Coy Barefoot: Charlottesville Community “rightly outraged at how this was all handled and/or mis-handled by authorities”

Interesting – and in my opinion important – commentary by Charlottesville journalist/resident Coy Barefoot (bolding added by me for emphasis):

THE CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT HAVE SOME TOUGH QUESTIONS TO ANSWER IN THE WAKE OF THESE TRAGIC EVENTS.

This community is rightly outraged at how this was all handled and/or mis-handled by authorities. For me, this is about OUR community, OUR Charlottesville, and how WE move forward — by understanding what happened and being willing to go wherever truth may lead. We need to set an example for this struggling nation, because the sad fact is that more communities and more towns will likely have to face similar riots and violence in the future.

The Nazis and White Supremacists of the “Alternative Right” will not rest until more lives have been taken. They have been emboldened by Donald Trump and his gang of criminals. Sure, he didn’t create racism, but he— like every despot before him— has made it absolutely clear that hatred and violence, fueled by racism and misogyny, are okay. He has demonstrated his delusional belief that “White America” is under some kind of threat and that violence is a reasonable curative. Trump himself is a frightening danger to every fundamental American value and ideal. We know that. We’ve always known that. And his Party and supporters continue to run cover for his crimes and to embrace the danger he poses for their own political gain. They oppose everything good America represents. Those are important issues for us to explore and to remedy if we ever hope to leave our ideals stronger for those who come after us.

But now, in this moment, as I write only blocks away from where a young woman was murdered by a nazi terrorist on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, I’m more concerned about my home town and this little city i love so much. I don’t want to see City Hall or the Governor circle their political wagons and bury the truth in yet another study or review. I want to see honest leadership. I want to hear answers to critical questions. And I want them now. These authorities allowed a deadly force to march on our community, they looked the other way when people were being beaten in the street. It is our responsibility and duty as citizens of a constitutional democracy to hold our elected and un-elected leaders accountable for their actions — or their in-actions. We deserve and demand this accountability.