Fitzhugh and Fogel make first court appearances

Activist Veronica Fitzhugh and commonwealth’s attorney candidate Jeff Fogel both appeared in court this morning for their respective assault charges, accompanied by dozens of supporters. The brief 10am hearing was over before some people could get through security and into the courtroom. Fogel represents Fitzhugh, who was charged May 31 with assault and disorderly conduct stemming […]

Miller’s time: Candidate arrested in mall shout-down

Commonwealth’s attorney candidate Jeff Fogel was arrested in the wee hours today when five police cars came to his house following an alleged assault earlier in the evening outside Miller’s on the Downtown Mall. That was where the latest confrontation between whites-righter Jason Kessler and Showing Up for Racial Justice took place after Kessler dined at […]

Kumbaya moments at Lee Park—sort of

Charlottesville religious leaders staged a counterprotest this morning at Lee Park in anticipation of a gathering of Confederate supporters that didn’t happen. And when two foes met amid the hymns and prayers, all was not forgiven. According to a press release, the Confederates were supposed to be at the park at 10am. Members of the […]

Tactical change: Not your grandpa’s protest

In images from the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, African-Americans in their Sunday best peacefully protested, and when violence occurred, it came from police or from virulent racists. Those are not the optics of today’s demonstrations. Instead, protesters knock cell phones out of people’s hands, blast them with bullhorns, block filming with […]

Standing up: Andrew Sneathern announces 5th District run

Touting his background growing up on a farm and as an attorney, Andrew Sneathern threw his cap into the 2018 5th District congressional race today before dozens of supporters at Champion Brewery. Sneathern, 46, plans to tap into the “unbelievable wealth of power coming from the Democratic party now, something I’ve never seen before,” he […]

Still relevant? New NAACP president faces charged civil rights landscape

There were times in its century-long history that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was considered a militant organization. Today, not so much. Just last week, the national organization’s board ousted its president and called for a “systemwide refresh.” Janette Martin took the helm of the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP in January at the […]

The man who confronted white nationalists in Lee Park

The initial police officer on the scene at the May 13 Lee Park demonstration of Richard Spencer’s alt-right gang described between 100 and 150 people carrying tiki-style torches, some of whom were in an argument with a man who was yelling at them to “leave my town,” according to a Charlottesville Police release. That man […]

EPIC forum: When candidates and townspeople meet

New group Equity and Progress in Charlottesville hopes to piggyback on the progressivism sparked by Bernie Sanders’ campaign last year, while elbowing aside the ruling Democratic party’s stranglehold on local government. EPIC is holding forums to ferret out candidates in local races most closely aligned with its goals of adding affordable housing, and stanching gentrification […]