CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Police are blocking off streets and mobilizing hundreds of officers for the anniversary of a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
State and local authorities framed this weekend’s heightened security as a necessary precaution, but some community activists are concerned the measures could be a counterproductive overreaction.
An independent investigation of last year’s rally violence found the chaos stemmed from a passive response by law enforcement and poor preparation and coordination between state and city police.
University of Virginia professor Lisa Woolfork says she doesn’t know anyone who feels safer because of the increased police presence. Woolfork is also a Black Lives Matter Charlottesville organizer.
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