Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam and the City of Charlottesville have declared states of emergency for Virginia and Charlottesville for the 1-year anniversary of the “Unite the Right” rally held last year in Charlottesville.
The 2017 Unite the Right rally, which was organized to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, resulted in the death of counterprotester Heather Heyer, who died after a self-identified neo-Nazi drove a vehicle into a crowd. Additionally, Virginia State Police Troopers Lt. H. Jay Cullen III and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates were also killed in a helicopter crash.
“Virginia continues to mourn the three Virginians who lost their lives in the course of the demonstrations a year ago,” Northam said in a statement. “We hope the anniversary of those events passes peacefully. I am urging Virginians to make alternative plans to engaging with planned demonstrations of hate, should those arise. Declaring this state of emergency in advance of the anniversary and the related planned events will help us ensure that the state and the city have all available resources to support emergency responders in case they are needed.”
“We have learned many lessons from the tragic events of August 12, 2017. For the anniversary of that difficult August weekend which resulted in three lost lives, the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the University of Virginia are working closely with law enforcement and public safety agencies from around Virginia to plan for potential events and to keep our city safe from violence,” Charlottesville’s interim city manager Mike Murphy said in a statement.
[Also read: Black Lives Matter planning ‘love’ march from NYC to DC to commemorate deadly Charlottesville rally anniversary]
The states of emergency will be effective from August 10-12, as various events are planned to commemorate the anniversary. The state of emergency allows funds and state resources to be used in Charlottesville and Northern Virginia.
Jason Kessler, who spearheaded the original white supremacist rally last year, is slated to hold a “Unite the Right 2” protest on Sunday in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., directly in front of the White House.
President Trump faced backlash for his initial comments on the Charlottesville events last year when he said “both sides” shared blame for the violence.
