Carrying candles and singing, thousands gather to reclaim the Rotunda – The Daily Progress

It was a secret message. A phone call, a text or an invitation in real life, perhaps whispered: Come to Nameless Field at 9 p.m. and please pass this message on to anyone who might be interested, and please do NOT pass it on to anyone who wont be.

The goal was to rally Charlottesville for a peaceful candlelight march on the University of Virginia Grounds. Thousands of community members sought to reclaim the power of a flame-lit gathering several days after white nationalists gathered at the Rotunda.

This was organic, said Dean of Students Allen Groves, from students and faculty and community members who said they wanted to do something and take back the pathway that these people attempted to take away from them.

In front of the university Lawn, their brightened faces smiling, the crowd sang songs and embraced each other after events that unfolded Friday and Saturday.

Violence had marred the city. Clashes broke out between rally goers and counter-protesters. Police had to shut down the event. People were hurt, and three were killed.

Preparing to enter the processional Wednesday, Francis Caruccio, a father who was with his wife and two children Wednesday evening, said they came to stand up for whats right in Charlottesville.

Asked how he handled explaining why things turned out the way they did Saturday, he said it is generally easy to explain to his children the difference between right and wrong.

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More than 1,000 people gathered at the Paramount Theater in downtown Charlottesville to remember Heather Heyer, 32, who was killed Saturday.

Weve had a lot of conversations about it. Some of them started before this last week, he said, but they certainly got a lot harder this last weekend.

We dont want these neo-Nazis and white supremacists in our community, said University of Virginia professor Walt Heinecke. They committed murder.

Unlike in May, when white nationalists held a surprise rally in Charlottesville that ended with a short nighttime torchlight protest at the foot of the citys Robert E. Lee statue, people died last weekend Heather Heyer and two state police troopers, H. Jay Cullen and Berke M.M. Bates.

The two state officers, who were aiding law enforcement efforts by helicopter, were killed in a crash hours later in Albemarle County. Officers patrolling the city Wednesday could be seen with black bands covering their badges in honor of their two compatriots.

I think that people have been looking for a place to come together in the spirit of unity and to show that this is still our town, said Tom Perriello, a former congressman and candidate for governor and district congressman.

Our town is a diverse and inclusive place. And I also think its one where you see town and gown come together here in a very powerful way, he said. We want this to be the picture of who we are and who were going to be.

The previously appointed attorney is one of 13 plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the city over its decision to remove the Lee statue.

Heyer was killed when a car plowed into a crowd of protesters during the Unite the Right rally Saturday 19 others were injured. The alleged murderer is said to have shown Nazi sympathies in the past, and had come to Charlottesville to participate in the rally.

Throughout Wednesday, starting with a memorial service at the Paramount Theater in the morning and at the candlelight procession, people wore purple in honor of Heyer.

It all started Friday, when approximately 300 white nationalists and their supporters marched through Grounds, once again chanting white supremacist and Nazi rhetoric such as You will not replace us, blood and soil and Jew will not replace us.

Heinecke, who is currently out of town, was among the dozens of reporters and other observers who saw the white nationalists come upon a group of students who had locked arms and surrounded the statue of Thomas Jefferson at the front of the Rotunda.

A day of twists and turns by local and state politicians underscored how Saturday's white nationalist rally is rapidly resetting the politics of memorials.

Within moments, violence erupted. A video of the incident shared by the student activist group UVa Students United shows a woman frantically crying for help, alerting people that torches were being thrown.

Heinecke said he and Groves students had been there and that Groves was hit by one of the torches.

I saw a lot of violence that night. I was scared to wade into that mob of Nazis, Heinecke said. I have to say those students were the heroes of that particular action. They were yelling Black Lives Matter while they were screamed at and beaten.

Groves declined to say much about the events Friday but said he was moved by the community coming together.

This is a moving tribute to the real community that we know Charlottesville is, he said. This means a lot of me, and I think it means a lot to everyone in this community.

A roundup of events and stories following the violence in Charlottesville on Saturday.

A student who was there, Ken King, said that it wasnt just students there. She said a coalition of about 30 students from across Virginia were joined by activists involved with the Black Lives Matter and anti-fascist movements.

As soon as we saw the torches on top of the Rotunda, it was actually horrifying, she said. They were spitting at us and slurring at us.

King said she was affected by pepper spray that was used after a brawl broke out next to her. She said that the fighting started when of the white nationalist torchbearers shoved someone and inadvertently had the tiki torch knocked out of his hand.

It set that guy off, she said. He just began throwing punches.

It was moments later that the fighting stopped. The white nationalists took over the Jefferson statue and celebrated by giving fascist Nazi salutes and raising their torches, whooping and hollering. The police then declared an unlawful assembly and cleared the plaza.

Wednesday afternoon, King and several students who participated in the counter-protest met with Groves to present a list of demands for the university to be more proactive in preventing racialized political violence and hate speech on Grounds.

The list includes a call for the university to ban white supremacist hate groups from the university and denounce leaders like Richard Spencer, an alumnus of the university.

We need next concrete steps to be taken, she said, adding that shes glad that the university demonstrated support by allowing the candlelight vigil Wednesday.

A vigil is always a good way to show support and solidarity while theres mourning.

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Carrying candles and singing, thousands gather to reclaim the Rotunda - The Daily Progress