They were met by opponents including clergy, students, black lives matter activists, and protesters with the antifascist movement known as antifa. President trump blamed it on many sides. Pres. Trump we conondemn in the strongest popossible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides. On many sides. It has beenen going on for a log time in our country. Not donald trump, not barack obama, it has been going on for a long, long time. Amy we will host a roundtable discussion with a protester who survived the car attack. A domestic terrorism attack. When protesting against White Nationalists in charlottesville. We will speak with a nurse who treated the wounded, as well as Jalane Schmidt, an organizer with the local black lives movement and professor it university of virginia dr. Cornel west was there and blalackmon, of uniteds church of christ. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to dedemocracy now , dedemocracynow. Org, the war ad peace report. Im amy goodman. Thousands of people rallied in cities across the United States on sunday to protest deadly violence by a mob of ku klux klan members and neonazis during a rally in charlottesville, virginia, on saturday. A 20yearold nazi sympathizer killlled one antiracist activit and injured more than a dozen others when he intentionally drove his car through a crowd of people protesting against the kkk and neonazis, who were rallying to oppose charlottesvilles plan to remove a monument of confederate general robert ely from e. Lee from a Downtown Public park. On sunday, thousands poured into the streets of seattle, denver, baltimore, sacramento, san francisco, los angeles, san diego, dallas, washington d. C. , miami, and in charlottesville, virginia, to protest white supremacist violence and mourn the death of 32yearold Heather Heyer, who was killed in the attack. Courts it is interesting made a big point in his campaign about naming radical islamic terrorism and made this huge show of denouncing ms 13, but he cant come out and announce White Supremacy. That is outrageous. Amy at least three people were arrested at the protest in new york city. Across the country, many of the protesters also condemned the Trump Administration for its ties to farright and white supremacist figures and President Trumps refusal to explicitly denounce the neonazis and kkk members for carrying out the deadly violence. This is nino brown speaking at a rally organized by boston feminists for liberation. Martin luther king, eliminated. The ku klux klan . In the white house. Right . Lines are being drawn. It all comes down to which side are you on. Which side are you on . Amy in seattle, washington, at least three people were arrested as hundreds of people rallied sunday to denounce the violence in charlottesville and to oppose a local demonstration by the protrump White Supremacist Group the patriot prayer. The white supremacist violence in charlottesville began on friday night as thousands of neonazis, kkk members, and other White Nationalists began descending on the city of charlottesville to participate in the unite the right rally. Hundreds of white men and women bearing torches marched on the university of virginia campus and surrounded the statue of Thomas Jefferson on friday night, chanting you will not replace us and white lives matter. Thousands of counterprotesters also descended on charlottesville over the weekend, including clergy, students, black lives matter activists, and protesters with the antifascist movement known as antifa. On saturday morning, more than 1000 White Supremacists marched to the public park, recently renamed Emancipation Park. That is home to the statue of confederate general robert e. Lee. Many were carrying nazi flags and other white supremacist paraphernalia, wore body armor, and carried assault rifles and pistols. They were met by the thousands of antiracist counterdemonstrators. Witnesses report police did little to intervene, even as fights broke out. Around 1 45 p. M. , a man named james alex fields, who had been rallying with the White Supremacists earlier in the day, drove his Dodge Charger into a crowd of counterdemonstrators and then peeled away in reverse in what many are calling an act of terrorism. A local paralegal named Heather Heyer was killed in the attack and at least 19 others were injured. Higher ahead repeatedly championed civil rights issues on social media. Her facebook cover read if youre not outraged, youre not paying attention. This Heather Heyers mother susan bro speaking abc news. And that is what she was doining that dayay. W when shshe was killed. She was doing that with peoplel, she wawas saying, tell me why yu are here. I i knew this becacause ththis t heher friendnds told me. Ththat is s what heathers s ls all about passion f for fairness, passion for equality, passion for justice. Amy heather highers mother speaking this weekend. One of james alex Fields High School teachers says he was obsessed with adolf hitler and nazi military history, and showed clear nazi sympathies that the teacher tried unsuccessfully to steer him away from. Fields has been charged with one count of seconddegree murder and is slated to be arraigned today. Two state troopers, pilot lt. H. Jay cullen and trooperpilot berke m. M. Bates, also died saturday when their helicopter crashed en route to the scene of the violence. Photographs and videos also show White Supremacists beating other counter demonstrators, including a Young African american protester named deandre harris, who said they were trying to kill me out there. The police did not budge, and i was getting beat to a pulp. This is Virginia GovernorTerry Mcauliffe condemning the violence. And i have a message to all of the White Supremacists and who given to charlottesville today. Our message is plain and simple go home. You are not wanted in this great commonwealth. Shame on you. Patriots, buture you are anything but a patriot. Trump refused to single out why supremacist violence. Pres. Trump we condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides. On many sides. Itit has been going g on for a g time in our r country. Not donald trump, not barack obama. It does been gogoing on for aa long, lolong time. It has no place in america. What is vitatal now is a swift restoration of law and order and the protection of innocent lives. Amy trumps comments caused widespread outrage. A new white house statement on senate explicitly denounced the ku klux klan and neonazi groups, but it was attributed to an unnamed spokesperson and not the president himself. Other members of the Trump Administration have more explicitly condemned the violence. Trumps National Security advisor h. R. Mcmaster said the attack constitited terrorism will stop meanwhile in lexington, kentucky, mayor jim gray says lexington will remove two Confederate Monuments from the former courthouse after the wiser premises violence in virginia. After headlines, we will go to charlottesville, virginia, and spend the hours begin with people who were there on saturday, including a witness to the deadly attack. Who treated the protesters, faith leaders, and more. In afghanistan, local Officials Say u. S. Airstrikes killed 16 civilians, including women and children, on thursday as the civilians were fleeing an isiscontrolled area in eastern afghanistan. One local resident, mohammada khan, who works as a truck driver, told the New York Times he lost six members of his family in the u. S. Attack, including two childrenen and two women. The pentagon is claiming the victims of the u. S. Airstrikes were militants. In syria, the local journalistic group raqqa is being slaughtered silently says nearly 1000 civilians have been killed amid the ongoing u. S. Led offensive to seize control of the city of raqqa from isis. Over the last two months, u. S. Marines, u. S. Led airstrikes, and u. S. Backed syrian troops have carried out the offensive, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of residents from their homes and destroyed parts of the cit raraqqa is being slaughtered silently repeports at least two doctors were killed over the weekend in raqqa. Fouad bashir ojaili, reportedly killed by a u. S. Airstrike, and Ibrahim Khalil al shawakh, reportedly k killed as he attempteted to flee the city b a landmine planted by isis. Meanwhile, in syrias idlib province, seven volulunteersrs h the Syrian Civil Defense rescue group, better known as the White Helmets, were shot to death by unidentified attackers who stormed the White Helmets offices on saturday. Another seven media activists with the Aleppo Media Center were also killed in the attack, which occurred in the rebelheld city of sarmin. In pakakistan, isis militatantse claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on a military truck that killed eight soldiers and at least other seven people in the southwestern city of quetta on saturday. The Pakistani Military says the attack was targeting Planning Efforts for indedependence day celebrations. Today and tomorrow mark the 70th anniversary of india and pakistans independence from british colonialism. Vice president mike pepence is n colombia today for his first stop in a regional tour, where he and the Trump Administration are facing widespread opposition to President Trumps threat of launching a possible u. S. Military intervention in venezuela. Many trump we have options for venezuela. By the way, im not going to rule out a military option. We have many options for venezuela. This is our neighbor. , ande all over the world we havave troops all of f the wd in places that are very, very far away. Venezuela is not very far away. The e temple of suffining and dying. The people are suffering and dying. We have many options for venezuela, eating a military option of necessary. Amy that was President Trump speaking friday. His comments sparked widespread outrage acroross latin america d inside venezuela. This is venezuelan foreign minister jorgege arreaza. The warmongering declarations from donald trump clearly framed in the systematic aggressions of represesent ates direct threat against thes, stability, independence, territorial unity, sovereignty, and the right to selfdetermination of the bolivian public venezuela. Amy in bolivia indigenous , people and environmentalists protested sunday against the governments move to resurrect plans to build a controversial highway through indigenous territories and a National Park in the amazon. Opponents of the highway say it will further the deforestation of the amazon and destroy the land and livelihoods of indigenous communities. On sunday, bolivian president evo morales signed into law the controversial legislation stripping a National Park of its protected status, paving the way for the highways constructitio. This is indigenous leader fernandodo vargas. Morales will enact a law that will bury Indigenous People , heritage, and also driving a dekker into bolivians because he is destroying the heritage. Amy in israel, thousands of protesters rallied outside the home of the israeli attorneygeneral to protest against corruption and president benjamin netanyahu, who is facing a criminal investigation into allegegations of brbribery, frauaud, and breach h of trust. Netanyahu u has been accccused f trading political favors for 130,0,000 worth of f luxury gi, including cigars and champagne. The israeli prime mininister is alsoso reeling frorom leaked trtranscripts of secret recordrs that show he traded favors for positive coverage from israels dominant newspaper. In kenya, Opposition Leader raila odinga has called for a strike today to protest the Deadly Police crackdown against postelection demonstrations following last tuesdays president ial election. Odinga has rejected the elections results, which show incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta beating odinga by nearly 10 points. Over the weekend, Police Attacked proodinga demonstrators in nairobi and the port city of kisumu with tear gas and live fire, killing at least 11 people. At least 24 protesters have been killed in demonstrations since the election nearly one week ago. In burkina faso, at least 20 people have been killed after gunmen opened fire inside a turkish restaurant in the capital on sunday. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. In nepal, nearly 100 people have died in flash flooding and mudslides in nepal and india, following days of torrential rainfall. Scientists have linked increased rainfall and flooding in south asia to humandriven climate change. Back in the United States in des moines, iowa, the fbi raided the catholic workers berrigan house that is home to activists Jessica Reznicek and ruby montoya, who have taken responsibility for carrying out multiple acts of sabotage against the Dakota Access pipeline. A former Catholic Priest who lives at the house says the fbi agents refuseded to identify themselves and barred d the houe residents from contacting their lawyers during the raid. The agents also briefly handcuffed Jessica Reznicek, but did not arrest either her or montoya. The fbi agents left after seizing some of the two womens two womens possessions. To see the interview here on democracy now , go to democracynow. Org. And new york city has become the first major city in the United States to guarantee lawyers for lowincome tenants facing eviction. New york city mayor bill deblasio signed the legislation friday. The new law comes after years of organizing by housing rights activists seeking to stop the widespread displacement of people of color and lowincome tenants by new york city landlords, who often use harassment and illegal tactics to evict longtime tenants. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Today we spend the hour on the terror in charlottesville, a socalled unite the right White Nationalist rally in charlottesville this weekend that europe did in the violence erupted into violence, resulting in three deaths. Thousands of White Nationalists descended on the city to participate in the rally on friday night and saturday, and oppose a plan to remove a statue of confederate general robert e. Lee from a city park. They were soon outnumbered by opponents, including clergy, students, black lives matter activists, and protesters with the antifascist movement known as antifa. Events began late friday when hundreds of torturing White Supremacists held a surprise march on the main quadrangle of the campus of the university of virginia, chanting, blood and soil, you will not replace us, and jew will not replace us. They walked to a statue of Thomas Jefferson, surrounded a small group of counterprotesters gathered there, including a small group of students with a banner reading virginia students act against White Supremacy. Propublica reports that despite intense interest from the media, police and local antiracists, the White Supremacists kept the location of their intimidating friday night march secret until the last moment. In a facebook post, charlottesville mayor mike signer, called it a cowardly parade of hatred, bigotry, racism, and intolerance and said he was beyond disgusted by this unsanctioned and despicable display of visual intimidation on a college campus. The next day, saturday, the farright forces numbering between 1000 and 1500 marched to Emancipation Park for a rally set to take start at noon. Many wore body armor and carried assault rifles and pistols, taking advantage of virginias loose firearm laws. They were met by antiracist counterdemonstrators, and fights broke out before the rally began. Witnesses report police did little to intervene. Then around 1 45 p. M. , a man later identified as james alex fields, drove his Dodge Charger into a crowd of demonstrators, then peeled away in reverse in what many are calling an act of terrorism. An iconic image of the car attack featured in media around the world shows protesters flying through the air after they were hit. A local paralegal named Heather Heyer was killed in the attack, and at least 19 others were injured. Heather worked at miller law group, a law firm that helps people going through bankruptcy, and had repeatedly championed civil rights issues on social media. Her facebook cover read if youre not outraged, youre not paying attention. A statement from heyers mother on the gofundme page read she died doing what was right. My heart is broken but i am forever proud of her. This is her m mother r speakingn nbc. And that t what s she was dog that day. W when she was kikilled. Shshe was s doing that with peo. She wass saying,g, well,l, telle why yoyou are e here for the ani knew t this because this is s wt her friends told me. And ththat is s what heatherse was all about. Papassion for fairirness. Passion for inequality. Passion for justice. Amy two Virginia State troopers,lt. H. Jay cullen and trooperpilot berke m. M. Bates, also died on when their saturday helicopter crashed en route to the scene of the violence. In another incident saturday White Supremacists were captured in a photo beating 20yearold africanamerican protester deandre harris, who is a hip hop artist and assistant special Education Teacher at an area gh school. Harris later described the attackck to the los angeles times. Statanding here then we wasas walking down as t they were walking down andnd then i thinke got like righght here and they just brushed us. Shed us. I feel myself getting hit. Im trying to get up and run but i cant. Every time i got up, i would just lose conscsciousness and fl back o out. The last time i got to open my eyes and i see my friends. They the up and take me over there so i can get help. P. I had a gash i ithe head, ththey bree my ribs, busted mymy lip, got t a bunch of cuts. S. I got a staples of my head. Amy one of the people shown in the photo of White Supremacists assaulting harris is michael tubbs, a wellknown kkk member. On saturday, President Trump addressed reporters at his golf resort in bedminster, new jersey, blaming the violence in charlottesville on many sides. Pres. T trump we condedemn in e strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, manyry, and violence on sides. On m many sides. It has been n going on for a a longngtime in our country. Not donald trump, not barack obobama. This has b been going g on for a long, long timime. It has no place in america. What is s vital now is a swift restoration of law and order and the protection of innocent lives. Amy a newew white house statemt on sunday explicitly denounced the ku klux klan and neonazi groups, but it was attributed to an unnamed spokesperson and not the president himself. The Justice Department says it has launched an investigation. Meanwhile, james alex fields, the man who drove his car into the crowd and has now been charged with seconddegree murder and other counts and has a bond hearing this morning, local media reports a High School Teacher who new fields and said fields was fascinated with nokias him, idolized adolf hitler, and have been settled by ohio School Officials in the ninth grade for his deeply held radicall convictions on race. For more, we go to charlottesville, virginia, where we are of joined by brandy gonzalez, who survived the car rampage and she was protesting against the White Nationalists. Also in charlottesville is lisa moore, a registered nurse who assisted a victim of the carar attack. Then we will do a roundtable with religious leaders and a member of black lives matter, Professor University of virginia, who was part of the organizing of the antifascist protesters. , begin our show. Ight now with brandy is a survivor as of this weekend, a survivor of the car rampage. Talking about what happened on saturday, why you were there protesting and what happened when this car pulled up. First, i want to say thank you for having me on the show and also want to say my heart heather higher and her friends and family and everyone. Not need to happen. Theres a lot of love out there. I just want to say that first. I was out there on saturday because i firmly believe that when White Supremacy when fascism, when all of that decides to show its ugly face, we all have a responsibility to stand up and oppose it, to fight it, and to make sure they know it is that ok and will never be ok, that they always lose and that they will lose again. That is why i decided to be there. Groupurday, me and my arrived around 8 00 a. M. To Emancipation Park. There was the beginning of things. And klan and other groups gathering behind the barricades. It was n not until maybe an hour after that that things started to get 10. Tense. Of they were White Supremacists carrying automatic weapons and completely holding the line around the area. I saw their presence far more than police for the first couple of hours. It wasnt until at least, that i noticed, when another group decided to march down to join them that some scuffles broke out. There was tear gas being thrown from inside Emancipation Park from inside the confines. Just many tree limbs lots of violence coming from their side, lots of slurs. It wasnt until later around 11 00 a. M. When a large group of members attempted to come into the area at Emancipation Park and were met with tear gas im not sure of the tear gas was coming from police. From possible it was more from the White Nationalists. But they came around down the ofner and held the corner the park for a long time. It was amazing. A friend of mine and i were treating some people that had andered from tear gas pepper spray and things like that. Amy talk about what happened just after noon, just after 1 00 p. M. So we had we had gotten s werehat some nazi planning to head down to french of circle to incite violence and hurt people. A group headed down there to assist them. Luckily, had found out the neighborhood at taking care of it themselves and driven them out. At that point, the rest of us that were at the park started marking marching down toward water street where we were just chanting so many beautiful things like desperate was a beautiful thing. We got to the top of water street and we can see the crowd of dsa coming from Friendship Circle where they had just basically encountered a victory. We were all joining together at the corner. I adjusted a message to my friend saying i had never felt more powerful i had just sent a message to my friend saying i had never felt more powerful. Im sorry. It wased the corner and not even a minute after i said that the carfriend came through and my friend and i grabbed each other and jumped onto the sidewalk. It was chaos. Ive never scream like that before in my entire life. I have never heard or seen things like that before in my entire life. There was so much going on where i was at, i wasnt even thinking. I just saw people on the ground and i thought they were dead. Amy that car crashed into another car that then crash and to everyone else . Yes. Car,they slammed into the there was a lot of people still in the road and that is when they threw it in reverse and flew back, hurting more people and were kind of chased out of the mall. Ththat car came down very far through the mall, through alleys before he got to us. So there is no question on intent. This is an act of terrorism post of anyone who questions that, we know why youre questioning it. We know why. It is not a secret. We know it is terrorism. That is what they wanted and that is what they did. Amy lisa moore randy, i want to bring in lisa who is sitting next to you, a registered nurse who assisted other victims of the car attack. Can you describe what you found right after james alex fields smashed his car into another car leading to the injury of many and the death of a 32yearold woman who was protesting against racism named heather higher . Sure. I would like to thank you for having me. I was not on the scene when it happened. I was at mcguffey park at the time. We were very we had walkietalkies and phones and we were keeping very kind of a breast of what was needed. Rn, i was trying to be into it where i was needed. The attacks came very quickly in card succession, that the act of terrorism happen. Iran from the park down the mall i ran from the park down the mall. Anytime i would come upon a crowd, i would scream for i am an rn and people were happy to let me through. When i got to the scene, there was a wall of policeman keeping people from it and i told him immediately i was a nurse and wanted to help. They let me through. Less thanobably been five minutes, maybe five m minus after itit happened when i got there. E. It was very chchaotic. There wawas a lot of screaeamin. Werere a lot ofof people on the grounund. Ththere was a lot ofof blood one grground. Thankfully,y, a lot of people alrlready helping. There e were other m medics. Near onee d to end upp victctim who was a yououng womao i now knknow was in n town fromm houston. N. She was s very confused. Shshe was consciouous andnd ablo tatalk, hower, it was gogood toe shshe was very injurured and ned assiststce. It was clear to me she was very injured and needed assistance. My skills could be best used for her without waiting for the end of the crowd of chaos. I ended up primarily staying with her for the better part of an hour until we got her in an ambulance where she was taken to uva. She also had two friends with her, one of which was also minorly injured. She was not so much a priority. It was very chaotic. It was very surreal. Itould absolutely describe as a terrorism scene. There was a lot of fear and uncertainty. The whole time i was running there, i did not know what i was going to come upon. At the time i wasnt worried about it. In retrospect, i am relieved that nothing else of violence happened afterwardrds so that we were able to get the victims out and get them help. Amy brandy gonzalez, before we go to break and say goodbye view, President Trump did not single out white supremacist violence. Your comments as people across the political spectrum, including many of what were his republican allies, condemn his statements or lack of statements, even at the time of this broadcast today, yes tweeted a number of things, none of them about what took place is weekend . I think it sends a clear message of who he is not willing to offend. Clear. Pretty i think it is been clear for a long time. I do want to say on a state level, i have very unhappy with the comments from governor mcauliffe, from the mayor of charlottesville, and the chief of police of charlottesville. The press statement they made on the day was just one after the ther of this is not my fault and every update i have received is completely unacceptable. I personally believe there should be a public and clear apology from the three, and also an apology from the aclu for fighting for their right to have that rally. This could have been prevented. All youre doing is sending a clear message of who you care about. So maybe people should stop and realize what their actions, the things they do are actually saying to us as the people. Also, i would like to end on a high note. They did not win yesterday. White supremacy did not win yesterday. They did not do anything they came there to do their successfully beside insight a little bit of fear. This will not intimidate us. I believe we can win and we will win. It is not over. Amy brandy gonzalez, i want to thank you for joining us, injured in the car attack, what has been called domestic terrorism on saturday. And lisa moore, registered nurse, who was helping some of the victims in charlottesville, virginia. When we come back, we will be joined by one of the organizers of the antiwhite supremacist protest. We will be speaking to Jalane Schmidt, a professor at the university of virginia, dr. Cornell west spoke friday night and saturday night in virgrgini, and we will be speaking with reverend Traci Blackmon who was also there. Stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are talking about the terror in charlottesville him a white supremacist violence that began friday night as hundreds of neonazis, kkk members, and other White Nationalist dissented on the city and participated in a torch march. Yes, burning torches in a surprise march across the university of virginia campus. Surrounded the statue of Thomas Jefferson friday night. They were chanting blood knot blooda wellknown and soil, well know and nazi phrase. We continue our hourlong discussion and error is joined by virginia organizer and dr. Cornel west is professor of the practice of public philosophy at harvard university. He was in charlottesville. In st. Louis, were joined by rev. Traci blackmon, executive minister of justice witness ministries of the United Church of christ. Cornel west, talk about what he saw friday night. You were there in a church. Youre speaking along with others. Did you expect to see what you saw outside . No. I knew i was going to hear a powerful sermon by reverend Traci Blackmon. We heard point words by Jalane Schmidt and at a few things to say. It was a beautiful thing. All colors, religious traditions , Indigenous People and we should never downplay the to lgbtq. Splay cans they held us hostage in the church. We could not leave after the service because the torch march threatening the people who were there. Neofascists, theyre out of control. Where are the police . Who would think our dear sister heather, my dear comrade, and organizer, stood with us, pay the ultimate price and many of us may have to pay the ultimate price. Amy i wanted to go to reverend Traci Blackmon come of the first to your msnbc interview on saturday when you were in charleston, when you were rushed off the live shot as people around you were attacked. Lets go to that. The schedule for the nazi and fascist example was supposed to be today and not last night, so we gathered in a standing room toy Maximum Capacity crowd give a word of encouragement. I was invited in to give a speech to that regard. And as we were closing ive got to go. Ive got to go. I dont know what is happening. I dont know what just happened. Amy that was joined read of msnbc as Traci Blackmon was whisked away by an ally right there on the set. Reverend blackmon, what happened . Well, i was giving the interview thank you for having me here. I also want to echo my condolences, my deepest sympathy to the family of heather and to the family of the lost Law Enforcement officers who also lost their lives in this unnecessary, tragic event. Joy reid had invited me on her show to talk about what had happened at the church the night before. They were not aware of what was happening in charlottesville until i began to make some calls to let some people know that charlottesville was under attack. The immediately sent a team out to cover. Their new steam was station inside the perimeter of the events that were happening saturday. I was asked to come to an interview. With the permission of local people on the scene, the Community Organizers from charlottesville, i asked them first, i was given permission to do that interview. In the midst of the interview, we began to hear pops. I did not know what they were. I still dont know what they were. But the security that was there rushed me off from the camera. I really did not know what was happening in that moment. Amy that is Traci Blackmon speaking to us from st. Louis who was in charlottesville this weekend, i friday night addressing people in the church, and on saturday on the street. Is alsor Jalane Schmidt with us. You are with black lives matter. You were very involved with organizing around what took place. Can you tell us what happened this weekend, what you understand what was going to happen, how people organized, response but all of the authorities . Jalane schmidt is just being seated right now so let me go to cornel west. I heard with the guardian reported that people that night who were responding to the torch march were actually attacked with torches, pepper spray, and lighter fluid. Absolutely. Yet a number of courageous students of all colors of the university of virginia who were protesting against the neofascists themselves. The neofascists had their own a munition. The police for the most part pulled back. The next day, for example, of 220 of us were standing, many of them clergy, we would have been crushed like cockroaches if it would not have been for the anarchist an antifascists who approached over 350 antifascists we just had 20 and we sang this little light of mine. Meeting and i fascists. We would have been completely crushed and i will never forget that. Meaning that you had the policie holding back on the one hand, so we cannot even get arrested. We were there to get arrested at we could not get arrested because the police pulled back and allowing fellow citizens to go at each other. With all of the consequences that would follow therefrom will stop in that sense, what were really seeing, sister amy, is the american empire in decay with the rule of big money, with massive militarism facilitated by the scapegoating of the most vulnerable. Nd black vote the White Supremacy was so intense. After missing the cut of hatred in my life. We stood there and nine units went by and looked is in our eyes and cussing me out and so forth and so one. They are lucky i did not lose my holy ghost, to take the truth, because i wanted to start swinging. Im a christian, but not a pacifist. I held back. That hatred that is theater. It is big money, big military, and the way in which this capitalist civilization is leading us toward an unbelievable darkness and believe in a and the beautiful thing is, we fight back. It was a beautiful thing to see all of the people coming back. But they had more fascists than ,narchists amy Jalane Schmidt did the president of the university of virginia telik people not to go out to meet the White Supremacists . About organizing and what took place this weekend and on sunday, you passed the white supremacist Richard Spencer. David duke was there. He was celebrating President Trump. With regard to the statement put out by the university of virginia president teresa sullivan, it was a very tepid statement and as she did with the letter before the ku klux klan rally on july 8, again, Encouraging University to avoid protesting this rally. And what was unacceptable about that, an thehe moral level, with the university of virginia has its own ties to the ku klux klan in the 1920s. There was a chapter there of the klan at the university. Of the kuia knights klux klan pledged 1000 to the university of virginia in 1929 for the sins and youll find. This went unmentioned and president sullivans letter. Also the two main organizers of the rally on saturday, the socalled unite the right rally, are graduates of the university of virginia. Spencer and Jason Kessler are that was notd acknowledged in the president s. She was advising uva affiliates the veryprotesting White Supremacy that the university has historically been involved not just with collusion, but with actually reducing systems of White Supremacy. That was unacceptable. Amy and you passed Richard Spencer on sunday . The was walking down downtown mall i was trying to get away from m the site of his 2 00 p. M. Actually, it was Jason Kessler, a local activist. I was trying to get away from the site of his planned 2 00 p. M. Press conference, so i was walking the opposite direction at the opposite end of the downtown mall just outside pedestrian mall. Riot the police with shields going into formation. A large number of them. I thought, oh, no, this is not good. Sure enough, i see, he who shall not be named, approaching toward into a stored and told the proprietors, the workers there what was going on and they spirited me out the back forth into an alleyway where i waited until things calmed down for about half an hour. This was the second time in three days that i have had to a building through either a Side Entrance or back entrance and be Spirited Away from a secure regard. Ive had 20 for our security on me. I have not been staying at my own home that is safe house. The second time a Security Guard has had to escort me out of a situation, as dr. West was mentioning and reverend blackmon, i was also in st. Paul of the scoble church on friday night at the Prayer Service when we became trapped inside by the large gathering of the torchbearing nazis taking place just across the street from the church. We were trapped in there. I tweeted from inside the church. It was retweeted many times. I said, we are trapped in here. Detail just kind of whisked me out a side door. We went down an alleyway and then hopped into his car and took back streets out of there. So this has been a very tense few days going on here. It started on thursday. I got was a pharmacist flyers under my windshield wipers. There were helicopters circling overhead all day starting in the morning. Amy and one of those helicopters went down, killing two of the officers who were inside the helicopter. Were going to go to break and will we come back, this torchular rally and nazi march through the university of virginia in response to the statue of robert e lee being park renamed and now im its patient park, was le e park and jackson park is now justice park. Emancipation park. Jalane schmidt, you have been very involved with this removal. Te monument, i would ask about that. The latest count, three dead, one antiwhite national marcher, broke these and justice protester was killed when a White Nationalist crashed his car into the crowd. Two Police Officers and a inicopter also went down a helicopter also went down. Stay with us. [music break] amy for radio listeners, we were just showing pictures of heather higher, the 32yearold woman who was killedd in a car attack, the terror attack on saturday in charlottesville as counterdemonstrators challenged the white supremacist march that was there. Response this weekend to Robert E Lee Statue being taken down for stop there are some who sayay robert e. Lee statue should be replaced by Heather Heyer, a statue of Heather Heyer. Jalane schmidt is s with us,s, a local organizer with the local black lives matter movement, and an associate professor of religious studies at the university of virginia. You have been involved with the statue removal movement. Can you talk about what it means for chaharlottesville . Sure. So about a year and a Young Africanamerican High School Student started a change. Org petition to have the Confederate Monument removed. This garnered a number of signatures, a city councilmember took up the charge and the City Council Set up a Blue Ribbon Commission to consider the Confederate Monuments. So there was a series of public hearings over a evening of about six months, concluding in december. Over the period of six months, as it started out, few people even more aware of it or keeping track of what was going on. A few residents of charlottesville. And the folks who attended older folks ine favor of keepiping the monument. As more more people found out, we started inviting our friends and neighbors, informing them of what was going on. As more people found out was going on, more people started attending until by the end of the process six months later, opinion had switched him among the attendees, basically 180 degrees. There was a large attendance of folks who were in favor of removing the monuments. ,my reverend Traci Blackmon talk about what you said on friday night in the church, but also what you think has come out of this weekend. And your response to President Trump across the political spectrum, his comment or lack of comment has been to cry. I want to play it t one more tie when, finally, forced to confront this issue, not singling out the violence of the White Supremacists. This is donald t trump speaking from his luxury golf resort in new jersey. Pres. Trump we condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides. On many sides. It has been going on for a long time in our country. Not donald trump, not barack obama. Itit has been going on for a a , long time. Has no plplace in america. What is vital now w is a swift reststoration of l law and orden the protection of innocent lives. Indigo that was President Trump amy that was President Trump. Reverend Traci Blackmon, your response . Thank you for the opportunity. It is important we not leave this moment without contextualizing what happened in Charlotte Bill in a larger narrative that has been promoted by this Current Administration. Some of Donald Trumps remarks i appreciate, the fact that he says it is been going on a long time in this country racism, bigotry, xenophobia, homophobia has been going on in this country a long time. But what is happening under this Current Administration is permission to hate. The hateful rhetoric of our Current Administration, not starting with donald trump, but starting with the eight years of the gop laying a groundwork for it to be permissible to denigrate and to hate people based on their targeting of a black president , a president that they did not like before any decisions were made. A president that they met together against on the day of inauguration. I am not making this about the personhood of barack obama, i am making this about White Supremacy in this country. That laid the groroundwork for e election of someone who ran, basically, on a hazel agenda. And the hateful remarks, the rhetoric that this president speaks and tweets has created an environment where those who hate have permission to be safe in public spaces. The thing that troubles me the most about my encounters this i amnd was the fact from birmingham, alabama. I was raised there. I have seen klan rallies before. The last klan rally i witnessed in person, i was five years old standing on a sidewalk watching the klan rally go down the main street of birmingham, alabama, in the city. I dont remember my fear. I remember my puzzlement in that moment. And and blazon in my memory are those who did she that they wore they a w sheets that some road horses, carried flagsore mccarrick crosses. What sticks out for me is we are in a country and in a time where i witness masses of White Supremacists walking down the main streets of charlottesville, virginia, emboldened enough to take the sheets off. These white people were wearing buttondowns and polos and baseball caps. And i began to weep knowing it was quite possible that some of the people who were marching with these torches shouting blood and soil shouting jew will not replace us a ludicrous notion of white fear that has been strengthened and emboldened by the administration that is filled with hateful rhetoric amy we just have we now have a president who will not even to announce White Supremacy out right. Amy we just have 30 seconds, reverend cornel west. It is good donald trump has a neofascist sensibility. His sillier to condemn White Supremacy and domestic terrorism means he is complicit is an affecting consequence. It is important to keep in mind even under barack obama, big money, massive militarism, the racism coming at him was vicious but the inequality, the inability to speak to the issues forlass makes it easier rightwing populism, neofascism to flow. With to be critical of the system. Amy part two on our website democracynow. Org. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioni woman i came around the corner, i was at the top of the stairs, and what i saw from at the top of the stairs was a man right here around the corner with his arm like this and a gun pointing up at me. Alls i could see was a black hat and a black jacket, and thats all i could see, and the gun, and i stood there thinking that this was a serial killer, and hes yelling at me, come down now, maam, come down right now. Woman 2 they came with the director ofof milk control, thethe assisnt