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August 2017 Archive

The University of Virginia Collection on the Events of August 11-13, 2017 in Charlottesville, VA

Helicopter over the rally the entire day

Dublin Core

Title

Helicopter over the rally the entire day

Description

I live several blocks from the park. On our morning walk, my husband and I went past it and saw barriers in preparation for the rally. It was around 8:15 am and people were already starting to arrive, even though it wasn't supposed to start for hours. A car pulled up to us next to Court Square Tavern and asked what was going on. (Two men were in the car; looked like possibly a father and teenaged son.) My husband backed away, but I explained to them that a rally was going on. They handed me propaganda; it was then that I realized who they were and backed away. My husband heard them say," I hear you have a Jewish mayor and a black Vice mayor." We left and as we walked home, a long line of militia walked past us toward the park. They were dressed in camo with numerous weapons in their hands and on their bodies. We noticed lots of people arriving so we went home. I'm a knitter so I grabbed some yarn and positioned myself on a rooftop, outdoor patio to listen and watch and prayed that people would stay home (as the police chief recommended) so it would send the right message. A short while later this (see video) helicopter showed up over the park, visible from my rooftop. It stayed in that position, hovering, for 7 hours. I believe it left at 4:00 pm. I sent the video to my family members, describing the day's events. I turned on the tv throughout the day and checked Twitter for info on what was going on at the park. It was later that evening that we heard of the helicopter crash. And the tragic car crash. Our hearts broke. Charlottesville broke. I had finished my knit mittens and gave them to the little artist and her sister that periodically leave us artwork on our front porch.

Creator

Barbara Hurd

Date

2017-08-12

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Spatial Coverage

Citation

Barbara Hurd, “Helicopter over the rally the entire day,” August 2017 Archive, accessed May 20, 2024, https://august2017.lib.virginia.edu/items/show/70.