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Local leaders react to Charlottesville violence

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Hours after violence and death at a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., President Donald Trump said Saturday he condemned the display of “hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides.”

Rabbi David Novitsky of Beth Israel Congregation in Washington said Trump’s initial reaction was “one of the worst things he has done as president.”

“I really thought the conduct of the president was very hurtful,” Novitsky said. “It’s not only the painful manner of his statement, but his decision-making and thought process as the leader of our nation. I think it’s very hard to forgive what has happened.”

Trump was called upon by Democrats and Republicans to explicitly condemn the white supremacists who staged and attended the rally, which was held in protest of the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a city park. On Monday afternoon, Trump strengthened his position, saying racism is evil.

“If there’s evil, you have to condemn it,” said Novitsky. “This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. I’ve got plenty of friends in Washington County who are right-wing conservatives who like Trump, and they’re good, Christian people, and it bothers them that people are hurt. For the sake of those people, he should do something.”

Phyllis Waller, president of the NAACP Washington branch, said Monday she wanted Trump to state he is against white supremacy.

In an arranged statement at the White House Monday afternoon, Trump branded members of the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists who take part in violence as “criminals and thugs.”

“This is awful in this day and age to see that happen. It’s 2017. This is unbelievable,” Waller said. “I feel like it’s happening because of our president. He has said things when he was running – about Mexicans, about Latinos – and hate crimes have risen since he’s taken office.”

The NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference Monday said in a statement under Trump’s administration, bigotry and racism surged.

“Pennsylvania itself is on fragile and unsteady ground. There has been an increase in open (KKK) activity across the state. Since November 2016, there has been a rise in the number of reported acts of overt racism in schools. Minority students are being taunted and threatened by classmates who have been taught racial hatred and feel free to demonstrate the cruelty associated with these feelings and beliefs,” said Dr. Joan Evelyn Duvall Flynn, NAACP state president. “At this time of national shame and grief, with an open resurgence of bigotry and racism, when white supremacists and nationalists have escalated their hatred of ‘others’ to the level of committing open domestic terrorism, NAACP PA calls on Pennsylvania lawmakers to correct the course being set here in this state.”

In Charlottesville, tension over the removal of Confederate statues was mounting for months, said Gary Greene, a 35-year resident of that city. Different groups, including members of the Ku Klux Klan, rallied there.

Just before noon Saturday, fights between extremists and those who were protesting against them caused Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe to declare a state of emergency.

About 1:45 p.m., 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed and 19 others were injured when a driver, identified as James Alex Fields Jr., 20, of Ohio, drove into vehicles and a group of counterprotesters. Hours later, a state police helicopter that was deployed in response to the incident crashed, killing two troopers.

The crash occurred just a half-mile from Greene’s home.

Greene, who travels to Washington County for his media consulting firm, said he arrived in Charlottesville Saturday evening from an out-of-town trip. Most of the stores and restaurants were closed as he drove through the city that night.

“Our community is stunned. We never thought anything could happen like this in a place like Charlottesville,” Greene said. “We are so sad for the loss of life of one of our citizens and of the state police officers killed in the line of duty. All of this is needless. It’s a tragedy.”

David Kieran, Washington & Jefferson College assistant professor of history, said the violence shed light on several issues, including the president’s “muted” initial response, the increased visibility of white nationalist groups since the 2016 presidential election, and the debate about Confederate memorials in public spaces.

While the violence that occurred Saturday is nearly 250 miles from Washington County, Kieran believes it would be a mistake to ignore the history of racial division throughout the United States.

“It’s incumbent upon every location in the U.S. – not just cities, not just the South – to talk about what it means to be an inclusive community that lives up to the thoughts of our founding documents – liberty and justice for all Americans,” Kieran said. “In Washington County, we see Confederate iconography from time to time, like flags on cars and homes. We should ask what it means. Is it a symbol of heritage or of a history of slavery, white supremacy and racism? Are those something we should feel comfortable having in our community?”

Novitsky said while he doesn’t worry about the safety of the local Jewish community, he does worry about other minorities.

“In the 15 years I’ve been here, I’ve seen people from all parts of the world move here. I’m worried for them,” he said. “I think religion can play a role in bringing people back together again. I do believe a godless society is fertile ground for hate. There are hate groups that use God in the wrong sense in order to make it easy to hurt. Real persons close to God wouldn’t have any desire to hurt another human being.”

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