“It Is a Gross Miscarriage of Justice”: Community Members March in Protest of Guilty Verdict for Corey Long

On Friday, June 8th, Judge Downer sentenced Corey Long to 360 days in jail with 340 suspended in addition to 100 hours of community service…because slavery is still legal, so long as you’re being punished. Effectively, that's 20 days — which is devastating enough — but he now has nearly a year hanging over his …

Of Murals and Monuments: Why Charlottesville’s Public Art is Political

A stalled “community” mural project teaches lessons about art, politics, and public memory in the wake of racial terror The seriousness of public art in Charlottesville cannot be overstated. We are a community for whom monuments and memorials have deep significance. This is especially true for the proposed, conditionally approved, but now tabled, community mural intended …

On March 30, 2018May 12, 2018 By solidaritycvilleIn Our Analysis

City Council protester sentenced in latest case of targeting of anti-racist activists

Yesterday, Judge Robert Downer sentenced a community member to ten days in jail for disorderly conduct. He suspended the sentence on the condition of one year of good behavior. Two other community members, charged with obstruction of justice, had their cases continued to December 8th. The defendants were offered pleas that included suspended jail sentences, …

Nikuyah Walker Emails Demonstrate Her Commitment to Justice

Saturday night, a mere four days before the election, The Daily Progresspublished an attempted exposé of Charlottesville City Council hopeful Nikuyah Walker. This article is a hit piece initiated by Mike Signer. The article claims, “A source in City Hall, who wished to remain anonymous, called attention to her emails, voicing concerns about her ability to work …

The threat is real: A reflection on Nazis and Cops in Charlottesville

Richard Spencer and other white supremacist neo-Nazis, numbering 40 to 50, loaded several vehicles and descended on Charlottesville to carry out another ceremony lit by tiki torches. This happened days after Jason Kessler resurfaced and was seen with members of the League of the South marching through downtown Charlottesville who had even signed up to speak during that …

Solidarity Cville supports UVA DREAMers to #DefendDACA

The decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) plan is another terrifying way that Trump's white supremacist administration continues its assault on human rights. Immigration reform in the United States has always been a practice that is rooted in race-based violence, exclusion, and exploitation. DACA was never proclaimed to be the best solution, …

Solidarity, not Scapegoating

We are united in rejecting the Daily Progress’s August 10, 2017 editorial. White supremacy is a system, it is not an individual. We come together on Saturday to reject this structure of racism and oppression that marginalizes communities of color and the poor in our city every day. Blaming white supremacy on black politicians is …

McIntire Park: An Even Bigger Platform for White Supremacy

Monday — just five days from the Unite the Right rally — Charlottesville City Council held a press conference addressing the possibility of moving the white supremacist rally from Emancipation Park to another location. Citing Emancipation Park’s size (1.4 acres) and proximity to the downtown mall, as well as the likelihood that the rally’s attendees …

Solidarity Cville re-emphasizes the public safety threat of ‘Unite the Right’

Mayor Signer, City Manager Jones, and members of city council, for weeks you reiterated that the only protest of the Klan that you would tolerate on July 8 in Injustice Park was to wear black and silently turn our backs on the white supremacist violence that you welcomed into our city and expended exorbitant resources …

Solidarity Cville documents threats of violence planned for August 12

Solidarity Cville presented the following open letter to Charlottesville City Council on 17 July 2017. Dear Esteemed Council Members, With respect to the issue of public safety surrounding the “Unite the Right” rally currently scheduled for 12 August 2017, we present evidence of threats of violence planned to take place during the event. These threats …