Community Corner
March And Rally For Charlottesville Tonight In Philadelphia
"White nationalism does not flow from the heart of God," organizers said.
PHILADELPHIA – A rally in support of the people of Charlottesville, Virginia is planned for Philadelphia Wednesday night after one person and many other were injured during a white nationalist rally Aug. 12 in Charlottesville. The rally will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and starts at Congregation Rodeph Shalom Synagogue, 615 N. Broad St.
Philadelphians Organized to Witness Empower and Rebuild (POWER) is organizing the march and rally, called, Philly is Charlottesville March and Rally, which will march down Broad Street to the Arch Street United Methodist Church, 55 N. Broad St.
"At Arch Street UMC we will not only name how white supremacy is at work in our city, but we will present specific calls to action related to demands around criminal justice reform, public education funding, and living wages," organizers said. "We will engage in a direct action campaign at the church calling on specific elected officials to do their part in dismantling institutionalized racism."
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Heather Heyer, 32, was killed in Charlottesville on Saturday when a car was driven into a crowd of demonstrators counter-the protesting white nationalist "Unite the Right" rally. In addition to the death, 35 people were injured in the crash and other incidents throughout the day. A wide variety of far-right groups had gathered in the city to protest the removal of the Confederate Robert E. Lee statue from a public park.
On Facebook, more than 1,800 people have said they will attend the march and rally.
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The PhillyVoice reports the march and rally does not have a permit and police will be present during the event.
"While we applaud the thousands who took to the streets this weekend in solidarity with Charlottesville, we call upon the same persons to march with us to tear down white supremacist structures in Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," organizers said.
Image of counter protesters gathering at a previous Ku Klux Klan event on July 8, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, via Chet Strange/Getty Images News/Getty Images
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