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Unite the Right Rally Sparks Fear on the Mall

SmartGrowthAmerica.com

Charlottesville survived a protest by the Ku Klux Klan without deaths or serious injuries, but officials now appear concerned that another rally, this one on August 12th, could be bigger and more dangerous. 

Many people in Charlottesville have been reading, online, about plans for a rally called Unite the Right.  Led by white supremacist Richard Spencer and local activist Jason Kessler, hundreds – maybe thousands of people could be on hand, and restaurant owner Michael Rodi is concerned.

"Officially it’s being billed as a protest, as a peaceful protest, but the subtext is very clearly let’s come down here and kick some butt.  Please bring your guns," he says. " They’re bringing  a self-described lawless motorcycle gang to provide security.

While the city says its devoting significant resources to preparedness, Rodi is not convinced police can keep residents safe.

"An officer yesterday said, ‘Mike, if you’re going to stay open, I want to make sure you have some boards that you can quickly nail to your windows and a safe room for everybody to go to.'  I mean, yeah, we are all wondering what we’re going to be coming into on Sunday morning," Rodi  says.

So he organized a meeting of about fifty merchants with bars, restaurants and stores on the downtown mall, near the proposed site of the gathering, and they asked city leaders to relocate the rally.

"If the city deems it necessary, it can move the event to a more suitable location – one with parking, one with public accommodations, one with maybe a larger buffer from commercial and residential areas."

And the businesses suggest Charlottesville demand that organizers have insurance and meet local requirements for public events.

"A lot of these events are required to  have a health department approval of a plan as well as police approval of a plan," he explains. " I think this is an event that screams for both of those things."

While those things are required for special events, the city says they do not apply to political protests, although they have not ruled out moving the rally.  Officials promise details on how they’ll handle Unite the Right later this week.