© 2024
Virginia's Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

After the Rally, Charlottesville Confronts Fresh Wounds

Sandy Hausman

People who were hit by a speeding car after violent protests in Charlottesville continue their recovery.  Ten are now in good condition at UVA Medical Center and nine have been released, but as Sandy Hausman reports, some invisible wounds may remain.

Kasey Landrum was traumatized when she witnessed the crash, and rushed to help one victim who lay bleeding on the sidewalk. 

“We had to bandage her wounds to the best of our ability until a medic was able to come.  It was truly the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen – a vehicle plowing people down in the middle of the road like it was nothing.”

Others, like Kathleen Quinn, are depressed.

“I was hoping so much for a peaceful protest and for both sides to disagree sure, but not devolve into violence, and so this makes me extraordinarily sad.”

But for many, the tragedy is a call to political action. 

Emma Kaplan is with a group called Refuse Facism. “This is what Trump has unleashed. We have to say Trump’s got to go.”

And David Reid is taking a different approach – once again standing on the downtown mall, alongside the outdoor bars and cafes, offering free hugs to anyone who needs a little love.

“Many people accepting hugs, and many people glad. I just got to witness the most remarkable thing.  Two lines of state police in riot gear came up here, and I heard the sound of clapping.  All these people sitting here in the restaurants stood up and applauded for the way the police handled it.” 

There have also been numerous memorials to the woman killed Saturday, and while one vigil was canceled last night due to what organizers called a credible threat, the service was held anyway on Facebook Live.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association

Sandy Hausman is Radio IQ's Charlottesville Bureau Chief
Related Content