The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) has been known to be one of the most notorious extremist groups in America. Since the election of President Trump, the KKK has been an issue and of most recently had a negative impact in Charlottesville, Virginia. The two Democratic Senators of Virginia, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are expected to be joined by Republicans Johnny Isakson from Georgia and Cory Gardner from Colorado, to discuss a mutual solution to the problems of “white supremacist, KKK, neo- Nazis and hate groups.”
Woman Killed in Charlottesville Protest
A woman, Heather Heyer, was killed when a Neo-Nazi crashed his car into a crowd of peaceful protesters against hate groups.
Friends described Heather as a “strong woman” who was passionate about what she stood for. While speaking to CNN News, a friend of Heather, Melissa Blaire, stated, “We were just marching around, spreading love and then the accident happened. In a split second, you see a car and you see bodies flying.”
Heather died at the age of 32 and was a paralegal for Miller’s Law Group in Charlottesville. Several of Heather’s social media outlets portrayed Heather as a peaceful and loving person who advocated for equal rights. According to Heather’s friends, Heather’s activism meant more of being out there protesting than sitting behind a computer screen. A 20-year-old, James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio was charged and arrested for the second-degree murder of Heather with additional charges of malicious wounding and failure to stop at the scene of the crash that resulted in death.
Charlottesville officials stated with regards to Ms. Heller, “This senseless act of violence rips a hole in our collective hearts. While it will never make up for the loss of a member of our community, we will pursue charges against the driver of the vehicle that caused her death and are confident justice will prevail.”
Pilot Troopers killed in crash of their Helicopter
According to NY Times, the Virginia state police are mourning the loss of a pilot and trooper pilot named Jay Cullen and Burk M.
M. Bates, who was killed in the crash of their helicopter while monitoring the “alt right” rally in Charlottesville. There is no indication of foul play just yet, but the crash is under investigation by the state police, Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Transport Safety Board. President Donald Trump expressed his condolences via Twitter: “Deepest condolences to the families and fellow officers of the VA State Police who died today.
You are among the best this nation produces.”
Proposed resolution to violence caused by hate groups
As reported by CNN News, Trump blamed “hatred, bigotry, and violence - on many sides” and the ‘alt left’ for contributing to violence and went on to state that there are “fine people from two sides.” A joint resolution in the US Congress is a resolution passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and by doing so, the senators will place Trump in a position to condemn white supremacy groups and risk new accusations if he forbids it. Kaine stated, “This resolution honors their lives while supporting the Charlottesville community as it heals and rightfully calls on us all, including President Trump, to do better as we combat acts of hate.” Warner stated, "We will be pressing our colleagues to swiftly and unanimously approve this resolution in order to send a strong message that the United States Congress unconditionally condemns racist speech and violence."
