Barbara Lee / US House of Representatives & Indivisible & Robert Weissman / Public Citizen & Monique Teal / Daily Kos & Will Fischer / VoteVets & Dan Cantor / Working Families Party – 2017-08-13 23:45:52
http://act.indivisibleguide.com/event/stand-in-solidarity-with-charlottesville/search/
ACTION ALERT: Stand in Solidarity with Charlottesville — Find an Event
Indivisible
(August 12, 2017) — This weekend, hate groups and domestic terrorists of all stripes went to Charlottesville, VA to push their hateful message of white supremacy, fascism, anti-Semitism, and bigotry.
When they got there they waged violence on unarmed anti-racists, killing one and injuring many others. We mourn for the life that was lost, and we will honor all those under attack by congregating against hate in our own communities.
Tonight and tomorrow, Indivisible groups, along with our friends at many other organizations will come together in solidarity with our brave friends in Charlottesville who put themselves at risk to fight against white supremacy.
ACTION: Attend an event in your community to show that you’re standing with Charlottesville.
Find a vigil near you. If you can, please join a vigil tonight, August 13, 2017.
What Happened in Charlottesville
Hon. Barbara Lee / US House of Representatives
(August 13, 2017) — Yesterday Virginia’s governor declared a state of emergency after violent white nationalists flooded the city of Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of a Confederate statue. Following this awful tragedy, three people are dead and dozens more are injured. My condolences are with the families and all who were impacted by yesterday’s acts of racism and violence.
Let me be very clear: Donald Trump’s presidency has emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry that we saw on display in Virginia this weekend.
This should come as no surprise after Trump gave Steve Bannon, a leader of the alt-right movement, a prominent position in the White House.
Racism and hate have no place in the White House, or our country as a whole. I need your help today to send a message that we will not tolerate the bigotry of white nationalists who are invigorated by Trump.
When the president has a leader of the alt-right advising him in the White House, it sends a message to white nationalist groups that they are no longer fringe. They now have a seat at the table.
The violence of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia is not only unacceptable, it is dangerous. It sets an unsettling precedent for what’s to come during Trump’s administration, which is why it is so important that we come together to speak out against it.
In this moment, I am reminded of the mission of the Southern Poverty Law Center: fighting hate, teaching tolerance and seeking justice. We must adopt this approach in our own lives, each and every day. It will require all of us doing our part to resist the resurgence of white nationalism under Trump.
The rising tide of hatred is a reality we must continue to grapple with, even at our highest levels of government. America is better than this. Thank you for standing with us to fight back.
Charlottesville
Robert Weissman / Public Citizen
(August 13, 2017) — Love and solidarity, fearlessness and tenacity. That’s how we must respond to the horror and hate on display yesterday in Charlottesville.
If it were an isolated incident, what happened in Charlottesville would be a sickening stain on our country.
A racist mob — the largest in recent memory — gathered on Friday night. They stormed through the University of Virginia campus with KKK-reminiscent torches.
At a Saturday protest against a planned removal of a Robert E. Lee statue, they chanted Nazi slogans and phrases such as “You will not replace us” and “Jews will not replace us.” Then, violence broke out with counter-protesters.
Eventually, an Ohio man believed to be part of the white supremacist gathering drove his car into a group of counter-protesters, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others.
This was not an isolated incident. The racist protesters were enabled by President Donald Trump.vThey said so.
“We are ‘going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump’ to take our country back,” said former KKK imperial wizard David Duke.
As the terror unfolded in Charlottesville, Trump was unable to bring himself to condemn the white supremacists, talking instead about violence on “many sides.”
We can’t look at Charlottesville as just a weekend of terror inflicted by fringe forces. The Trump campaign stoked quasi-fascist mob frenzy. And key positions in the Trump White House are held by fascist sympathizers (sometimes identified as the “alt-right”).
As the Trump presidency continues to implode and Trump’s political fortunes wane, we must be cognizant of the possibility of Trump and his allies fomenting a genuine American proto-fascist movement.
It’s highly unlikely that such a movement will embrace the symbols of the Klan or the Nazi party, but those who do can help pave the way for a broader movement of hate.
We can’t permit this scenario to unfold. That’s why it’s so important that we take to the streets now
To reject hate and racism.
To project love and tolerance and decency.
To show no fear.
To insist on justice and democracy.
To demonstrate the best of America and claim our country.
Public Citizen is joining with a host of other organizations in supporting vigils around the country tonight to reject hate, to honor those killed or injured yesterday and to defend America.
With resolve and solidarity,
Robert Weissman
President, Public Citizen
Stand in Solidarity with Charlottesville
Monique Teal / Daily Kos
(August 13, 2017) — In response to the act of terror committed yesterday by white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Daily Kos has joined Indivisible and other partners in supporting non-violent gatherings of solidarity. . . .
Racism isn’t new. The violence we’re seeing in Charlottesville is one more incident in a long history of violence and terror towards Black people and people of color. But we don’t have to accept this. We have the power to build a future that lives up to our ideals. Being in solidarity with Charlottesville is only a step and we will not stop marching.
Click here to find a vigil near you.
Trump Dishonors Vets Who
Died Fighting Nazis and Confederacy
Will Fischer / VoteVets
(August 12, 2017) — I am a Marine, an Iraq War Veteran, and most importantly, an American. And I reject and condemn any and all forms of white supremacy, Nazism, and fascism.
With the exception of the parts about serving his country, I can’t for the life of me understand why that is so difficult for Donald Trump to say.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans gave their lives fighting the hateful ideologies that fueled yesterday’s protests and subsequent violence in Virginia. The president dishonors their memories with his “many sides” response to yesterday’s domestic terrorist attack.
We are going to fight this president tooth and nail. We are going to elevate the voices of veterans who are willing to speak out against his domestic policies, his foreign policy, and his hateful ideology. But we can’t do it alone:
I watched in horror as people were walking around Virginia yesterday wearing MAGA hats, waving Nazi flags, and carrying assaults weapons. In broad daylight.
We have to be better than this, but as long as Donald Trump is president, I fear we will not be.
If Trump really wanted to Make America Great Again, he’d take the first and most important step toward that goal: he’d resign today.
Will Fischer, an Iraq war veteran, is the Director of Government Relations for VoteVets.
Charlottesville
Dan Cantor / Working Families Party
(August 13, 2017) — In Trump’s America, the KKK doesn’t need a hood anymore.
Today in Charlottesville, Virginia, a white supremacist mob held a demonstration to spread their sick ideology that ended with a car driving into a crowd of non-violent activists in the street — an act of domestic terrorism against the people of the United States of America.
At least one person is dead. We condemn them in the strongest possible terms.
White supremacy has never been far from the surface in our nation’s history. It has gotten new life from Trump.
His dog-whistle racism, his campaign rallies that often encouraged violence, and his policies of deportation and criminalization have brought us to this day.
While most voices across the political spectrum have called out this neo-Nazi ideology, the silence from Trump and the far right speaks volumes.
When people of color have led peaceful protests in recent years, the police response has been swift. In a crowd with clear violent intent, the response of law enforcement today in Charlottesville was comparatively restrained. They would not have treated a similar demonstration by young black men with such restraint.
Working Families Party members are joining with Americans of conscience tonight and over the weekend at rallies around the country to reject this neo-Nazi worldview.
And keep an eye on social media for more events being planned and opportunities to show your support this weekend and in the days to come.
