Video: Car Attacked Before Ramming Crowd vs. The Narrative

A video captures the beginning of the Charlottesville ramming incident and shows that James Fields's car was moving slowly and sped up after suddenly being hit very hard by a man with a metal pole before Fields hits the crowd with his car. The fact that he was able to hit the back of the car implies that the car was moving slowly when the counter-protester swung the pole. The fact that the pole did not snap indicates that it was probably metal. This all has incredible implications and completely disrupts the false narrative being widely promoted. The Charlotteville incident is being used to claim that Trump is a racist, however, anti-white politicians planned and encouraged conflict, police allowed the non-permit group Antifa to mix, and the car of the killer was hit by a pole before the deadly ramming.

I'm not justifying what James Fields did. Even if he feared for his life, that is no excuse for recklessly speeding on a crowded street. But based on this video, there should not have been metal poles or weapons allowed, there should not have been cars driving through angry mobs, and there should not have been Antifa and alt-right groups mixing together. These were combined as a recipe for disaster. The violence on both sides should be condemned. That is actually what Trump stated: "I think there's blame on both sides." Yet, 'fake news' sources say otherwise.

If you look for this video at mainstream news sites, you probably won't find it. I saw on the Internet the first day or so after the Charlottesville demonstration and death occurred on August 12, 2017, and have not seen it referenced by any mainstream news source. This video is important, though, because it disrupts the narrative that a white supremacist came to the rally with the premeditated intention of ramming the crowd and it actually underscores that the mayor might hold a great deal more responsibility than initially claimed. I am personally neither alt-right nor Antifa, and neither republican, nor democrat, but I do not like to see the country being ripped apart based on false narratives.

The most important video of Charlottesville and James Fields' Car:

The news company Ruptly that stamped the video is apparently a German news company. Consider that only a foreign news company would publish a video that is perhaps the most important video related to the Charlottesville ramming incident and you will get an idea of just how biased and manipulative the US mainstream news has become. U.S. Mainstream news outlets are apparently mostly intent on promoting a false narrative, essentially propaganda, that somehow the death of Heather Heyer is all ultimately President Trump's fault. For a deeper look at who is to blame, however, consider the words of the Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer defining Charlottesville as "a capital of the resistance" in defiance against President Trump. The transcript of the speech now labeled as "The Capital of the Resistance Speech" reveals incredible hypocrisy and intentions to break the law by an acting mayor.

The MSM news narrative holds that President Trump is a racist for stating that there “very fine people on both sides” of the Charlottesville rally, while taking his words out of context from the larger quote and also ignoring the fact that the rally was also about the destruction of historic statues (to oppose removing a statue of Robert E. Lee from Charlottesville's Lee Park), the defense of free speech rights, per the ACLU, and increasing Democrat lawlessness. The mayor of Charlottesville basically said in a speech that he had no regard for Federal immigration laws and instead wanted, "to find the approach on immigration that best fits their local needs." Mark Levin correctly labeled this approach by Democrats as "incentivizing lawlessness."

The Capital of the Resistance Speech

Prior to the rally, there's notable hypocrisy in Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer's "Capital of the Resistance" speech when he applies the word "demagogue" to Donald Trump though it clearly applies more appropriately to himself and his desire to undermine a democratically elected president and to oppose laws. Consider this expansive definition of the word demagogue:

"What distinguishes a demagogue is how he or she gains or holds democratic power: by exciting the passions of the lower classes and less-educated people in a democracy toward rash or violent action, breaking established democratic institutions such as the rule of law.[3] James Fenimore Cooper in 1838 identified four fundamental characteristics of demagogues:[3][6]"

The "Capital of Resistance" speech transcript is proudly displayed at a site hosted by Mike Signer at mikesigner.com and the mayor says: "In the weeks to come, resist however and wherever you can." -and this is a common theme. The democratic process does not apparently apply to these people. Laws do not apply. Only their own party ideals are important and must be obtained at any cost. "For anyone feeling confused about what we can do right now—about what the idea of “Resistance” really means" -and then he describes various ways that this mayor and his people will decide immigration policy, not the laws of the land.

Signer actually states that he intends to confront laws rather than conform to them: "Finally, I have spoken with our Commonwealth’s Attorney about the challenges we might confront legally in the months and years to come on immigration. All cities work with their prosecutors and their police to find the approach on immigration that best fits their local needs." The fact is, valid immigration policy is based on legal immigration, not doing whatever you want in order to appease people that have crossed the border illegally. Signer holds the same attitude and approach that Obama and HRC hold, and that is one of the reasons why HRC was not elected. People are tired of politicians trying to make up rules on the fly simply based on their own ideals. This is demagoguery at its very essence. And this is a common tactic, to accuse the opposition of what you yourself are doing.

As many have pointed out, someone ordered that the police stand down and allow violence to escalate in Charlottesville between alt-right groups and Antifa groups. And it was most likely this mayor that holds responsibility for making this order. It seems that it was probably not accidental that Antifa was there, had no permit to assemble, as the alt-right group had, and were left alone. They should have been immediately dispersed for assembling without a permit or at least separated from the alt-right group. Signer's lawless "resistance" mentality and the creation of a violent situation were perhaps the initial foundational causes of a young woman's death.

Was Mayor Mike Signer ultimately to blame for the death of Heather Heyer?

If it appears that the mayor was negligent in separating the crowds, in making sure that people did not have potential weapons, and in allowing cars to drive through angry mobs, and furthermore possibly even ordering that the police stand down and allow violence to develop, then this was a recipe for injury and death. And if the video does, in fact, show that James Alex Fields Jr. was attacked by an angry demonstrator with a pole before possibly panicking and running into a crowd on the street, then this is probably less likely to be considered a premeditated crime and more likely to be considered as influenced by the circumstances. I use the word "blame" here with caution. But if all these facts are true, then it appears that the mayor might at best have grossly negligent in managing this obviously sensitive public event. It may have been worse, though. It's possible that he may have intended to create a violent situation as a means towards potentially assigning blame to President Trump.

The main narrative that we are hearing repeated over and over in the mainstream news is that a white supremacist intentionally attacked the crowd with his car. And we see repeated attempts to brand Donald Trump as the blame for all of all the consequences. The mere suggestion that there was "blame on both sides" or on "many sides" is intolerable. The reactions to Trump’s comments were vitriolic. However, his view is correct. The blame is actually on many sides and may lie mainly at the feet of Mayor Mike Signer, who held a professional responsibility to prepare for the demonstration.

There was increased hatred, name-calling, and violence following this incident. Name calling allows a person to feel superior while avoiding the deeper substantive issues that need to be discussed including any real or apparent injustices, bitterness, and the need for healing and unity. The fact is, there is a lot of misinformation being spewed out by the MSM news and people make false associations, such that enforcing legal immigration is racist. It's not. And promoting free speech does not necessarily make someone a fascist by association if a neo-nazi also is promoting free speech. The repeated assertion that all blame is only on one side of this issue and the refusal to discuss root issues are more totalitarian in nature than democratic. The very government leaders crying "racism" are shown to be anti-white in their own attitudes, as shown in racist quotes by Wes Bellamy. Racism has root causes that can be addressed. An every obstacle can be overcome towards increased unity if free speech and sincere dialogue are encouraged.

Healing can only begin by sincerely seeking and accepting the truth, rather than avoiding it and denying it.

When people refuse the invitation to civil dialogue, then it only goes to show the reality of their own hatred and bitterness. And hopefully, there will be an epiphany that the answer is not quite what they think it is.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." - Matthew 5:13

What's your opinion on the Charlottesville incident?

The web-clipped photo of the car attacker is from The Daily Signal.

UPDATE: The Gateway Pundit has web-clip from facebook showing an Antifa activist boasting that he chased the driver with a gun before he sped into the crowd and killed a bystander.

Armed Antifa PROFESSOR Admits to Chasing Charlottesville Driver With Rifle BEFORE DEADLY CRASH!

“I take perverse pleasure in having carried this Spike’s lower in the defense of Justice Park on August 12th. I used this rifle to chase off James Fields from our block of 4th St before he attacked the marchers to the south. Spike’s needs a good lesson in ethics and antifascism.”

CNN's Chris Cuomo continues to promote the Charlottesville lie that Trump praised Nazis as "very fine people" and this is summarized at another post.

Tags: video of car before ramming, car hit by baseball bat, car hit by pole before ramming crowd, video of initial footage of ramming, the false narrative, propaganda

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JANUARY 31, 2017

Mike's "Capital of the Resistance" Speech

On January 31, 2017, Mike delivered a speech titled "A Capital of the Resistance" in front of Charlottesville's City Hall.  The speech was covered by many media, including The Daily Progress, Cville Weekly, Virginian-Pilot, WVTF (NPR), NBC29, and CBS19.  The full text of the speech is below.

“A Capital of the Resistance”

Mayor Mike Signer, City of Charlottesville

January 31, 2017

I want to begin by thanking all of you for taking the time for showing up here today.  What an amazing crowd.  Thank you for being here.

We’re going to hear today from a truly remarkable group of speakers. 

We will hear from Khizr Khan, the father of U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, who died courageously fighting for our country in Iraq.  And Mr. Khan is the owner of one very famous copy of the U.S. Constitution.

We will hear from Karim Ginena, a Ph.D. candidate at the Darden School of Business, with the Islamic Society of Central Virginia, which has over 2,000 members in our community.

We will hear from Harriet Kuhr, the Executive Director of the International Rescue Committee’s office here, which has brought hundreds of political refugees fleeing strife and terror to this community.

We will hear from Ahmed Al Srya, a student and political refugee from a family of Palestinian refugees who were resettled from Iraq.  He has been in Charlottesville since 2010.  He has applied for citizenship, and he’s scheduled to take his oath in February.

We will hear from Pam Northam, who’s married to our sitting Lieutenant Governor, Ralph Northam, who has spoken proudly and strongly in support of New Americans.

We will hear from Edgar Lara, who served in the U.S. Marines and the son of an undocumented immigrant.  He works with the organization Sin Barreras.

We will hear from Rabbi Tom Gutherz, the head rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel here in Charlottesville, which is the oldest continuously utilized synagogue in Virginia.

We will hear from Pastor Hodari Hamilton, who leads Charlottesville’s oldest African-American congregation at First Baptist Church on West Main Street.

We will hear from the Reverend Elaine Ellis Thomas of St. Paul's Memorial Episcopal Church, which has been in our community for over a century.

And we will hear from Jeff Legro, Vice Provost for Global Affairs & Taylor Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia.

Thank you all for your service, your leadership, and your dedication to our democracy.

Everyone, please take a moment to look around you.

Each of you has a different reason you’re here.  I hope you’ll take a moment this afternoon to introduce yourself to someone you don’t already know—and to learn their story.

I’m here for three reasons.

I’m here because of my visit to the mosque on Cherry Avenue last Saturday.  I sat with dozens of political refugees who fled oppression and tyranny in their home countries for the safe harbor of American democracy.  They had all gone through exhaustive vetting to come here.  Whether an Iraqi translator for American troops or a Syrian who refused to serve in Bassar al Assad’s Army, I listened to the fear, the confusion, and the anxiety in their voices as they wrestled with the cruel chaos coming out of the Beltway.  Again and again, they expressed bewilderment that they had escaped the frying pan only to fall into the fire. 

They’re hearing the message that America doesn’t want them here.  I could not disagree more strongly.  They are exactly the people we want here.

Second, I’m here for my paternal grandfather.  He was a Jewish kid raised in the Bronx, where he was the ping-pong champion of the whole borough, before he left for the European front in WWII, where he served as an Army Jeep mechanic on the European front. 

He was part of the forces that liberated the world from Nazism and fascism, that laid the groundwork for NATO and the Marshall Plan, and for a country that lived up to the promises of the Statue of Liberty.  

His service in the U.S. Army was one of the proudest periods of his life.  If he were alive right now, I don’t think I could look him in the face and say Grandpa, I didn’t fight for the values you fought for. 

And I’m here as a student of history.  I have studied demagogues for many years.  I even wrote a book about them.  (It was out of print until Donald Trump kindly brought it back to life).  Demagogues have always haunted democracy.   But I also know American democracy has always risen to their test.  Whether Joseph McCarthy or Joe Wallace, Huey Long or David Duke, we have outlasted, subsumed, or outright defeated those who would prey on us. 

The fancy word for why is “constitutionalism.”  That’s a long word for the simple beliefs that breathe life into democracy like the soul animates the body.  It’s what Thomas Jefferson meant when he said, “Where is our republicanism to be found?  Not in the constitution, but merely in the spirit of the people.”

That spirit is why we have never let demagogues destroy our beautiful American democracy from within.  And they’re why I’m here today.  Demagogues test us.  They are ruthless and seductive.  They flatter us.  They tell us what we want to hear.  And they bully us if we resist them.

And make no mistake.  We are being tested.

Let’s go over recent events.  Last Friday, at 4:42 p.m. the White House issued an Executive Order titled, “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States.”  The order was crafted by an alt-right media executive and a 31 year-old White House aide.  Neither of whom is a lawyer.

The immediate result was chaos and confusion.  Students, visitors and green-card-holding legal permanent United States residents from seven countries were stopped at airports overseas.  The order also banned holders of special visas, like Iraqis and Afghanis who served as translators for U.S. troops, from entering our country.

By Saturday night, four federal judges in New York, Massachusetts, Washington—and Virginia—temporarily blocked the order.  It was revealed that the Department of Homeland Security, the Defense and State Departments weren’t even consulted on the order. 

The order was clearly the first chapter in the “Muslim ban” the president promised during his campaign.  At first, he backpedaled, saying it wasn’t in fact a Muslim ban, even though it applied only to Muslim countries, and even though it exempted Christians.  But then his close advisor Rudy Giuliani told the truth, revealing that the President had asked him precisely how to implement a Muslim ban.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said the ban violated international human rights law and said that 20,000 refugees would be affected immediately.

Intolerance in government tends to breed incompetence.  By Sunday morning, the president’s own chief of staff could not say how the order applied to green card holders.  Over 100 diplomats at the State Department signed a memo opposing the order.  Then, just yesterday, the Acting Attorney General stated that she would not defend the order in court, because it was unlawful.  And she was fired.

There’s a technical term for this kind of mess in government.  We call it a “clown show.”  But this isn’t funny.  It’s serious business.  These folks couldn’t run a two-car parade, much less policies affecting the rights of millions of people. 

And that’s why I’m here today to declare that Charlottesville, the historic home of Thomas Jefferson, is a Capital of the Resistance.

Let me state clearly.  This is not about politics or about party or even a president. 

This is about America.  This is about American values. 

Look around you.  If you want to divide us, if you want to frighten our community, if you want to extinguish the torch of our magnificent American democracy—then you’re going to have to come through us first.

This is personal for me.  As a white man in America, I’m aware every day of the blessings this country readily gives me and my two boys, but denies to so many others.  And as a Jew, I’ve had the experience of being a religious minority my entire life. 

I love that our history of Constitutional values in Virginia goes back to James Madison’s fight, as a young college graduate and activist, to protect a sect of Baptists who had been imprisoned in Culpeper for preaching without a license.

I love that our values go back to Madison’s successful fight in the Virginia legislature to defeat a proposal for a tax to fund only Christian churches.  That battle led Madison to deliver his famed and brilliant “Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments.”

And I love that our values go back to Thomas Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom, and his specific belief that Muslims should be protected from oppression.

My apologies for the history lesson.  But that’s the Virginia I know and love.  A Virginia of open minds and open hearts for all people and all creeds.

The word “resist” has a special meaning.  It comes from the Latin word “to stand.” That’s what all of you are doing here today.  Standing up for American values.  These are the values emblazoned on our Statue of Liberty—the words of the poet Emma Lazarus, that we are a place that embraces “Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

For anyone feeling confused about what we can do right now—about what the idea of “Resistance” really means—I want to tell you about four actions I am taking, as an individual member of City Council—not on behalf of Council as a whole. 

#1.  Our refugees need federal resources.  This weekend, I spoke with Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, and I’m proud to say they both leaped at the chance to direct their staff to provide specific casework assistance to local refugees who urgently need their help.

#2.  Our refugees also need legal help.  In recent days, I’ve gathered with attorneys and law students to create a special effort to provide legal counsel to refugees.  That effort will begin this week.  And there are lawyers here who can begin helping today.

#3.  I will ask Charlottesville’s Human Rights Commission to discuss and address any complaints of xenophobia and religious and ethnic intolerance and harassment in our city.  Bigotry in any form should not be welcome here.

#4.  Finally, I have spoken with our Commonwealth’s Attorney about the challenges we might confront legally in the months and years to come on immigration.  All cities work with their prosecutors and their police to find the approach on immigration that best fits their local needs.  I plan on asking Charlottesville’s City Manager to advise City Council on all our legal options to protect immigrants and refugees—particularly if the administration’s approach becomes even more draconian.

But those are just the actions of one individual.

Everyone here can act.  In the weeks to come, resist however and wherever you can.  Take your message to your Congressman, Tom Garrett.  Take it to your neighbors and colleagues and family members.  Take it to President Trump!  Support organizations that need your help, with your labor and your words and your dollars. 

Most important of all, take a stand on America’s path forward.  We’re facing waves of change in our country—economic, demographic, technological, cultural.  We can respond by grasping for a past that’s already behind us.  We can see people through old and tired stereotypes. 

Or we can embrace these changes.  We can see diversity, and innovation, and the world itself, as a bold and bracing horizon for progress. 

Here in Charlottesville we are casting our lot with that second path.  We believe in the creativity and the vision that diversity unleashes.  And it’s working. 

We’re home to hundreds of employers who see pluralism, tolerance, competition, and productivity as part of the same whole.  A new organization of over 40 biotechnology companies just launched here.  At 3.9%, we have the lowest unemployment rate of any city in Virginia.  We’re home to the country’s number-one public university, which brings students and faculty and staff representing dozens of nationalities to Charlottesville every year.  We appear in many top 10 lists as one of the nation’s healthiest and most livable cities.

And we proudly have an office of the International Rescue Committee here.

These things are not contradictions.  They are, in fact, the key to our success.  They are our values.  They are American values. 

And they are what already make Charlottesville, and Virginia, and America, great.

Thank you.