to separate the conflicting parties, resulting in one arrest of a counter-protester.^[26]^[23]

Saturday Morning Clashes

Violence between Unite the Right rally participants and counter-protesters erupted in downtown Charlottesville around 10:00 AM on August 12, 2017, prior to the scheduled noon start of the event at Emancipation Park.^[19] Initial disorder involved physical altercations near East Jefferson Street and Second Street NE, escalating to confrontations on Market Street where counter-protesters obstructed rally attendees.^[19] By 10:26 AM, a fight over a flag prompted intervention by militia groups, with both sides deploying chemical agents such as pepper spray and mace.^[19] A major brawl occurred at approximately 10:52 AM on Market Street, as rally participants advanced using shields and flagpoles as improvised weapons to push through counter-protesters.^[19] Injuries were reported on both sides, including cuts, bruises from physical confrontations, and effects from chemical irritants; one counter-protester sustained a head injury requiring treatment near the First United Methodist Church around 10:21 AM.^[19] These clashes reflected mutual aggression, with rallygoers and opponents exchanging blows amid attempts to control territory near the park.^[19] Charlottesville Police Department (CPD) declared the assembly in Emancipation Park an unlawful assembly at 11:31 AM, issuing dispersal orders as brawls continued with shield-wielding groups on both sides.^[19] The city simultaneously declared a local state of emergency at 11:08 AM in response to the escalating violence.^[19] However, police efforts to disperse crowds funneled opposing groups toward each other without adequate separation, exacerbating the chaos.^[19] Officers reported feeling outnumbered and inadequately equipped, often remaining behind barricades due to a policy of non-intervention in "mutual combat" unless serious injury was imminent.^[19] CPD command acknowledged insufficient resources and coordination to isolate conflicting factions, leading to uncontrolled skirmishes across multiple streets.^[19] This operational failure allowed violence to intensify unchecked in the hours leading up to further incidents.^[19]

The Attack Sequence

Fields' Movements Prior to Impact

James Alex Fields Jr. arrived in Charlottesville, Virginia, on the morning of August 12, 2017, for the Unite the Right rally at Emancipation Park. He briefly associated with members of the white nationalist group Vanguard America (VDA), marching alongside them toward the park while carrying one of the group's polka-dot shields, though VDA spokesmen stated that Fields was not a formal member and had no prior contact with the organization.^[27]^[28]^[29] Following the revocation of the rally permit around 11:00 a.m. and ensuing clashes between rally participants and counter-protesters, Fields disengaged from the group and returned to his parked 2010 Dodge Challenger near the park. He entered the vehicle and drove away from Emancipation Park through downtown streets, navigating amid ongoing disorder from dispersed crowds.^[30] Fields then maneuvered onto Fourth Street SE, a narrow, one-way downhill street leading toward the intersection with Water Street, arriving at the area around 1:40 p.m. as counter-protesters moved northbound along the street away from the Downtown Mall following the rally's dispersal. Video evidence from multiple angles captured the Challenger approaching the intersection, where Fields revved the engine and accelerated rapidly without braking, steering directly into the pedestrian group.^[1]^[31]^[32]

Vehicle Dynamics and Impact Details

James Alex Fields Jr. drove a Dodge Challenger into a crowd of pedestrians on the 100 block of West Main Street, a pedestrian mall in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017. Crash reconstruction analysis presented at Fields' trial determined that the vehicle accelerated to a speed of approximately 28 miles per hour (45 km/h) immediately before the primary impact.^[33] ^[34] The frontal collision involved the Challenger striking multiple pedestrians in quick succession, with the vehicle's momentum causing initial victims to be propelled onto the hood and windshield before secondary impacts as bodies were thrown forward or struck the sides and rear of the car. Forensic examination of the scene and vehicle data indicated no application of brakes during the acceleration phase, and the car traveled an additional short distance—estimated at around 50 feet—post-impact before halting after colliding with parked vehicles, consistent with the physics of kinetic energy dissipation through multiple human and structural contacts. Trial testimony from a state trooper on scene reconstruction further corroborated that the impact imparted sufficient force to displace a stationary vehicle from rest to 17.1 miles per hour.^[35] No pre-existing damage to the Challenger's undercarriage or bodywork was documented that would suggest prior evasion maneuvers or pursuit-related contact; the primary deformations observed were attributable to the deliberate incursion into the densely packed pedestrian area.^[35]

Immediate Response

Casualties and Medical Response

The car attack on August 12, 2017, resulted in one fatality and injuries to 19 other individuals, all of whom were hospitalized primarily at the University of Virginia Medical Center.^[36]^[37] The injuries sustained included fractures, lacerations, and concussions from blunt force impacts, with some victims requiring multiple surgeries for orthopedic and neurological trauma.^[37] No additional deaths occurred directly from the vehicular impact.^[38] Heather Heyer, aged 32, succumbed to blunt force injuries to the torso, as confirmed by autopsy performed by the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which identified compression and lacerations to internal organs as the primary cause.^[38]^[3] The mechanism involved being struck and thrown by the accelerating vehicle, leading to fatal thoracic trauma without penetrating wounds.^[39] Emergency medical services were activated immediately upon the 1:42 p.m. impact, with the Charlottesville Fire Department arriving within three minutes to initiate on-scene triage amid a chaotic environment strained by concurrent protest violence.^[40] Personnel categorized patients by severity, prioritizing those with life-threatening injuries for rapid transport via ambulance to the UVA Health System's level-one trauma center, which activated its mass casualty protocol and treated the majority of vehicular victims efficiently despite an influx of 20-30 blunt trauma cases.^[40]^[41] Pre-event coordination between local EMS, fire services, and UVA had anticipated high-volume contingencies, enabling a structured response that mitigated further complications from delays.^[19]

Arrest and Initial Detention

James Alex Fields Jr. was apprehended a few blocks from the crash site on August 12, 2017, shortly after accelerating his vehicle into a crowd of counter-protesters and then reversing away from the scene.^[42] ^[43] Authorities took him into custody without reported resistance or further incident.^[44] Fields faced initial state charges of second-degree murder for the death of Heather Heyer, three counts of malicious wounding for injuries to others, and one count of hit-and-run for leaving the scene of the fatal accident.^[44] ^[29] On August 14, 2017, a judge in Charlottesville General District Court ordered him held without bond, citing the severity of the offenses and public safety concerns, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for later that month.^[45] ^[46] Law enforcement seized and impounded the silver 2010 Dodge Challenger Fields drove in the attack, which bore an Ohio temporary tag.^[44] The vehicle was processed as evidence at the scene before removal for forensic examination.^[44]

Perpetrator Profile

Early Life and Background

James Alex Fields Jr. was born on April 26, 1997.^[47] ^[48] His father, James Alex Fields Sr., died in a car crash on December 5, 1996, five months before Fields' birth, when the vehicle in which he was a passenger struck a utility pole in Erlanger, Kentucky.^[49] ^[50] Fields was raised primarily by his mother in northern Kentucky, near Cincinnati, Ohio.^[49] Fields attended high school in the Cincinnati suburbs, where he graduated in 2015.^[51] That year, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and reported for basic training in August but was discharged in December for failure to meet training standards.^[52] ^[53] Prior to 2017, Fields faced accusations from his mother of physical assaults, including beating her and threatening her with a knife, prompting multiple 911 calls.^[50]

Ideological Influences and Online Activity

Fields maintained a Facebook profile that included memes featuring the logo of Vanguard America, a white nationalist group, and imagery associated with the alt-right movement, such as Pepe the Frog.^[54] His online presence also reflected admiration for Adolf Hitler, evidenced by a photograph of Hitler texted to his mother on August 12, 2017, the day of the attack.^[55] Prosecutors in his federal trial introduced Instagram posts from Fields, including one reading "Heil Hitler" accompanied by Nazi symbolism.^[56] Although Fields was photographed carrying a Vanguard America shield and marching alongside group members during the Unite the Right rally on August 12, 2017, the organization publicly denied any formal membership or affiliation on his part, stating he had no prior contact with them.^[28] No evidence emerged of deeper organizational ties or involvement in group activities beyond the rally appearance. Fields had no prior convictions for violence.^[1] Fields' online activity showed exposure to neo-Nazi content, including interests aligned with narratives of demographic displacement linked to immigration, though specific posts tying him directly to "white genocide" theories were not publicly detailed in court records.^[57] His radicalization trajectory involved engagement with platforms hosting such material, but lacked documented leadership roles or sustained interactions with established extremist networks.^[58]

Motivations and Intent

Prosecutors argued that James Alex Fields Jr. intentionally targeted counter-protesters, viewing them as political adversaries aligned against his white nationalist sympathies, as evidenced by his social media activity prior to August 12, 2017. Fields had posted on Instagram an image of a car driving into a crowd of protesters labeled with the phrase "You gonna get run over," approximately three months before the incident, and shared a similar meme depicting vehicular impact on pedestrians with a friend.^[59]^[55] In federal proceedings, Fields admitted to using social media accounts to promote white supremacist ideologies and express animus toward racial minorities in the lead-up to the rally.^[1] Video footage from the scene captured Fields accelerating his Dodge Challenger into the group after initially pausing, actions prosecutors cited as deliberate rather than accidental.^[60] Fields' defense countered that his actions stemmed from panic induced by an approaching mob of counter-protesters, whom he perceived as an imminent threat after earlier clashes at the rally. In a recorded jail call to his mother on March 21, 2018, Fields described being "mobbed by a violent group of terrorists," framing the incident as a reaction to encirclement rather than premeditated aggression.^[61] Defense attorneys emphasized Fields' reported fear during the event, arguing self-preservation over malice, though contemporaneous video evidence indicated no pedestrians were directly blocking his path immediately before acceleration, with the crowd dispersed along the street.^[62] Empirical data from Fields' phone records confirmed his intent to attend the Unite the Right rally, including searches and communications related to travel from Ohio to Charlottesville on August 11-12, 2017, but revealed no documented pre-planned route or scheme targeting specific counter-protester locations.^[63] No manifesto, suicide note, or explicit written intent for vehicular violence was recovered from his devices or possessions, leaving inferences reliant on interpretive evidence like social media patterns and vehicular telemetry showing sustained throttle input post-impact.^[55] These elements, while suggestive of ideological animus, did not conclusively demonstrate foreknowledge of the precise collision site absent direct planning artifacts.

Victims and Survivors

Fatal Victim: Heather Heyer

Heather Danielle Heyer (May 29, 1985 – August 12, 2017) was a resident of Charlottesville, Virginia, employed as a paralegal at a local law firm.^[64] ^[65] She had expressed opposition to white supremacist ideologies through social media posts and personal advocacy for equality.^[66] On August 12, 2017, Heyer joined counter-protesters opposing the Unite the Right rally organized by far-right groups.^[67] During the vehicle ramming incident at the intersection of Fourth Street NE and Water Street, Heyer was struck by the 2010 Dodge Challenger driven by James Alex Fields Jr., who accelerated into the crowd.^[6] The impact caused her to be thrown, resulting in fatal blunt force injuries primarily to the chest, as determined by the medical examiner's autopsy.^[38] ^[3] Following her death, Heyer's family issued statements balancing personal forgiveness with pursuit of legal accountability. Her father, Mark Heyer, publicly stated, "I forgive him," referring to Fields, while emphasizing the need for justice through the legal process.^[68] Her mother, Susan Bro, urged others to channel grief into activism, describing the killing as an attempt to silence her daughter's voice and calling for continued opposition to hate.^[69] ^[70]

Injured Counter-Protesters

Nineteen counter-protesters were injured in the August 12, 2017, car attack, with injuries documented by police and medical responders including lacerations, fractures, concussions, and internal trauma from the vehicle's impact and subsequent scattering of pedestrians.^[36] ^[67] The victims were predominantly local Virginia residents and activists opposing the Unite the Right rally, spanning ages roughly from the 20s to 50s, as corroborated by witness accounts and court testimonies in subsequent proceedings.^[1] Several survivors experienced long-term physical and psychological effects, such as chronic pain from bone fractures and post-traumatic stress, necessitating ongoing medical treatment and incurring substantial costs not fully covered by initial fundraising efforts.^[71] Permanent disabilities affected a subset, including mobility limitations from severe orthopedic damage, as detailed in victim impact statements during federal sentencing.^[1] Affected individuals pursued civil litigation against the perpetrator James Alex Fields Jr. and rally organizers for compensatory damages related to medical expenses and lost wages, resulting in multimillion-dollar judgments apportioned among defendants.^[72]

Investigations

Local and State Probes

The Charlottesville Police Department (CPD) initiated the primary local investigation into the August 12, 2017, car attack immediately following the incident at the intersection of 4th Street SE and Water Street, where James Alex Fields Jr. drove a Dodge Challenger into a crowd of approximately 400-500 counter-protesters, resulting in one fatality and multiple injuries. CPD officers, including Lieutenant Dwayne Jones, secured the crash site, provided aid to victims, and coordinated with the University of Virginia Police Department (UPD) for Fields' arrest at 1:44-1:45 p.m. after he fled eastward on Market Street. The department reviewed over 300 hours of video footage from body cameras, park surveillance, and other sources, which documented the vehicle accelerating into the crowd without braking and subsequently reversing rapidly, indicating a deliberate act rather than an accident or evasion of pursuit. No evidence emerged of police pursuing Fields' vehicle prior to impact, as the incident unfolded suddenly amid dispersed crowds following the unlawful assembly declaration at Emancipation Park.^[19] The high density of counter-protesters at the intersection, exacerbated by a vulnerable wooden sawhorse barricade left unstaffed after a resource officer's reassignment, contributed to the attack's severity and the challenges in immediate response. CPD's operational plan had failed to maintain separation between opposing groups, allowing unchecked movement that funneled demonstrators into congested areas. Forensic technicians and detectives processed the scene, but the review highlighted broader procedural shortcomings, including inadequate training for de-escalation and a reactive posture prioritizing officer safety over proactive intervention. No findings supported claims of entrapment or intentional setup by law enforcement; instead, lapses stemmed from flawed planning and resource allocation.^[19] Virginia State Police (VSP) supported the local probe with aerial tracking via helicopter during Fields' flight and post-incident scene security alongside National Guard units by 2:07 p.m. Tragically, a VSP Bell 407 helicopter providing oversight of rally activities crashed later that afternoon due to mechanical issues, killing Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke M. Bates approximately six miles from the city center. State-level after-action reviews, including the Independent Review of the 2017 Protest Events and the International Association of Chiefs of Police assessment, identified systemic de-escalation failures, such as delayed chemical agent deployment after the unlawful assembly declaration at 11:31 a.m. and disjointed command structures between CPD and VSP, with no unified operational plan or joint training. These reports concluded that poor coordination scattered groups into street skirmishes but found no evidentiary basis for entrapment, attributing the car's path to opportunistic exploitation of chaotic conditions rather than orchestrated provocation. Crowd density and inadequate barricading were noted as aggravating factors in the incident's impact, though VSP's independent operations limited integrated threat assessment.^[19]^[21]

Federal Involvement

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched a civil rights investigation into the August 12, 2017, car attack immediately following the incident, examining potential violations of federal hate crime statutes.^[73] FBI agents were deployed to Charlottesville to conduct witness interviews, secure physical evidence from the crash site, and analyze digital records associated with James Alex Fields Jr., the perpetrator.^[73] Attorney General Jeff Sessions publicly described the attack as domestic terrorism, enabling a broad federal probe into Fields' motives and actions, though federal terrorism statutes were not ultimately charged due to jurisdictional limitations on domestic cases.^[74] The FBI's efforts included forensic examination of Fields' electronic devices and online history, which documented his affiliation with white supremacist groups such as Vanguard America and consumption of neo-Nazi propaganda, providing key evidence of racially motivated intent.^[4] Federal investigators coordinated with Virginia state and local authorities, sharing resources like surveillance videos and injury assessments from the 35 injured victims, to build a comprehensive evidentiary log without pursuing conspiracy charges against Unite the Right rally organizers or affiliated groups.^[1] This collaboration focused solely on Fields' individual culpability under federal law, emphasizing interference with federally protected activities such as the right to peaceable assembly. On June 27, 2018, a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia indicted Fields on 30 counts, comprising one count of hate crime resulting in death (for Heather Heyer's killing) and 28 counts of hate crimes causing bodily injury or involving a dangerous weapon, all prosecuted under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.^[63] The indictment alleged Fields knowingly targeted counter-protesters based on their actual or perceived race, color, or national origin, supported by vehicle trajectory analysis, victim demographics, and Fields' pre-attack social media posts expressing admiration for historical figures linked to violence against perceived enemies.^[63] No additional federal indictments related to the attack were issued against third parties.

Legal Proceedings

State Trial and Conviction

James Alex Fields Jr. was charged by a Charlottesville grand jury in December 2017 with first-degree murder in the death of Heather Heyer, five counts of aggravated malicious wounding for victims with life-threatening injuries, eight counts of malicious wounding, and additional related offenses including leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.^[37]^[75] The trial commenced on November 26, 2018, in Charlottesville Circuit Court, with the prosecution presenting video footage from multiple angles, including bystander recordings and police helicopter video, depicting Fields accelerating his Dodge Challenger into a crowd of counter-protesters at approximately 28 miles per hour before braking and reversing.^[32] Forensic experts testified on vehicle dynamics, confirming the deliberate acceleration and impact forces consistent with intentional action rather than panic or accident, while survivor testimonies detailed the physical and emotional trauma inflicted.^[76] The defense argued self-defense, citing perceived threats from counter-protesters, but the jury rejected this after deliberating for less than four hours on December 7, 2018, convicting Fields on all counts.^[77]^[78] In the penalty phase beginning December 10, 2018, prosecutors opted not to seek the death penalty, focusing instead on life imprisonment, and presented victim impact statements emphasizing the premeditated nature of the attack amid Fields' documented white nationalist affiliations.^[79] The jury deliberated and on December 11 recommended a sentence of life imprisonment without parole for the murder, plus 419 years for the wounding charges, reflecting maximum penalties for each count.^[75]^[80] Judge Richard E. Moore accepted the recommendation following a four-hour hearing on July 15, 2019, after postponements linked to ongoing federal proceedings and defense motions, formally sentencing Fields to life plus 419 years, ensuring no possibility of release.^[5]^[81]^[82]

Federal Hate Crimes Case

In June 2018, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Virginia indicted James Alex Fields Jr. on 30 counts under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (18 U.S.C. § 249), including one count for causing the death of Heather Heyer through willful bodily injury motivated by racial bias and 28 counts for injuring or attempting to injure others with the same motivation, plus one count of racially motivated obstruction of a federally protected activity resulting in death.^[83] The indictment emphasized Fields' demonstrated racial animus, evidenced by his social media activity prior to the attack, including posts expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler, identification as a neo-Nazi, and statements endorsing violence against perceived racial enemies.^[84] Fields initially pleaded not guilty to all charges in July 2018.^[85] On March 27, 2019, he changed his plea to guilty on 29 of the hate crime counts, admitting that he intentionally targeted counter-protesters because of their actual or perceived race, color, or national origin, in a deal where federal prosecutors agreed to drop the remaining count and forgo seeking the death penalty.^[5] During the plea hearing, Fields acknowledged his actions were driven by bias motivation, supported by evidence such as his online posts and affiliation with white supremacist groups like Vanguard America. At the federal sentencing hearing on June 28, 2019, before U.S. District Judge Michael F. Urbanski, prosecutors highlighted Fields' premeditated intent and lack of remorse, citing his deliberate acceleration into the crowd after observing the victims as a group opposing white nationalists. The defense argued for leniency based on Fields' youth (age 20 at the time), history of mental health issues including ADHD and depression, and an abusive upbringing, claiming these factors mitigated his culpability without excusing it.^[84] Judge Urbanski rejected mitigation as insufficient, noting the premeditated nature of the attack—evidenced by Fields' research into prior vehicular assaults and his rapid reversal of direction to strike the crowd—and imposed a life sentence without parole, stating that Fields' actions reflected a "calculated" choice rooted in hateful ideology rather than impulsive error.^[84] This federal term runs consecutively to his state life sentence.

Civil Suits and Outcomes

In October 2019, Susan Bro, mother of Heather Heyer, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against James Alex Fields Jr. in Charlottesville Circuit Court, seeking $12 million in damages primarily to bar Fields from profiting from the attack through media deals or other means.^[86]^[87] Given Fields' incarceration and lack of response, the suit proceeded to a default judgment aligning with the $12 million punitive damages later assessed against him in related federal proceedings.^[88] The principal civil litigation arose from Sines v. Kessler, a 2017 federal lawsuit filed by nine plaintiffs—including four injured in Fields' car attack—against Fields, rally organizers, and white nationalist groups, alleging conspiracy under 42 U.S.C. § 1985 to commit violence and deprive civil rights.^[89] Represented by Integrity First for America and cooperating counsel, the plaintiffs secured a November 23, 2021, jury verdict holding defendants liable, with total awards exceeding $26 million: approximately $2 million in compensatory damages (including over $1.5 million specifically tied to Fields' attack for physical and emotional injuries) and $24 million in punitive damages, of which $12 million targeted Fields for his role in the ramming.^[90]^[72]^[88] In 2023, the district court remitted the punitive awards to $350,000 total across defendants, citing Fourteenth Amendment due process constraints on excessive penalties, while upholding compensatory amounts, including $704,459 against Fields for state-law claims related to the attack.^[91] The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conspiracy findings on July 1, 2024, reinstating $2 million in punitive damages against certain defendants but leaving Fields' punitive liability effectively uncollectible due to his indigency.^[92] Federal prosecutors sought to seize Fields' minimal inmate trust account funds (totaling $759.86 as of late 2022) toward the judgments, but no substantial assets were identified.^[93] No civil suits were filed against counter-protesters for initiating or escalating pre-attack violence at the rally, with litigation focused exclusively on Fields and Unite the Right participants.^[89]^[90] The outcomes underscored symbolic accountability amid practical barriers to enforcement, as defendants like Fields possessed negligible means for repayment.^[93]

Appeals and Incarceration Status

Fields appealed his state conviction for first-degree murder and related charges to the Virginia Court of Appeals, which unanimously denied the appeal on November 16, 2021, upholding the life sentence imposed by the Charlottesville Circuit Court in July 2019.^[55]^[94] The court rejected arguments including claims of jury prejudice due to community trauma and evidentiary issues, finding no reversible error.^[55] His federal conviction for 29 counts of hate crimes, following a guilty plea in March 2019, resulted in a concurrent life sentence without parole imposed on June 28, 2019, by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia; no successful appeal has altered this outcome.^[1]^[4] As of 2025, Fields remains incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary Hazelton in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, serving the concurrent life terms with no parole eligibility.^[95] In February 2023, he was fined $1,000 from his inmate trust account for prison misconduct, including threatening a correctional officer and possessing or brandishing a dangerous weapon, with proceeds directed toward victim restitution.^[96]^[97] No new evidence or motions have led to release or sentence modification since the appeals denials.^[96]

Controversies

Self-Defense Claims and Video Evidence

James Alex Fields Jr.'s defense team asserted during pretrial proceedings and trial that he acted in self-defense, claiming he accelerated his vehicle out of fear for his life amid a hostile crowd of counter-protesters, some allegedly armed with weapons like clubs and shields, following the dispersal of the Unite the Right rally on August 12, 2017.^[98]^[99] In closing arguments, defense attorney Denise Lunsford emphasized Fields had witnessed prior violent clashes between rally participants and counter-protesters, including incidents of urine being thrown at vehicles, fostering a reasonable belief of imminent harm.^[62] Video evidence presented at trial, including footage from multiple bystander cameras, a police helicopter, and Fields' own vehicle's data recorder, contradicted these claims by showing his Dodge Challenger rapidly accelerating—reaching speeds over 20 mph—directly into a group of counter-protesters on Fourth Street who were largely stationary or walking away perpendicular to the street after the rally's permit revocation.^[32]^[98] Prosecutors highlighted that Fields ignored a stop sign, drove onto a pedestrian mall, and struck the crowd head-on without any visible pursuit or blocking from behind; the vehicle then reversed approximately 70 feet before fleeing, actions inconsistent with panicked escape from an immediate rear threat.^[100]^[98] Independent fact-checks of circulating videos purporting to show an "antifa mob" chasing Fields or similar vehicles found no direct corroboration linking such incidents to his path or timing; earlier footage of counter-protesters confronting other rally attendees did not depict an armed group actively pursuing Fields' car from the rear as he approached the fatal intersection.^[101] This empirical mismatch undermined the defense's narrative of reactive flight, with trial testimony from survivors and experts affirming the crowd posed no barricade or aggressive advance toward Fields prior to impact.^[102] While some conservative outlets and commentators cited broader rally violence—including documented counter-protester assaults on vehicles—to argue Fields reasonably perceived a generalized threat, federal and state convictions for first-degree murder and hate crimes rejected self-defense, citing deliberate intent evidenced by his neo-Nazi affiliations, pre-rally social media posts idolizing vehicular attacks, and the controlled acceleration pattern.^[1] The juries in both proceedings, after reviewing the unedited multi-angle videos, determined the act constituted willful malice rather than defensive necessity.^[101]

Police Handling and Stand-Down Orders

Charlottesville Police Department (CPD) commanders, including Chief Al Thomas, adopted a strategy of limited intervention during the August 12, 2017, Unite the Right rally, instructing officers to avoid engaging in most physical confrontations unless serious injury was imminent, prioritizing officer safety and de-escalation over immediate separation of clashing groups.^[19] This approach involved pulling officers back to protected zones, such as withdrawing to Zone 4 at 11:01 a.m. to don riot gear, leaving violence on Market Street unchecked for over an hour while rally participants and counter-protesters fought in proximity to police lines.^[19] Chief Thomas later explained similar prior decisions, such as during the July 8 Klan rally, as allowing time for officers to retreat and equip with gas masks and riot gear before deploying chemical agents, rather than risking escalation through direct action.^[19] While officials denied any formal "stand-down" order, this passive posture—echoed by Virginia State Police (VSP) directives to remain behind barricades—causally enabled unchecked street brawls, as field forces were not deployed despite availability and citizen pleas for intervention went unheeded.^[103] Planning failures compounded these decisions, with CPD underestimating the event's scale by anticipating hundreds of participants but confronting thousands, including far more counter-protesters than the permitted rally's projected 400–1,000 attendees.^[19] Riot gear was stored remotely in trailers rather than readily accessible, and no joint training occurred between CPD and VSP, whose 100+ page operational plan was not shared with local forces until after the event.^[19] Separate radio channels and briefings—VSP held its own at John Paul Jones Arena without inviting CPD—prevented unified command, resulting in independent operations, mismatched terminology (e.g., "mobile field force" vs. "tactical"), and delayed responses to escalating violence.^[19]^[21] An independent review by former U.S. Attorney Timothy Heaphy criticized CPD's response as "disappointingly passive," highlighting failures in coordination and proactive crowd control that allowed disorders to spread.^[19] The VSP's after-action assessment noted disparate plans and inconsistent rules of engagement, despite deploying ~600 troopers, as contributing to hesitation amid the chaos.^[21] Tragedy struck oversight efforts when a VSP helicopter providing aerial monitoring crashed on August 12, killing Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates approximately two hours after the rally's violence peaked, adding to the event's toll without evidence of external causes like collision.^[104]

Broader Rally Violence Attribution

Violence preceding the main events of the Unite the Right rally on August 12, 2017, involved mutual physical confrontations between permit-holding rally participants and unpermitted counter-protesters who gathered in the vicinity of Emancipation Park. The rally organizers, led by Jason Kessler, had secured a city permit for assembly in the park, estimated for 200 to 1,000 attendees, while counter-protests were not permitted in that specific location, creating a legal asymmetry that obligated police to protect the permitted event and potentially disperse unlawful assemblies elsewhere.^[19] This setup contributed to clashes when rally participants, declared an unlawful assembly after early morning permit revocation attempts (later overruled by a federal judge), marched toward alternative sites and encountered blocking counter-protesters on streets like Market Street.^[19] Empirical accounts document counter-protesters initiating contact in several instances, including the use of improvised weapons such as Maglite flashlights as clubs, sticks, helmets for protection, and pepper spray against rally attendees. Reports confirm thrown projectiles from counter-protesters, encompassing bottles, fruit, water bottles, and balloons containing unknown substances, as well as documented instances of urine being tossed at opponents. Rally participants responded with flagpoles, shields, and their own pepper spray, leading to brawls characterized by an independent police review as bidirectional aggression without a singular initiator in most encounters.^[19] ^[105] ^[106] Arrests during the pre-noon clashes were minimal, totaling very few despite visible violence, as police followed directives prioritizing de-escalation over immediate intervention unless imminent serious injury was evident, a policy later criticized in reviews for enabling escalation. Specific documented cases included counter-protester Deandre Harris assaulting a rally participant with a flashlight before being pursued and beaten in retaliation, highlighting reciprocal violence rather than one-sided aggression. Mainstream narratives attributing violence predominantly to rally participants overlook these documented tactics by counter-protesters, including those affiliated with antifa groups known for confrontational strategies, as evidenced by contemporaneous reporting and video footage.^[19]^[19]

Reactions

Government and Political Figures

President Donald Trump issued his first public statement on the violence in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017, condemning "hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides," without initially naming specific groups.^[107] Two days later, on August 14, Trump explicitly denounced "the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups" as criminals and thugs.^[108] In a press conference on August 15, Trump stated that there were "very fine people on both sides" among those protesting the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue and counter-protesters, but clarified that this did not include neo-Nazis or white nationalists, whom he again condemned, while attributing responsibility for violence to extremists on both sides, including what he termed the "alt-left."^[109] Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency on August 12, 2017, to augment state and local law enforcement response amid escalating violence at the Unite the Right rally and counter-protests.^[110] McAuliffe described the white nationalists as promoting "hate, racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance" and emphasized that such ideologies had no place in Virginia.^[111] Former President Barack Obama responded on August 12, 2017, via Twitter with a quote from Nelson Mandela: "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion," followed by statements that people who promote fear, blame, and scapegoating must be rejected.^[112] Obama's message did not directly address the car attack or specific perpetrators but framed the events within broader themes of combating hatred.^[113] Public opinion polls indicated divided views on assigning blame solely to one side. A Monmouth University poll conducted August 14-16, 2017, found that 40 percent of Americans agreed both sides were equally responsible for the violence in Charlottesville.^[114] This contrasted with majorities in other surveys disapproving of Trump's overall handling, though reflecting empirical support for multi-sided fault attribution amid documented clashes involving counter-protesters as well.^[115]

Media Coverage and Narratives

Initial media coverage of the August 12, 2017, car attack in Charlottesville heavily emphasized the involvement of white nationalist and alt-right participants at the Unite the Right rally, framing the incident as an outgrowth of far-right extremism while giving limited attention to preceding violence by counter-protesters. Outlets such as The Guardian described the event as a ramming into "anti-far-right protesters," highlighting the rally's neo-Nazi elements and the death of Heather Heyer without detailing earlier clashes where counter-protesters, including members of antifa groups, used improvised weapons like clubs and shields to assault rally attendees.^[116] ^[117] This selective focus aligned with a broader pattern in mainstream reporting, where empirical evidence of mutual violence—such as videos showing antifa activists chasing and striking individuals prior to the vehicular incident—was downplayed or contextualized as defensive action against fascists.^[118] Coverage diverged notably along partisan lines, with CNN and MSNBC portraying the rally predominantly through the lens of white supremacy and equating participants with historical Nazis, whereas Fox News highlighted contextual factors like the rally's permitted status and bidirectional aggression. A study analyzing CNN's Anderson Cooper 360° and Fox's Hannity found that CNN's framing invoked critical race theory-inspired narratives of systemic racism, devoting more airtime to condemning right-wing actors, while Fox emphasized individual accountability and police mishandling without broad-brush ideological labeling.^[119] ^[120] Such differences reflect systemic biases in institutional media, where left-leaning outlets like CNN prioritized narratives of right-wing threat over balanced casualty data from the day's events, which included injuries from both sides predating the car attack.^[121] In the years following, "Charlottesville" evolved into a shorthand in media discourse for right-wing extremism, often invoked to link unrelated conservative positions to violence without referencing the rally's core dispute over historical statue preservation or its legal free speech basis. For instance, MSNBC columns post-2017 routinely cited the event to critique "replacement theory" rhetoric among conservatives, eliding the antifa's role in escalating street confrontations and the absence of equivalent scrutiny for left-wing militancy.^[122] ^[123] This persistent narrative, critiqued for omitting verifiable facts like the rally organizers' court-won permit against city cancellation attempts, contributed to a causal misrepresentation that attributed all violence unilaterally to the right, despite reports documenting antifa's proactive disruptions.^[124] ^[117]

Statements from Rally Participants

Jason Kessler, the primary organizer of the Unite the Right rally, held a press conference on August 13, 2017, where he condemned the previous day's violence, stating, "I would like to condemn any of the violence that happened yesterday" and expressing disavowal of "anything that led to folks getting hurt."^[125] He portrayed Fields as an isolated individual unaffiliated with the rally's core planning or leadership, emphasizing that the event aimed to protest the removal of Confederate statues rather than incite vehicular assaults.^[125] Other rally organizers and alt-right figures similarly distanced themselves from Fields, framing the incident as counterproductive to their goals of assembling for free speech and heritage preservation amid what they described as aggressive counter-protester encirclement. Richard Spencer, a prominent alt-right leader involved in the rally, characterized the revocation of the event permit as an "absolute outrage" but avoided direct endorsement of the ramming, later noting in movement discussions that such acts harmed optics despite underlying tensions with antifa-style mobs.^[126] Participants recounted feeling trapped by hostile crowds wielding improvised weapons, fostering a narrative of defensive panic rather than premeditated endorsement of Fields' actions. Within white nationalist circles, reactions varied: some fringe voices, such as podcaster Mike Peinovich, defended the ramming as a response to perceived mob threats, while most viewed it as an optics disaster that amplified backlash and fractured alliances.^[127] The neo-Nazi site Daily Stormer, which had promoted the rally, published an article mocking victim Heather Heyer, prompting domain registrars GoDaddy and Google to terminate hosting on August 14, 2017, effectively shuttering its operations and highlighting internal divisions over the event's fallout.^[128]^[129] This led to broader alt-right commentary decrying the act as a liability that overshadowed the rally's intended focus on opposing statue removals and leftist erasure of history.

Responses from Victims' Families and Counter-Protesters

Mark Heyer, father of Heather Heyer, expressed opposition to the death penalty for James Alex Fields Jr., the perpetrator of the attack, arguing that Fields was "too stupid and too young to realize what he was about to do" and that a life sentence would allow reflection on the consequences.^[130]^[131] He emphasized combating hate over vengeance, stating that executing Fields would not bring his daughter back and could be seen as hypocritical given Heyer's own Christian beliefs against state-sanctioned killing.^[132] Susan Bro, Heather Heyer's mother, focused on her daughter's legacy of activism against racism, declaring at a memorial service on August 16, 2017, that the attackers "tried to kill my child to shut her up" but instead "amplified her" message globally.^[70] Bro rejected personal forgiveness toward Fields in the immediate aftermath, prioritizing systemic change over reconciliation, though she acknowledged the need for broader societal listening amid divisions.^[133]^[134] She later described sentencing proceedings as lifting a personal burden, but maintained the attack exemplified entrenched hatred requiring ongoing confrontation.^[135] Among counter-protesters and survivors, responses highlighted resilience and calls for de-escalating stigma against anti-fascist groups, with some framing the incident as justification for nationwide removal of Confederate statues symbolizing white supremacy.^[136] Injured participant Aubtin Heydari, who suffered severe wounds, advocated against permitting similar rallies, viewing counter-protester presence as essential to exposing extremist ideologies despite risks.^[137] Internal divisions emerged, as not all endorsed non-violent tactics; some acknowledged pre-attack clashes involved aggressive actions from militant counter-protesters, including Antifa affiliates, which provoked rally participants, though the vehicular assault was universally condemned as disproportionate.^[138] Survivors collectively applauded Fields' 2018 murder conviction and 2019 life sentence, interpreting them as validation for sustained opposition to far-right mobilization.^[136]^[139]

Aftermath and Legacy

Changes in Charlottesville Policies

Following the August 12, 2017, Unite the Right rally and car attack, the Charlottesville City Council accelerated efforts to remove Confederate statues that had prompted the protests. The council had initially voted on February 6, 2017, to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from what was then Lee Park, but lawsuits invoking Virginia's historic monument protection laws halted action, with a circuit court injunction issued in October 2017.^[140]^[141] After state law changes in 2020 permitted removals, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled unanimously on April 1, 2021, that the city could proceed, leading to the removal of the Lee statue on July 10, 2021, and the Stonewall Jackson statue shortly thereafter.^[142]^[143] The Lee statue was later melted down in October 2023.^[144] Accompanying these actions, the city renamed Lee Park to Emancipation Park and Jackson Park to Justice Park in August 2017, despite ongoing litigation.^[145] In response to Heather Heyer's death in the car attack, the city established memorials, including a plaque at the crash site and the designation of Heather Heyer Way, a portion of Fourth Street renamed in her honor.^[146] However, the site memorial faced repeated vandalism, prompting community restoration efforts in April 2019, as investigated by local police.^[146] These measures aimed to honor victims while addressing trauma, though persistent defacement highlighted challenges in maintaining such sites. Regarding public gatherings, Charlottesville did not impose outright bans on rallies post-2017, adhering to First Amendment protections, but local ordinances and state laws evolved to grant authorities greater discretion in managing events, including restrictions on firearms at permitted assemblies.^[147] The 2017 independent review recommended enhanced permitting processes to separate opposing groups and improve coordination, influencing subsequent event regulations without evidence of reduced violence incidence tied directly to these changes.^[19] Attempts to hold anniversary events, such as Jason Kessler's withdrawn permit application for August 2018, underscored stricter scrutiny but no policy shift to denial based solely on content.^[148] Empirical metrics on policy efficacy remain limited; no significant sustained changes in local crime rates are directly attributable to these alterations, with broader hate crime data showing national fluctuations unrelated to Charlottesville-specific reforms.^[149] Tourism experienced short-term disruptions due to negative publicity, but recovery patterns aligned with national trends rather than policy-driven outcomes.^[150]

National Impact on Free Speech and Statues

The Charlottesville car attack on August 12, 2017, accelerated nationwide efforts to remove Confederate monuments, with at least 74 such symbols taken down from public spaces by 2020, contributing to over 300 removals across the United States since the event.^[151] ^[152] These actions often invoked public safety and historical reevaluation, prompting legal challenges that reached state supreme courts, including Virginia's 2021 ruling permitting the removal of statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson in Charlottesville itself.^[142] Similarly, Georgia's Supreme Court reviewed cases in 2022 seeking protections for monuments against municipal removals, highlighting tensions between local authority and heritage preservation laws.^[153] The incident intensified scrutiny of public rally permits under the First Amendment, with municipalities and universities increasingly denying or conditioning approvals for events linked to far-right organizers due to anticipated violence and resource strains on law enforcement.^[154] The American Civil Liberties Union, which had litigated to reinstate the Unite the Right permit, subsequently adjusted its policy in 2017 to oppose defending hate group speeches involving armed participants, reflecting broader debates on balancing free expression with public order.^[155] This shift contributed to deplatforming trends, as social media companies banned key alt-right figures, exacerbating internal fractures within the movement.^[156] In the broader legacy, the event correlated with heightened political polarization, as Pew Research metrics documented rising ideological consistency and partisan antipathy, with the share of Americans holding uniformly liberal or conservative views increasing from 21% in 1994 to 38% by 2017 and continuing upward trends thereafter.^[157] Alt-right cohesion fragmented post-2017, marked by infighting, reduced public events, and a retreat to online spaces, leading to measurable declines in associated web traffic and organized activities by 2018.^[158] ^[159] Federal assessments, including FBI reports, have emphasized persistent domestic terrorism threats but noted no disproportionate surge in completed attacks attributable to the rally's ideological strains, countering narratives of an unchecked extremist upswing while underscoring evolved risks from anti-government actors.^[160]

References

[1]
Ohio Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Federal Hate Crimes ...
Jun 28, 2019 · ... August 2017 Car Attack at Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Friday ... Fields further admitted that, on Aug. 12, 2017, he attended the ...
[2]
Examiner: blunt-force trauma caused Heyer's death - WDBJ7
Dec 3, 2018 · The local Assistant Chief Medical Examiner testified Monday and said Heather Heyer's official cause of death was blunt force injury to her torso.
[3]
Heather Heyer's Cause of Death Revealed in Report - Newsweek
Oct 17, 2017 · Heather Heyer, the anti-racism activist killed at the Charlottesville white nationalist protests, died as a result of blunt-force injury to the chest.
[4]
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to 29 Federal Hate Crimes for August 2017 ...
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to 29 Federal Hate Crimes for August 2017 Car Attack at Rally in Charlottesville. Wednesday, March 27, 2019. For Immediate Release.
[5]
James Fields Jr. Is Sentenced To Life In Prison By A Virginia Court
Jul 15, 2019 · Avowed neo-Nazi James Fields Jr. was given a second sentence of life in prison for killing a woman and injuring dozens when he rammed his car into a group of ...
[6]
Man who drove into Charlottesville protest, killing Heather Heyer ...
Dec 7, 2018 · A state jury rejected arguments that James Alex Fields Jr. acted in self-defense during a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville on Aug.
[7]
Charlottesville City Council votes to remove Lee statue - WSET
Feb 7, 2017 · The Charlottesville City Council voted 3-2 Monday night to remove a Robert E. Lee statue out of Lee Park.
[8]
A record number of Confederate monuments fell in 2020, but ...
Jun 17, 2020 · More than 140 Confederate monuments have been removed from public land since the Charleston, SC, church shooting in 2015, and about two-thirds of those came ...Missing: trends | Show results with:trends
[9]
About - Charlottesville Statues - The University of Virginia
On February 6, 2017, the City Council voted to remove the Lee statue. In response, numerous plaintiffs filed a lawsuit to prevent any changes to either Market ...
[10]
Following state Supreme Court ruling, Charlottesville to act on ...
Apr 1, 2021 · As the statues were erected in 1921 and 1924, the ruling argues they are not subject to state law preventing the removal of war monuments. The ...
[11]
KKK rally in Charlottesville outnumbered by counterprotesters - CNN
Jul 8, 2017 · A Ku Klux Klan rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, drew about 50 Klan members and supporters Saturday – and several hundred counterprotesters, authorities said.
[12]
KKK rally in Virginia met with large counterprotest | Racism News
Jul 9, 2017 · Police arrest 23 after hundreds confront KKK members protesting the removal of Confederate statue in Charlottesville.
[13]
KKK rally over Confederate statue stirs deep-rooted tensions in ...
Jul 9, 2017 · KKK rally over Confederate statue stirs deep-rooted tensions in Charlottesville ... When roughly 50 members of the Ku Klux Klan rallied in ...
[14]
Kessler v. Charlottesville - ACLU of Virginia
Aug 10, 2017 · On June 13, 2017 the City approved a permit application from Mr. Kessler for a “Unite the Right” march at which he estimated four hundred people ...
[15]
[PDF] JASON KESSLER, | Case No. 3:17CV56 - ACLU of Virginia
Aug 12, 2017 · The. City of Charlottesville's decision to revoke Plaintiff's permit for a demonstration at Emancipation. Park was not made “without reference ...
[16]
Charlottesville And The Rise Of White Identity Politics | FiveThirtyEight
Aug 14, 2017 · The “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, was to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
[17]
Charlottesville: Why are the 'Unite the Right' organisers on trial? - BBC
Oct 27, 2021 · White supremacist Richard Spencer is among the defendants on trial for their role in the deadly 2017 'Unite the Right' rally.
[18]
Why we represented the alt-right in Charlottesville - ACLU of Virginia
Aug 28, 2017 · The decision to represent Jason Kessler, organizer of the Unite the Right rally ... revoke a permit once granted and to regulate the “place ...
[19]
[PDF] final report - independent review of the 2017 protest events in ...
third report dated June 22 provided more in-depth information about the Klan based on the group's web site, past rallies, and criminal records.101. Together ...
[20]
Charlottesville White Nationalist Rally Violence Prompts State of ...
Aug 12, 2017 · The CPD estimated between 2,000 and 6,000 people were expected to attend the "Unite the Right" rally, according to local paper The Daily ...Missing: attendance | Show results with:attendance
[21]
[PDF] Virginia's Response to the Unite the Right Rally
Laws and the Permitting Process. The permitting process in Charlottesville was not fully engaged for the Unite the Right rally. Although the scope of our ...
[22]
Va. Guard Soldiers support security operations in Charlottesville ...
Aug 14, 2017 · The Virginia National Guard rapidly responded when requested to assist local law enforcement and Virginia State Police with security operations ...
[23]
White Nationalists March on University of Virginia
A month after a Ku Klux Klan rally here ended with the police using tear gas on protesters, Charlottesville is bracing for a weekend of white ...
[24]
Charlottesville torch marchers face criminal charges six years later
Apr 19, 2023 · Nearly six years after an infamous far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, three demonstrators have been indicted on felony counts.
[25]
Charlottesville Police Refused to Protect Synagogue From Nazis, so ...
Aug 16, 2017 · Zimmerman said the threat was not only on the ground, but online too. He learned that Nazi websites had posted a call to burn the synagogue ...
[26]
Charlottesville: far-right crowd with torches encircles counter-protest ...
Aug 12, 2017 · ... Unite the Right rally, which is predicted to be the country's largest in a decade. Far-right monitoring groups estimate that between 500 and ...Missing: expected attendance
[27]
Charlottesville: man charged with murder was pictured at neo-Nazi ...
Aug 13, 2017 · Virginia police have not yet provided a motive for the attack using the vehicle but an Federal Bureau of Investigation field office said US ...
[28]
Vanguard America, a white supremacist group, denies ...
Aug 15, 2017 · While arguing that counterprotesters were responsible for some of the violence Saturday, Irizarry and his spokesman condemned the vehicle attack ...
[29]
What We Know About James Alex Fields, Driver Charged in ...
Aug 13, 2017 · Mr. Fields was charged with second-degree murder in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday after the authorities said he smashed a car into a ...
[30]
Charlottesville rally violence: How we got here - CNN
Aug 14, 2017 · Saturday afternoon: Car slams into protesters. charlottesville attack hartung intv_00011402.jpg ... James Alex Fields Jr., 20, of Maumee, Ohio.
[31]
Public can view video evidence from crowd-ramming trial | AP News
Dec 28, 2018 · The public can now view video evidence used in the trial of the man who drove his car into counterprotesters at a 2017 white nationalist ...
[32]
Public can view video evidence from crowd-ramming trial - WHSV
Dec 28, 2018 · ... video footage submitted in the case against James Alex Fields Jr. ... James Fields convicted of first-degree murder in Charlottesville car attack
[33]
'He didn't seem angry': Witnesses testify about James A. Fields's ...
Dec 5, 2018 · A crash reconstructionist testified that Fields's car was traveling at 28 mph before crashing into a crowd of counterprotesters.
[34]
After 'Unite the Right' guilty verdict, survivors celebrate, alt-right ...
Dec 10, 2018 · Then, Fields gunned the car forward, with a crash reconstruction expert estimating a top speed of 28 mph on the short street before he struck ...
[35]
Final defense witness located after brief confusion in Fields trial
Dec 5, 2018 · James Alex Fields Jr. is charged with first-degree murder and ... Judge denies Charlottesville car attack suspect's change of venue request
[36]
Charlottesville: One killed in violence over US far-right rally - BBC
Aug 12, 2017 · One person has died and 19 others were injured when a car rammed a crowd of people opposing a far-right rally in the US state of Virginia, police say.
[37]
James Alex Fields found guilty of killing Heather Heyer during ...
Dec 7, 2018 · Heyer died from blunt force injury to the chest, and 19 others were injured. Star Peterson, one of the injured, had to undergo five surgeries on ...
[38]
Medical Examiner: Heather Heyer died of blunt force injury during ...
Dec 3, 2018 · Officials from the medical examiner's office also testified. They confirmed Heyer's cause of death, which was blunt force injury to the torso.
[39]
Day 6: How Heather died—Witnesses detail severity of injuries
Dec 3, 2018 · Assistant Chief Medical Examiner Jennifer Nicole Bowers performed the autopsy on Heyer, and said blunt force trauma to the torso was the cause of death.
[40]
UVAHS Emergency Team Helps Victims in Charlottesville Protest ...
Oct 15, 2017 · ... car assault. The majority of those individuals injured by the car received treatment rapidly, and the emergency department returned to ...
[41]
Reflection on the Charlottesville Rally - EMRA
with 20-30 incoming blunt trauma patients, ETA unknown. “My mind briefly ...
[42]
Charlottesville Attacker And Victim Identified: Vigil Scheduled Sunday
identified as James Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio — fled by backing away from the scene, but was arrested a few blocks away. He was ...
[43]
Charlottesville victim Heather Heyer's father pays tribute | Daily Mail ...
... CHARLOTTESVILLE FOR THE DAILYMAIL.COM ... James Fields, who police say intentionally plowed ... He was arrested a few blocks away from the bloody scene.<|separator|>
[44]
Ohio Man Charged With Murder In Fatal Car Attack On Anti-White ...
Aug 13, 2017 · James Alex Fields Jr. is accused of ramming his car into a group of marchers after the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va.
[45]
How to discuss the history of white nationalism with your students in ...
Aug 15, 2017 · ... Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday. A judge ordered 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. be held without bond on second-degree murder charges.
[46]
Assaults Still Being Reported Following Deadly Weekend Rally ...
Aug 14, 2017 · The suspect in the killing, James Alex Fields Jr., 20, of Maumee, Ohio, was ordered held without bond Monday pending an Aug. 25 hearing on a ...
[47]
A neo-Nazi's rage-fueled journey to Charlottesville
Aug 18, 2017 · James Alex Fields Jr., 20, is accused of driving his car into ... was born on April 26, 1997. As for Bloom, she is paralyzed below the ...
[48]
Ohio man charged in Charlottesville vehicle attack grew up in NKY
Aug 12, 2017 · Online records show an April 26, 1997 birthday for Fields Jr ... "Democracy may be noisy and it may be messy, but it remains the best ...
[49]
Suspect in Charlottesville Attack Had Displayed Troubling Behavior
Aug 13, 2017 · Mr. Fields spent most of his life in northern Kentucky and was raised near Cincinnati. His father was killed in a car accident in 1996, months ...
[50]
911 calls, records reveal tumultuous past for James Alex Fields Jr ...
Aug 14, 2017 · The mother of the man accused of killing one and injuring 19 in Saturday's domestic terror attack in Charlottesville, Virginia called 911 ...
[51]
James Fields Jr.: A neo-Nazi's violent, rage-fueled journey to ...
Aug 18, 2017 · Late in his senior year of high school, James Fields Jr. was excitedly mapping his future, hoping to join the Army right after graduation.Missing: care | Show results with:care
[52]
Charlottesville Driver Who Rammed Crowd Washed Out of Army
Aug 14, 2017 · "The Army can confirm that James Alex Fields reported for basic military training in August of 2015," Sharp said. "He was, however, released ...Missing: high school expulsion
[53]
Charlottesville: Who is suspect James Alex Fields Jr? - BBC
Aug 14, 2017 · James Alex Fields Jnr, who is 20 years old and originally from Kentucky, was arrested and charged after a car was deliberately driven into a ...
[54]
Charlottesville suspect was known as "the Nazi" of his high school
Aug 15, 2017 · Cooper High School 2013-2014 yearbook page showing James Alex Fields Jr. ... But his Facebook page, captured by BuzzFeed, also revealed “alt-right ...
[55]
James A. Fields, s/k/a James Alex Fields v. Commonwealth of Virginia
Nov 16, 2021 · James A. Fields, s/k/a James Alex Fields v. Commonwealth of Virginia.Missing: early | Show results with:early
[56]
Neo-Nazi Gets Multiple Life Sentences In Federal Prison for ...
Jun 30, 2019 · ... high school classmates. Special Agent Alhusen provided a ... James Fields should be behind bars for the rest of his life. But he ...Missing: expelled | Show results with:expelled
[57]
How the Charlottesville suspect became radicalized - VICE
charged with ...<|separator|>
[58]
Alt Right: A Primer on the New White Supremacy - ADL
Jun 18, 2020 · The alt right is an extremely loose movement, made up of different strands of people connected to white supremacy. One body of adherents is the ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[59]
Judge allows prosecutors to submit Fields' social media messages ...
Nov 30, 2018 · A Charlottesville judge is allowing social media posts made by James Alex Fields, Jr. to be admitted into evidence during his trial.
[60]
Charlottesville suspect shared posts showing car driving into ... - CNN
Nov 30, 2018 · The prosecution in that case has alleged in court documents that Fields – who they say espoused white supremacist ideals and denounced ...
[61]
Judge allows texts and calls from Fields as evidence in trial - WHSV
Dec 4, 2018 · Prosecutors have witnesses that are still waiting to be called to testify regarding the car attack on Fourth and Water streets. Fields, of ...Missing: GPS | Show results with:GPS
[62]
The Latest: Lawyer says man drove into crowd out of fear - AP News
Dec 6, 2018 · A defense attorney has told a jury that an Ohio man accused in a deadly car attack on counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally felt he ...
[63]
Ohio Man Charged with Federal Hate Crimes Related to August ...
Jun 27, 2018 · James Alex Fields Jr. Indicted on 30 Counts Including Hate Crime Resulting in the Death of Heather Heyer.Missing: timeline | Show results with:timeline
[64]
A Look Into The Life Of Charlottesville Victim Heather Heyer - NPR
Aug 13, 2017 · Heather Heyer, 32, was a paralegal who was killed when an alleged white supremacist crashed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters in ...
[65]
Charlottesville: Who was victim Heather Heyer? - BBC
Aug 14, 2017 · Heather Heyer, 32, died after being hit by a car that ploughed into a crowd of counter-protesters.
[66]
Heather Heyer, victim of Charlottesville car attack, was civil rights ...
Aug 13, 2017 · The woman who died when a car rammed into a group of people protesting against a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville was named on Sunday as Heather ...Missing: biography | Show results with:biography
[67]
Charlottesville Victim Heather Heyer 'Stood Up' Against What She ...
Aug 13, 2017 · Heather Heyer, 32, died on Saturday after a car plowed into a crowd of anti-racist protesters following a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va.
[68]
'I forgive him,' father of Charlottesville victim Heather Heyer speaks out
Aug 14, 2017 · The father of a 32-year-old woman killed while protesting the presence of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia told WESH 2 News that he forgives the ...
[69]
Mother of woman killed in Charlottesville: 'This is just the beginning ...
Aug 16, 2017 · At a memorial service today for Heather Heyer, the woman killed Saturday when a car rammed into a crowd of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in ...Missing: job | Show results with:job
[70]
'This Is Just The Beginning Of Heather's Legacy' - NPR
Aug 16, 2017 · Friends and family remembered the passion of Charlottesville victim Heather Heyer. "Carry Heather's spark," her mother told listeners and ...Missing: biography background
[71]
A year after Charlottesville, money for injured residents is drying up
Aug 10, 2018 · A year after the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, became a watershed moment in recent United States history ...
[72]
Jury awards $26 million in Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally civil ...
Nov 24, 2021 · James Alex Fields Jr., who is serving a life sentence for a car-attack that killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injured 19 more, faces more ...Missing: survivors permanent
[73]
Justice Department Launches Civil Rights Investigation Into ... - NPR
Aug 14, 2017 · FBI agents are also on the ground in Charlottesville. They're conducting a civil rights investigation into that deadly car attack following the ...Missing: coordination | Show results with:coordination
[74]
Why The Government Can't Bring Terrorism Charges In Charlottesville
Aug 14, 2017 · Attorney General Jeff Sessions described the car attack as "domestic terrorism." That allows the government to open a broad investigation, ...
[75]
Charlottesville Jury Recommends 419 Years Plus Life For Neo-Nazi ...
Dec 11, 2018 · Fields was convicted last week of first-degree murder along with several counts of aggravated malicious wounding, malicious wounding and leaving ...Missing: trial | Show results with:trial
[76]
In Charlottesville Murder Trial, Courtroom Relives Trauma of a ...
Dec 5, 2018 · A chilling videotape played for the jury captured the voice of James Fields Jr., an Ohio man who attended a white nationalist rally here last year and crashed ...Missing: acceleration | Show results with:acceleration
[77]
Man who drove into Charlottesville counterprotesters is convicted of ...
Dec 7, 2018 · A state jury rejected arguments that James Alex Fields Jr. acted in self-defense during a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville on Aug.
[78]
Man who rammed car into crowd in Charlottesville convicted of first ...
Dec 7, 2018 · Jurors convicted James Alex Fields Jr. of eight other charges, including aggravated malicious wounding and hit and run. Fields, 21, drove to ...Missing: father incident
[79]
James Fields: jury recommends life sentence for Charlottesville ...
Dec 11, 2018 · A jury on Tuesday called for a sentence of life in prison plus 419 years for the Hitler admirer who killed a woman when he rammed his car into ...Missing: expulsion military discharge<|separator|>
[80]
Jury recommends life in prison for James Fields Jr. - CBS News
Dec 11, 2018 · A jury has recommended life in prison plus 419 years for James Alex Fields Jr., who was convicted of murder for driving his car into ...<|separator|>
[81]
Life plus 419 years: Judge goes with jury recommendation in Fields ...
Jul 15, 2019 · After a four-hour hearing July 15 in the cramped room temporarily housing Charlottesville Circuit Court, a judge handed down the same ...
[82]
Sentencing moved up for man in deadly Charlottesville rally - WHSV
Jun 17, 2019 · James Alex Fields Jr. was originally scheduled to be sentenced July 3. A notice filed in court says the hearing has been moved to June 28.Missing: reason | Show results with:reason
[83]
[PDF] IN THE NAME OF HATE: - U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
Nov 13, 2019 · ... no remorse or regret, police say,” CNN, Aug. 6, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/05/us/el-paso-suspect-patrick-crusius/index.html; see also ...
[84]
Neo-Nazi Who Killed Charlottesville Protester Is Sentenced To Life ...
Jun 28, 2019 · James Fields rammed his car into a crowd of anti-racist protesters in 2017, killing Heather Heyer and injuring many others.
[85]
James Alex Fields pleads not guilty to federal hate crimes stemming ...
Jul 6, 2018 · An Ohio man has pleaded not guilty to more than two dozen federal hate crime charges stemming from the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in ...<|separator|>
[86]
Heather Heyer's mom sues killer for $12 million. She doesn't expect ...
Sep 5, 2019 · Heather Heyer's mother is suing her daughter's imprisoned killer for $12 million – but she doesn't expect to see a penny.
[87]
Mother of Charlottesville car attack victim takes action to ... - CBS News
Sep 5, 2019 · Susan Bro filed a $12 million lawsuit August 30 against 22-year-old James Alex Fields Jr., who is now serving life sentences plus 419 years on ...
[88]
Jury in Charlottesville 'Unite the Right' trial awards plaintiffs $25M in ...
Nov 23, 2021 · The jury agreed he must pay $12 million in punitive damages in connection with the attack. The trial included explicit audio of some of the ...Missing: survivors permanent
[89]
Jury finds rally organizers liable for the violence that broke out ... - NPR
Nov 23, 2021 · A jury in Virginia has found a group of white nationalists who organized the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., liable of engaging in a ...
[90]
Jury awards $26M in damages for Unite the Right violence | AP News
Nov 23, 2021 · The final two claims were made against James Alex Fields ... attacks as well as plaintiffs who were beaten or subjected to racist taunts.
[91]
[PDF] 1 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN ...
Mar 7, 2023 · (“Defendant Fields is additionally liable for the compensatory damages award on Count VI, which amount is $704,459.”). Determining whether ...
[92]
Fourth Circuit Affirms Charlottesville Conspiracy Verdict, Reinstates ...
Jul 1, 2024 · The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a jury verdict finding white nationalist leaders and organizations liable for damages to people ...
[93]
Feds seek to seize funds from white supremacist convicted in deadly ...
Feb 20, 2023 · Federal prosecutors in December told a judge that James Alex Fields Jr. had a total of $759.86 in his "inmate trust account."
[94]
Appeals court upholds James Alex Fields Jr.'s murder conviction in ...
Nov 17, 2021 · “The circuit court acknowledged that the image of Hitler could be prejudicial but permitted it to be admitted into evidence for the purpose of ...
[95]
'Unite the Right' rally murderer moved to federal prison in West Virginia
Sep 13, 2019 · A man convicted of murder and hate crime charges for a car attack in the wake of the 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville has now been ...<|separator|>
[96]
White supremacist serving life sentence fined for prison misconduct
Mar 1, 2023 · James Alex Fields Jr. allegedly threatened a correctional officer and brandished a “dangerous weapon.”
[97]
White supremacist convicted in Charlottesville car-ramming accused ...
Feb 27, 2023 · James Alex Fields Jr. has been accused of making threats against at least one correctional officer and of wielding a "dangerous weapon," ...
[98]
Alleged Charlottesville car attacker may claim self-defense, lawyer ...
Nov 26, 2018 · Attorney John Hill told the jury pool that evidence will show James Alex Fields "thought he was acting in self-defense." The revelation came ...
[99]
Heather Heyer killing: Defense attorney tells potential jurors of 'self ...
Nov 27, 2018 · Hill told prospective jurors that the court will hear evidence that Fields “thought he was acting in self-defense,” WVIR reported. The defense ...
[100]
Charge upgraded to first-degree murder for driver accused of ...
Dec 14, 2017 · James Alex Fields Jr. was charged with second-degree murder and other counts after authorities say he rammed his car into a crowd of protesters.Missing: path | Show results with:path
[101]
Was Driver Acting in Self-Defense? - FactCheck.org
Aug 21, 2017 · No. Police have charged James Alex Fields Jr. with multiple offenses, including second-degree murder and “aggravated malicious wounding.”
[102]
He drove his car into a crowd in Charlottesville. Now the question is ...
Nov 30, 2018 · Related article Couple who survived Charlottesville car attack get married ... James Alex Fields Jr., 21, of Maumee, Ohio, is accused of ...
[103]
Charlottesville Stand-Down Order? - FactCheck.org
Aug 23, 2017 · The Charlottesville police chief, mayor and city spokeswoman all have said there was no “stand-down” order. However, there has been ...<|separator|>
[104]
Chopper crash kills two Virginia cops near rally site - CNN
Aug 12, 2017 · Both Virginia State Police troopers died Saturday when their police helicopter crashed and burned in Charlottesville, as they patrolled near the site of ...
[105]
Protesters draw blood, toss urine at violent 'Unite the Right' rally in ...
Aug 12, 2017 · A car drove into a crowd of protesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., this afternoon, the Associated Press reports.
[106]
A Far-Right Gathering Bursts Into Brawls - The New York Times
Aug 13, 2017 · A white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., became a scene of a constant stream of projectiles as attendees and counterprotesters ...<|separator|>
[107]
Trump condemns 'hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides' in ...
Aug 13, 2017 · President Donald Trump condemned hate “on many sides” in response to violent white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.
[108]
Statement by President Trump – The White House - National Archives
Aug 14, 2017 · Our economy is now strong. The stock market continues to hit record highs, unemployment is at a 16-year low, and businesses are more optimistic than ever ...
[109]
Full text: Trump's comments on white supremacists, 'alt-left ... - Politico
Aug 15, 2017 · But you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. You had people in that group – excuse me, excuse me. I saw the same ...
[110]
Governor Ralph Northam on X: "Governor McAuliffe has declared a ...
Aug 12, 2017 · Governor McAuliffe has declared a state of emergency to aid state response to violence at Alt-Right rally in Charlottesville.
[111]
White nationalist rally brings clashes in Charlottesville - PBS
Aug 12, 2017 · Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency. Hundreds of white nationalists and alt-right activists clashed in the streets ...
[112]
Obama tweets Mandela quotes after apparent attack in Charlottesville
Aug 12, 2017 · Obama tweets Mandela quotes after apparent attack in Charlottesville · "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or ...
[113]
Obama's tweet about Charlottesville is now the most liked tweet ever
Aug 15, 2017 · The message became the most liked tweet of all time, surpassing Ariana Grande's response to the deadly terrorist attack after her concert in ...
[114]
40 percent of Americans agree with Trump that 'both sides' were ...
Aug 18, 2017 · Four in 10 Americans believe that "both sides" were equally responsible for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend.Missing: opinion | Show results with:opinion
[115]
Poll: Most disapprove of Trump's Charlottesville response - CNN
Aug 17, 2017 · A majority of Americans say they disapprove of President Donald Trump's handling of the situation in Charlottesville, Virginia.Missing: opinion | Show results with:opinion
[116]
Man charged with murder after driving into anti-far-right protesters in ...
Aug 12, 2017 · James Fields, from Ohio, arrested following attack at 'Unite the Right' gathering, and two police officers die in helicopter crash.
[117]
Media Coverage of Charlottesville Tragedy Reveals a Multitude of ...
Aug 19, 2017 · ... violence in Charlottesville. He essentially diluted ... Perhaps the reason why the media gives little regard to Antifa is because Antifa ...
[118]
Antifa clashes with police and journalists in Charlottesville and DC
Aug 12, 2018 · But a few left-wing “antifa” (short for “anti-fascist”) counterprotesters did engage in violence, throwing eggs and water bottles and shooting ...
[119]
(PDF) White Supremacy on CNN and Fox: AC 360 and Hannity ...
Aug 26, 2021 · This research examines CNN and Fox News coverage of the 2017 “Unite the Right” rallies held in Charlottesville, VA. The study uses critical race ...
[120]
[PDF] 2017 Charlottesville Riots – Media Coverage Paper Media and ...
May 10, 2023 · A focal moment within this series of events is the car attack by perpetrator James Alex Fields Jr., a white-supremacist responsible for the ...<|separator|>
[121]
Charlottesville: What made Trump remarks so offensive? - BBC
Aug 16, 2017 · But weighing up the violence on both sides misses the point for many. 'No moral equivalency'. In a world where terrorist attacks, suicide bombs ...
[122]
Tucker Carlson's latest white supremacist tirade might be his most ...
Apr 14, 2021 · Replacement theory explains why at the 2017 white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, angry white men chanted, “You ...
[123]
Online reactions to the 2017 'Unite the right' rally in Charlottesville
Jan 31, 2020 · ... 2017 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA using tools from network analysis and data science. We use media followership ...Missing: attendance | Show results with:attendance<|separator|>
[124]
In Charlottesville and elsewhere, U.S. journalists are being ... - Poynter
Aug 21, 2017 · The injury occurred while he was covering an anti-fascist march. Sterne pointed to an unsympathetic statement released by ASH Antifa Seven Hills ...
[125]
White Nationalist Jason Kessler Flees His Press Conference in ...
Aug 13, 2017 · "I would like to condemn any of the violence that happened yesterday," he is caught saying on the audio. "I disavow anything that led to folks ...
[126]
The Charlottesville rally 5 years later: 'It's what you're still trying to ...
Aug 12, 2022 · On the night of Aug. 11, 2017, Neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klansmen and other white supremacists marched through the University of Virginia campus ...
[127]
'Unite the Right' 5 Years Later: Where Are They Now?
Aug 11, 2022 · drove his 2010 Dodge Challenger over 500 miles from Ohio to march with hundreds of other white supremacists at the Unite the Right rally. On ...
[128]
Daily Stormer: Cloudflare drops neo-Nazi site - BBC
Aug 17, 2017 · A neo-Nazi site that disparaged a woman who died during protests in Charlottesville has faced another wave of rejection by web companies.
[129]
Google And GoDaddy Ban White Supremacist Site After Virginia Rally
Aug 14, 2017 · The Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website that promoted the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va., moved its site to Google before its registration there ...
[130]
Heather Heyer's Father Doesn't Want the Death Penalty for her Killer ...
Dec 8, 2018 · Charlottesville alt-right protester James Fields was convicted of murdering Heather Heyer with his car on Friday, but Heather's father, Mark ...
[131]
Heather Heyer's Father Doesn't Want Her Killer To Get The Death ...
Dec 7, 2018 · "He was too stupid and too young to realize what he was about to do would change his whole life," Mark Heyer told BuzzFeed News about the ...
[132]
Father of Murdered Charlottesville Protester Opposes Death Penalty
Dec 12, 2018 · ... car into a crowd of protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring many others. ... sentenced to life in prison in Charlottesville car attack ...Missing: details | Show results with:details
[133]
'A white girl had to die for people to pay attention': Heather Heyer's ...
Oct 1, 2017 · Heyer was killed when a car plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters after a white supremacist rally in Virginia – now her mother has ...
[134]
for Heather Heyer: 'You never think you're going to bury your child ...
for Heather Heyer: 'You never think you're going to bury your child', by Susan Bro - 2017 ... ' And I'm sorry, it's not all about forgiveness.
[135]
Mother of Charlottesville victim speaks at sentencing hearing
Dec 10, 2018 · Heather Heyer was killed by James Alex Fields, who was found guilty of first-degree murder and other charges.Missing: medical outcomes
[136]
'We are unbreakable': Charlottesville survivors applaud guilty verdict
Dec 8, 2018 · Survivors returned to the spot where James Fields, convicted of first-degree murder, drove into a crowd in August 2017.Missing: outcomes | Show results with:outcomes
[137]
Aubtin Heydari was nearly killed at the Charlottesville rally last year ...
Aug 10, 2018 · Heydari was one of 19 people injured by the white nationalists' attack on counterprotesters at last year's Unite the Right rally in ...
[138]
Who Were the Counterprotesters in Charlottesville?
also known as antifa (pronounced an-TEE-fa) — have been physically confronting neo-Nazis, white ...Missing: pre- bike locks balloons
[139]
Charlottesville attacker apologises as he is jailed for life - BBC
Jun 28, 2019 · James Alex Fields Jr, 22, was sentenced for numerous federal hate crimes committed in the August 2017 attack. Heather Heyer, 32, died when ...
[140]
Payne v. City of Charlottesville
On February 6, 2017, the City Council voted to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee. In response, numerous plaintiffs filed a lawsuit to prevent any changes to ...Missing: timeline | Show results with:timeline
[141]
Explaining the fight over Virginia's Robert E. Lee statues
Jun 30, 2020 · In August 2017, protests in Charlottesville about the removal of its Lee statue left one person dead. Two police officers also died in a ...
[142]
Charlottesville Can Remove Confederate Statues, High Court Rules
Nov 8, 2021 · The Charlottesville City Council approved a resolution to remove the Lee statue in 2017. A group of citizens filed a lawsuit opposing the move, ...Missing: timeline | Show results with:timeline
[143]
Charlottesville removes Confederate statues that helped spark ...
Jul 10, 2021 · Monuments to Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson and Robert E Lee, which had become a rallying point to white supremacists, have been removed.
[144]
Robert E. Lee Confederate statue in Charlottesville melted down
Oct 26, 2023 · Initial plans to remove the statue sparked the infamous "Unite the Right" rally where Heather Heyer was killed, two state troopers died, and ...
[145]
Charlottesville takes down Robert E Lee statue that sparked rally
Jul 10, 2021 · Charlottesville had continued to push for the removal of the Lee statue after the protests, but was prevented from acting by legal action ...
[146]
Community restores vandalized Heather Heyer memorial - WHSV
Apr 29, 2019 · Community restores vandalized Heather Heyer memorial ... The Charlottesville Police Department is investigating the vandalism case.
[147]
Lessons Learned from the “Unite the Right Rally” of 2017 - ACEP
Mar 19, 2021 · On August 12, 2017, the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, experienced the “Unite the Right Rally”, an event organized by a variety of right ...Missing: attendance | Show results with:attendance
[148]
Charlottesville rally organizer withdraws request for anniversary permit
Jul 24, 2018 · The organizer of last year's deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, is no longer seeking a permit from the city to commemorate the event ...
[149]
The shadow of fear: hate crime victimization and stress after ...
Results: We first show that there was an increase in anti-Black hate crimes in the 2 weeks following the Charlottesville incident. We also find a corresponding ...
[150]
'Unite The Right' Rally Forced Charlottesville To Rethink Town's ...
Aug 9, 2018 · After a deadly clash between white nationalists and counterprotesters on Aug. 12 last year, Charlottesville has become shorthand for racial strife.
[151]
Dallas removed a Confederate statue in 2017 - Facebook
Sep 14, 2020 · 74 Confederate monuments have been removed from public view since 2017, the year of the Unite the Right white supremacist neo-Confederate rally ...
[152]
Richmond grapples with legacy of Confederate statues amid Trump ...
Jul 11, 2025 · While 2,086 Confederate memorials, markers and monuments remain nationwide, more than 300 have been taken down since then, according to the ...
[153]
Georgia Supreme Court hears case arguing for Confederate ...
May 19, 2022 · Georgia Supreme Court heard arguments on Henry, Newton on lawsuits seeking damages for Confederate monument statue removal from public ...
[154]
Campuses, cities reject far right after Charlottesville - Al Jazeera
Aug 18, 2017 · Security concerns have prompted at several universities to block alt-right events, while cities across the country are reconsidering rally ...
[155]
Charlottesville violence prompts ACLU to change policy on hate ...
Aug 18, 2017 · The city of Charlottesville would ultimately grant the permit for the rally, where violence broke out between armed white nationalist groups and ...
[156]
Alt-Right Groups Splinter, Distance From White Supremacy - NPR
Aug 11, 2018 · After the deadly violence in Charlottesville, it appears far-right groups not closely tethered to white supremacy are having their moment.
[157]
The shift in the American public's political values
Oct 20, 2017 · The share of Americans with ideologically consistent values has increased over this time and these political values also have become more ...Missing: metrics | Show results with:metrics
[158]
A Year After Charlottesville, Disarray in the White Supremacist ...
Aug 13, 2018 · In “The Rise of the Alt-Right,” published by the Brookings Institution, Dr. Main tracked web traffic to 10 sites associated with the alt-right.
[159]
The Alt-Right Since Charlottesville - HOPE not hate
Aug 20, 2018 · The subsequent catastrophe has led many on the alt-right to abandon the endorsement of planned public events, in favor of retreating online and ...
[160]
The Rising Threat of Anti-Government Domestic Terrorism - CSIS
Oct 21, 2024 · The Rising Threat of Anti-Government Domestic Terrorism: What the Data Tells Us. Photo: Chip Somodevilla ...