The city of Charlottesville will spend at least $100,000 on an independent study of what happened when the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists came to town. Sandy Hausman reports that investigation is already underway.
Former U.S. Attorney Tim Heaphy says his mission is to gather the facts.
“There are a lot of accusations and rumors about what did or didn’t happen," he told reporters. "We’re going to try to focus very methodically on what did in fact occur, and try to start with a baseline of objective fact.”
He’ll also review how local officials made and executed their plans.
“Our review is not limited to the police department," he explained. "It will focus upon the city’s comprehensive handling of these events. It will focus on permitting, communications, it will focus on all aspects of how the city as a whole prepared for and responded to these events.”
That’s why Heaphy is asking the public to share any experiences they had during various rallies, but he can’t guarantee that citizens will see his final report.
“Once we’re done our work will go to the city, and they will decide then what to do with that information, what to make public and in what form."
Heaphy said his law firm – which reportedly charges $545 an hour for his services – is extending a steep discount to the city. He could not say how long the investigation would take or whether there might be additional charges.
Report your experiences at one or more rallies online or call 1-877-HUNTON.
To share information that may involve a crime email the Charlottesville police or contact the F.B.I. at 1-800-CALL-FBI.