“This represents a failure of one of government’s core functions — the protection of fundamental rights,” reads the 220-page report from Timothy Heaphy, a former U.S. attorney who reviewed the protest for the town's city council. “Law enforcement also failed to maintain order and protect citizens from harm, injury and death.”
Among the report's findings:
• Charlottesville police didn’t ensure separation between counter-protesters and so called alt-right protesters upset with the city council’s decision to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from Emancipation Park.
• Officers weren’t stationed along routes to the park, but instead remained behind barricades in relatively empty zones.
• City police didn’t adequately coordinate with Virginia State Police, and authorities were unable to communicate via radio.
• State police didn’t share a formal planning document with city police, “a crucial failure.”
• Officers were inadequately equipped to respond to the clashes between the two groups, and tactical gear was not accessible to officers.
December 1, 2017
Study blames law enforcement for the injuries and death at the Charlottesville protests.
USA Today reports:
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This will return ARM to the flaccid state. Timing is everything.
Mike Sylvester might be right,
Just look to Terry McAufle for the specifics. This is old news.
Fabi said...This will return ARM to the flaccid state. Timing is everything.
No worries -- he'll still "fold it in" for the sake of social intercourse.
Remember when blaming the city for its horrible handling of this incident was a conspiracy theory?
Does this mean the Confederate Nazis were just a rigged false flag? That is so disappointing. The CIA and their owned Congress guys should seal up the evidence on this one for 50 years too.
If you watch this video ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCBfjIDriYw
* from 14:30 to 16:30
and
* from 21:00 to 21:15
-- a total of just two minutes and 15 seconds of your time --
... then you will see the anti-racism protesters being stopped and diverted north onto Fourth Street. A few seconds later -- as the crowd began walking north, Fields drove his car into the crowd.
The anti-racism protesters were dispersed until they were stopped at Fourth Street. Only then did they become crowded.
Fields had been instructed where to position his car and then was signaled exactly when to begin his three-block drive in order to hit the crowd just a few seconds after the crowd had been diverted north onto Fourth Street.
+++++
I discussed how Fields was set up in more detail on this blog's thread, dated November 6 and titled At the Sunrise Café.
http://althouse.blogspot.com/2017/11/at-sunrise-cafe.html
Don't forget about the police pilots who died during this incident. Lawyer up!
The Conspiracy theory label means, "please ignore the new evidence."
There will be riots in Charlottesville over this and peaceful celebrations in San Francisco over the Steinle verdict. All by the same crowd, pretty much.
My questions:
* By whom and why was the decision made to cancel the protest, which had a legal permit?
* After the legal protest was canceled, did someone inform leaders of the two groups -- of the pro-racism protesters and of the anti-racism protesters -- where they were supposed to lead their groups?
* By whom and why was the decision made to guide all the protesters from the park to Water Street?
* By whom and why was the decision made to turn the pro-racism protesters from Water Street north onto Fifth Street?
* By whom and was were the decision made to turn the anti-racism protesters from Water Street north onto Fourth Street?
* Explain the van that was parked at the intersection of Water Street and Fourth Street.
This ABC report gives a bit more detail and is more damning than the USA Today piece.
Mike Sylwester has done fine work bird-dogging this fiasco.
It was pretty obvious at the time that the various state & local police agencies hosed up the planning for the event. The denial of permit business was a crock from the get-go, which, when the permit was forcibly restored last minute by a judge, left the police scrambling to protect a controversial demonstration at the last minute.
But, in defense of the police, it must have been one hell of a bummer to have two of your own die for these assholes, both on the Left & on the Right.
Let's say it's first degree murder. What percentage of murders in the United States are committed by Neo Nazis? Way less than those committed by illegal aliens, and yet liberals here were explaining that we should be completely ignoring those murders on account of that the numbers are so insignificant.
Watch the following three videos in the given order:
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePsK0dpyu4g
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCBfjIDriYw
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESHIrLb7xxM
Is the report public?
"* Explain the van that was parked at the intersection of Water Street and Fourth Street."
This is the item that suggests some sort of conspiracy although I don't know that it was by the city politicians,
So what ever happened to the guy who killed someone with his car?
Haven't heard much about that.
A year after five police officers were murdered by a BLM sniper and the chief of police wisely resigned after having ordered officers not to don rifle-resistant protective gear, the city of Dallas, TX used Charlottesville as its excuse to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee that had stood unprovocatively for 80 years through white and black mayors and council members alike.
"Study blames law enforcement for the injuries and death at the Charlottesville protests."
From the ABC News article:
The Republican Party of Virginia criticized the city's decision to hire Heaphy, arguing he should be disqualified from leading the review because of past political donations he made to Democratic candidates, including $200 to Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer's campaign fund in 2015.
Heaphy has said his contributions would have no bearing on the review.
The report looks critical, but is blaming law enforcement intended to provide cover to their political superiors?
Yet, the murderer is still charged with murder. I think we all know where the blame for the murder actually lies.
Among the report's findings: • Charlottesville police didn’t ensure separation ...
The anti-racism protesters were diverted to walk north on Fourth Street -- the only non-pedestrian street in the vicinity. The nearby parallel streets (e.g. Third and Fifth) were pedestrian-only streets.
Those anti-racism protesters were sent walking north as a crowd in the middle of a street that had vehicle traffic going one-way south.
Who made those decisions and why?
Yet, the murderer is still charged with murder. I think we all know where the blame for the murder actually lies.
I would sure like to hear more details. I don't have any reason to doubt the charges. But if you look at the video on TMZ of the impact, he was being chased by several AntiFa with clubs and bats. Did they respond instantly? Arm themselves up instantly, and get on him within seconds in response to his aggression? Or were they part of it by chasing him?
I sure would like to hear some explanation for that video that makes it clear that he wasn't in fear for his life. I don't know. It's not really possible to make a real judgement from the evidence we have, but no, I don't trust the reporting enough to accept it at face value.
Every body prosecuted for murder is guilty. Everybody knows that! It's the only "reasonable" belief.
Just remember that this death has national significance and reflects on anybody who supports Trump, and the death in San Francisco is an irrelevant blip of noise in the narrative and must be ignored.
That's the takeaway from this.
Also, Doug Jones, "There were many fine people on both sides of the Civil War" Wouldn't he have been one of the irredeemable racists who objected to the removal of the statue? Oh, that was a couple of months ago. Besides, iffy charges of sexual assault form 40 years ago makes one far worse than actions that would have gotten one "bullhorn convicted" of racism not more than a few weeks ago!
It's like the game of Twister, "OK Democrats, left foot yellow!" Then the next week, its "OK Democrats, right hand green!"
Yes, there should be much more focus on lax law enforcement contributing to violence and destruction at protests generally. Keep things orderly from the beginning, and they won't get out of hand. Put down rioting hard, while respecting civil liberties, and people won't be encouraged to riot elsewhere.
"I sure would like to hear some explanation for that video that makes it clear that he wasn't in fear for his life."
ARM knows that he was the only one involved because SHUT UP !
There is no conspiracy here. Only us chickens.
Does the Narrative ever get old to you, ARM ?
Does the Narrative ever get old to you, ARM ?
ARM feels like all he needs is reading comprehension. As long has he can understand the stories that are fed to him by the Democrats and the press (I repeat myself, see Wikileaks) he figures he is good to go to repeat what he has read.
I am always surprised by the level of support there is for an avowed Nazi fascist who attempted mass murder and succeeded in killing one innocent woman and maiming several other people. Perhaps not someone in whom I would invest quite so much capital.
"Remember when blaming the city for its horrible handling of this incident was a conspiracy theory?"
-- The conspiracy is that the government wanted this to happen, the reality is their incompetence lead to it happening. It's a distinction with a huge difference.
Just doing what the rulers instructed them to do, or in this case not do..
It takes a considerable amount of twisted thinking to go from "the police should have prevented the incident but were incompetent" into "all of you Althouse redneck crackers support Nazi fascists." But I see that ARM accomplished it without breaking a sweat or exercising a neuron.
Big Mike said...
"all of you Althouse redneck crackers support Nazi fascists."
If I had said this, you would have a point. But I didn't, so you remain pointless.
"I am always surprised by the level of support there is for an avowed Nazi fascist who attempted mass murder "
Oh yes you did, ARM
AReasonableMan said...
I am always surprised by the level of support there is for an avowed Nazi fascist who attempted mass murder and succeeded in killing one innocent woman and maiming several other people."
What support? Just because we believe that even "an avowed Nazi fascist" deserves his day in court?
ARM, you clearly haven't looked at the evidence. For one thing, why hasn't the left made a big deal out of "evil murdering NAZI!!!!!!" since he was jailed? It's been radio silence. Surely the people who brought us Ferguson and cheered the Dallas cop killings (your side) would be more vocal about this guy if the whole "Evil racist Trump Supporter Representative Nazi murdering peaceful flower loving kitty holding protestor only out for justice" narrative was correct.
Doesn't that radio silence make you suspicious? Second is all the videos showing the guy being chased by a mob of your side, wielding weapons and beating on his car. Perhaps, just perhaps, this guy was fleeing for his life from your side. I'm sure you would never consider that.
Third is the above: how did the lady die? They apparently are refusing to say she died from impact with a car. Which, you know, kind of is the whole "Nazi racist murderer!" thread. If she didn't die from being struck by a car.... well, your narrative is shot. It's pining for the fjords.
Whole lot of questions with no answers because the police and media and Democrat politicians refuse to provide those answers.
Aren't you even a teeny, tiny bit curious as to why?
Or do you just want to keep on accusing all Trump supporters everywhere of being Nazis and murderers because of this guy in Charlottesville?
--Vance
What support? Just because we believe that even "an avowed Nazi fascist" deserves his day in court?
Shorter ARM: Get s rope!
I don't think the killer in this case planned ahead of time to try and kill people that day. I do think he did intentionally drive his car into that group of people to try and kill as many as he could. I suspect that his motivation was anger at the other side.
He probably was angry about the statue being taken down to begin with. Then when he got there he heard about the city trying to stop their protest and he got angrier. Then the police came in and shut down their protest before it could start and he got angrier still. Perhaps he had a few unpleasant or maybe violent encounters with counter protesters as he was leaving leading him to be even angrier. I believe there is a video floating around that shows the killer leaving a parking garage shortly before he rammed his car into the crowd where a passerby smacks the rear of his car with a bat. Then as he is leaving, already incredibly angry, he sees a crowd of the other side still marching and doing their protest in the streets. Maybe to him this was the final insult to his already self-perceived notion that he and his compatriots were the unfairly treated victims. So in his anger he then decides to get revenge and try to kill and maim as many as he can.
Now obviously his anger doesn't justify murder, but would he have been in such a murderous rage, if the protest had gone better. If the police had kept the two groups separate and everyone present got to feel like they had their public say? I'm leaning towards there probably would have been no murder if that had occurred. To the best of my knowledge, he is still only charged with second degree murder, meaning the state still doesn't have evidence of premeditation. So if the police had done a better job at separation would this have occurred at all?
I hope they review all communication from the municipal, county, and state officials to the various police departments. Who was making which calls?
I would like more facts, wherever they lead. This silence about the direct circumstances is weird. Turn over the rock, please. I would love to know the circumstances of how this protest was organized by a vocal supporter of Hillary, at least on his blog, the becomes a white nationalist right about the time the 'resistance' is declared.
Weaponizing the mentally ill is an old tactic. I am curious about a lot of what went on.
I also think he should get his day in court. There is big step from there to making up nutty conspiracy theories in a desperate attempt to minimize his agency in this murder.
In the 1980s, Geraldo Rivera had a crazy day-time talk show. On one famous episode, he brought a Neo-Nazi, a socialist, a member of the Black Panthers, and a few other freaks all on stage together. Guess what happened? They started brawling, and someone clocked Geraldo in the nose.
Yes, Geraldo probably got good ratings.
The Charlottesville authorities in 2017 = Geraldo Rivera in 1980s
AReasonableMan at 11:29 AM
... nutty conspiracy theories in a desperate attempt to minimize his agency in this murder
Maybe you have me in mind.
I think that Fields drove into the crowd to kill as many anti-racism protesters as possible.
I think also that Fields' intention was known to secret agents who had infiltrated his group -- known well before the event.
It's not even a question that the organizer supported Hillary right up to the election, and was a member of Occupy. He had a blog.
"Or do you just want to keep on accusing all Trump supporters everywhere of being Nazis and murderers because of this guy in Charlottesville? "
Bingo !
My theory is the police / law enforcement were incompetent, the guy had anxiety issues, and his car got hit by protesters looking to "punch a Nazi", he feared for his life,he panicked, and hit the crowd with his car. I am not even sure if the guy was a Nazi, but more of a White Nationalist.
City police didn’t adequately coordinate with Virginia State Police
How could they? Virginia is a commonwealth!
If Fields said beforehand that he wanted to drive his car into a crowd of anti-racist protesters, then his desire could be facilitated.
Arrange for such protesters to be crowded together in a certain place at a certain moment.
Tell Fields where to position his car and when to begin driving.
ARM - have some self-respect. That is some shit-grade trolling you've been posting lately. Exiger toujours de soi-même le meilleur is for trolling, too.
The rest of youse - have some self-respect. Don't accept shit-grade trolling, or worse, repetitious shit-grade trolling. Don't make yourself cheap, make the troll deliver quality product before you respond.
Arm,
You going to answer my question?
What evidence reports or other info is there that Heyer was hit by a car?
And if so, whose car?
John Henry
Blogger Mike Sylwester said...
* Explain the van that was parked at the intersection of Water Street and Fourth Street.
The videos don't show the license plate of that van, (which sat at the intersection for over five minutes before the collision, with people in the back seat but no one in the front), but I would think the police would know it. It was involved in a collision they are investigating as a murder. What do you suppose the owner has told them?
Also, what Fields apparently did was drive his vehicle into the back of a car. The car he hit was apparently stopped behind the driverless van, and knocked the van into the intersection, and a number of people were almost run over by the van. If he had hit any humans at that speed, there would be a lot more carnage. In fact, given the number of people who were in the road, and the speed at which he was driving, it is astonishing no one was caught between the vehicles.
It seems that the conspiracy was elements of Antifa that were willing to abort members of their own group in order to reinforce the image created by the DNC, press, diversity rackets, and activists, by creating a kill zone. The vehicle in question was only blocked in one direction, but had sufficient power (mass and energy) to cause more damage if the operator had elected. The evidence suggests the act was in self-defense, the driver was lost and directed (or conveniently located), and the Antifa activists were corralled and set up for a broadcast event. As it turned out, the driver did not follow the full script, and the Antifa activists had time to react and carry out their own abortion.
No shit.
I mean, you could tell that even from the carefully-chosen clips (angles, views, etc) the Media chose to run over and over again. Law enforcement wasn't overwhelmed, they just didn't do their job despite plenty of opportunity to do so.
The same thing happened at several candidate Trump rallies (mostly in blue cities). It's not a mystery that the police failed to do their job and seemingly failed to even try. No one in authority has gone on the record confirming WHY they failed in that way, though.
that, to me, is the important part.
Who has a permit to protest?
Who didn't?
That's all one needs to know about which group the local 'authorities' sided with the entire time.
Rules for all. Or rules for none.
Choose wisely, leftists.
Ray said...My theory is the police / law enforcement were incompetent, the guy had anxiety issues, and his car got hit by protesters looking to "punch a Nazi", he feared for his life,he panicked, and hit the crowd with his car. I am not even sure if the guy was a Nazi, but more of a White Nationalist.
Bingo! That's the most plausible explanation for the available facts to me, too. Although I'd say I haven't really looked deeply into whether the guy is identifiable as a nazi-supporter or a white nationalist or a white supremacist, etc so I don't have any feelings on that point.
Sure seems like for his action to be murder there has to be a mens rea component and I am not sure we've really heard much about that other than "he was a Nazi" implying that we therefore know he wanted to kill. From the video it looks to me more like he was trying to get away...so it'd still be a homicide but not a murder.
Freeman Hunt said...
Yes, there should be much more focus on lax law enforcement contributing to violence and destruction at protests generally. Keep things orderly from the beginning, and they won't get out of hand.
Police didn't want to closely enforce the law because they expected that enforcement would fall predominantly on the left wing fascists. They acted just as Berkeley and other campus located law enforcement has over the last several years.
Although I'd say I haven't really looked deeply into whether the guy is identifiable as a nazi-supporter or a white nationalist or a white supremacist, etc so I don't have any feelings on that point.
Kessler, the guy who organized the march, told the neo-Nazis and white supremacists that were joining him to wear white polo shirts and khaki slacks. Thus they were easy to identify.
Sure seems like for his action to be murder there has to be a mens rea component and I am not sure we've really heard much about that other than "he was a Nazi" implying that we therefore know he wanted to kill.
@Hoodlum, ARM disagrees with you. Fields is a Nazi who killed a commie. Get a rope!
From the video it looks to me more like he was trying to get away...so it'd still be a homicide but not a murder.
Ah, I thought homicide == murder? Do you mean manslaughter but not a murder? Don't worry, ARM plans to make the whole thing moot as soon as he can find a rope and people to join his mob. (FWIW, I'd have been scared and tried to get away myself, as would anyone else.)
Weaponizing the mentally ill is an old tactic. I am curious about a lot of what went on.
12/1/17, 11:29 AM
AReasonableMan said...
I also think he should get his day in court. There is big step from there to making up nutty conspiracy theories in a desperate attempt to minimize his agency in this murder.
12/1/17, 11:29 AM
1933 Nazi Party Line: Marius van der Lubbe burned down the Reichstag and that's the end of it! No more investigation is necessary, just blame all Communists.
2017 ARM Party Line: James Alex Fields ran over Heather Heyer with his car and that's the end of it! No more investigation is necessary, just blame Nazis.
Jupiter at 12:28 PM
... I would think the police would know it [the van's license plate]. ... What do you suppose the owner has told them?
Maybe the owner said that the van broke down or ran out of gas at that location.
If so, however, the van could have been moved to a curb.
I think the van was parked there in order to prevent Fields from making his get-away southward. Thugs were supposed to pull him from his car and knife him to death so that he never would tell his story.
However, he was able to make his get-away by backing up northward on Fourth Street.
So, Fields still is alive to tell his story about how he knew where to position his car and when to start driving south on Fourth Street.
"So, Fields still is alive to tell his story about how he knew where to position his car and when to start driving south on Fourth Street."
So far. If Hillary had won, he would be in big Seth Rich type trouble.
“From the video it looks to me more like he was trying to get away...so it'd still be a homicide but not a murder.”
“Ah, I thought homicide == murder? Do you mean manslaughter but not a murder? Don't worry, ARM plans to make the whole thing moot as soon as he can find a rope and people to join his mob. (FWIW, I'd have been scared and tried to get away myself, as would anyone else.)”
Or, don’t forget, self-defense. If he was trying to escape an Antifa mob that appeared to him to be intending to drag him out of his vehicle, and if his victim had any involvement in planning the violence (since she was a Wobbly organizer, and that group has most of a century reputation for violent protests), then he probably has a decent self defense claim.
Wikipedia defines homicide as: “Homicide is the act of one human killing another. A homicide requires only a volitional act by another person that results in death, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless or negligent acts even if there is no intent to cause harm.“. And, from that definition, it is clear that some type of homicide was involved. The driver intentionally drove his car, and the car being driven ultimately ended up in the death of the woman. Probably not 1st degree murder, since he didn’t specifically intend to kill her. Possibly 2nd degree (depraved heart/mind) murder though, if he aimed at hitting the vehicle that was pushed into another, which ultimately resulted her death. If for example, he was looking behind him when he hit that vehicle, it might instead be manslaughter. Unless, of course, he was fleeing from suffering death or great bodily injury (which typically includes broken bones), and she wasn’t an innerocent bystander, where you might have self defense (and, yes, hitting someone with a car is the use of deadly force, just like if he had shot her).
As with the university police, they wanted the conservatives to be beaten up by the antifa-democrats. They are a part of the problem:
"Maybe the owner said that the van broke down or ran out of gas at that location. "
There is earlier video of a woman in the driver's seat, with what looks like a phone in her hand.
What this thread sounds like:
We walked in, sat down, Obie came in with the twenty seven eight-by-ten
Colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back
Of each one, sat down. Man came in said, "All rise." We all stood up,
And Obie stood up with the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy
Pictures, and the judge walked in sat down with a seeing eye dog, and he
Sat down, we sat down. Obie looked at the seeing eye dog, and then at the
Twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows
And a paragraph on the back of each one, and looked at the seeing eye dog.
And then at twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles
And arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one and began to cry,
'cause Obie came to the realization that it was a typical case of American
Blind justice, and there wasn't nothing he could do about it, and the
Judge wasn't going to look at the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy
Pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each
One explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us. And
We was fined $50 and had to pick up the garbage in the snow, but that's not
What I came to tell you about.
Why isn't there any video of the woman being hit and killed by the van after it was pushed into her? There appears to be video of everything else that day, why no video of the fatal event?
Seems like someone would have filmed it. I've not ever seen one though.
Makes you say "hmmm".
--Vance
Jupiter at 2:53 PM
There is earlier video of a woman in the driver's seat, with what looks like a phone in her hand.
If the investigators would inform the public why the van was standing there, then I would accept the explanation.
I remember watching the police chief's presser the next day and thinking he is either really stupid, he thinks we are all really stupid, or he's lying for somebody, with teh last 2 being most probable.
It seemed very clear at the time that the City either didn't care, or hoped for a violent confrontation, as they did nothing to stop it and some things to make violence more likely.
Vance,
Not only is there no video of het being hit by any car, tle local paper does not claim sje eas hit.
The local paper says the police do not know what or who caused the blunt force trauma.
Arm? You still have a question pending
John Henry
Not only is there no video of het being hit by any car
Not even that. So, the claim that this alleged color diversitist was there to open an abortion field is incongruent with the hoped and actual outcome.
This incident has political leverage written all over it. Not for the neo-National Socialists, but the heirs apparent to the National Socialist culture of diversity that judges people by the "color of their skin" and abortionists that deny lives deemed unworthy, inconvenient, or profitable. It was Planned Propaganda that may or may not have produced the intended victims or collateral damage.
Mike Sylwester said...
"If the investigators would inform the public why the van was standing there, then I would accept the explanation."
Obviously, the investigators are not sharing the information they have with the public. Which I would regard as entirely proper, pending trial, if it weren't for my suspicion that the police are laying track to railroad an innocent man into prison for a killing that resulted from the riot they planned, instigated and facilitated.
One problem I've always had with the theory that the driver was "trying to kill people" is the epic fail of his efforts. This was a narrow street that was FULL of people! A blind man could have hit more people than the driver of that car. Including when he backed out.
I lost near total respect for law enforcement in blue cities regarding their willingness to keep order after seeing that woman get egged in San Jose: link
Whether she taunted them or not, a LEO is clearly visible through the glass, not doing his job, presumably because he was told to stand down. Pathetic
Ann, the Governor of VA and Mayor of Charlottesville wanted to create the conditions for shutting down the permitted rally by using the excuse of violence, and conspired to create the conditions necessary to do it. Period.
McAullif and the Mayor should be VIGOROUSLY outlined in the report.
I wonder how the police are going to respond to this report.
if it weren't for my suspicion that the police are laying track to railroad an innocent man into prison for a killing that resulted from the riot they planned, instigated and facilitated.
I think so, too. He may not be totally innocent but, as we see in San Francisco, that doesn't always matter.
Curiously missing: "Antifa", which separated this from the other "alt-right" rallies mentioned in the report.
This is why I thank God every time he sends another pig to burn in hell where they belong. They are classic Rove Republicans:
No morals.
No principles.
No scruples.
No honor.
They will do WHATEVER they are told as long as that paycheck keeps comin' in. Oath of office be damned.
“From the video it looks to me more like he was trying to get away...so it'd still be a homicide but not a murder.”
He was trying to get away, AFTER the collision. Fields seemed to allow his car to run into a crowd at a too-high speed, and is probably guilty of SOME crime(s), if not the one(s) he's charged with and will be convicted for, but I don't believe he was under any serious assault until after the crash.
As soon as he stopped the car, Black Bloc camicie nere were breaking his windows with clubs, so hit-and-run, which he is charged with, is a non-starter.
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