How—and why—Indivisible Charlottesville is demonstrating for democracy

From information sessions to the almost 7,000-person No Kings Day protest on June 14, Indivisible Charlottesville is bringing together people from across the region in its pro-democracy, anti-Trump activism. Since inauguration day, nationwide protests have been a frequent occurrence during the Trump administration. Many of these planned area demonstrations, including Hands Off and No Kings […]

No Kings Day rally draws thousands

Charlottesville joined thousands of cities nationwide with a June 14 No Kings Day rally that saw about 6,800 people protesting along US 29 by The Shops at Stonefield. No Kings Day coincided with a military parade commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, and President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. Millions of Americans participated in […]

Conflicting accounts

Administrators, faculty, students, and the broader Charlottesville community continue to grapple with the forceful removal of a pro-Palestine encampment from the University of Virginia by police on Saturday, May 4. No one can agree on exactly what happened. University leadership, including President Jim Ryan and University Police Chief Tim Longo, outlined the timeline of events […]

Breaking camp

Tensions between organizers and university leadership reached a boiling point underneath the gray skies on Saturday, May 4, when police forcefully broke up a pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Virginia.  By all accounts, the UVA Encampment for Gaza organized peacefully on Grounds, with demonstrators intermittently chanting, decorating signs, and working on their finals throughout […]

Anti-racists instruct

During the week leading up to the August 11 and 12 anniversary, local anti-racist groups hosted a series of events, including panels on their use of in-your-face tactics and why they believe the First Amendment should not apply to white supremacists. Protesters up the ante UVA religious studies professor Jalane Schmidt opened the August 7 […]

ARTS Pick: Algiers hailed as the quintessential protest band

Experimental group Algiers might be this generation’s quintessential protest band. Hailing from Atlanta, the four-man act creates music with lyrics as radical and furious as its sound, with influences ranging from post-punk to Southern gospel. The band’s name refers to a famous anti-colonial battle, and its tracks usually comment on America’s history of slavery and […]

Tarped: Students shroud Jefferson statue in black at Rotunda

By Natalie Jacobsen “No Nazis, no KKK, no racist UVA!” a parade of students crossing University Avenue chant. “Louder!” shouts a woman with a megaphone. Just after sundown around 8pm Tuesday night, as the rain fell, more than 100 students gathered in front of the Rotunda and surrounded the Thomas Jefferson statue. Two students drummed […]

They doth protest: Listen to Charlottesville’s protest songs

Everyone knows at least one protest song. There’s Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” which American Songwriter magazine says is “arguably more popular than our national anthem”; Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”; Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”; Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”; Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”; Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind”; […]

Police expect thousands, closed streets downtown August 12

At a press conference today, Charlottesville police Captain Victor Mitchell estimated there would be between 2,000 and 6,000 people here on Saturday and said many downtown streets and sidewalks will be closed for the upcoming Unite the Right rally Mitchell is incident commander for both McIntire Park, where the city wishes Jason Kessler would take […]