So I drove to Charlottesville to support equality and to oppose racism and fascism. I was there for about 10 minutes when a lunatic tried to kill me and the hundred other people who were near me. The car, a Dodge Challenger rammed into the crowd, and two other cars, passing within about three feet of hitting me. The driver backed up and ran over even more people. One woman, Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and 19 others were injured.
I did what seems like a natural reaction – I ran the other way. I was worried the driver was going to get out and start shooting people. I literally ran for my life.
The situation was like this. I arrived in Charlottesville at some time around 1:30PM, parked my car on Water Street about a block from the visitor’s center. I texted my wife “Here” at 1:31PM. I used the bathroom at the visitor’s center. I walked west on East Main Street until I got to 4th Street Southeast. I saw a crowd of counter protesters in the intersection of 4th Street Southeast and East Main Street. They looked like my people and so I started to walk south on 4th Street Southeast.
I noticed three cars on 4th Street. There was a minivan in front, some sort of sedan and a gray Dodge Challenger. This street is a narrow one-way street. The vehicles were stuck, people were totally filling the streets and intersection. I walked passed the gray Challenger, which was pointed south. I remember one of the drivers honked their horn, but I don’t know which one it was. Maybe 10 seconds after I passed the Challenger, the driver gunned the car, ran over several people, bodies were flying everywhere and slammed into the sedan so hard that it slammed into the minivan stopped in front of it. I thought I saw one person crushed, but I don’t really remember much of the details. The Challenger than immediately went in reverse and ran several more people over. People were being dragged and more bodies were flying everywhere. People were screaming and I just booked out of there. I crossed East Main Street where I caught my breath. I was in shock. I sent a tweet at 1:45PM.
And to heighten the fear factor even more, about 10 or 15 minutes after the terrorist attack, I was talking to some people about what happened and someone fired a gun. At that point, a woman running from the gunshot told me about a bar that was a safe space for liberals. I went there and had a beer to decompress. It was a totally insane experience.
So to everyone who didn’t take their vote seriously in 2016, or who just couldn’t vote for Clinton, thanks. If you voted for a write-in a candidate because you didn’t think your vote in Vermont, or wherever didn’t matter, you screwed up. Had Clinton won by 5 million rather than 3 million, maybe the Electoral College would have gone differently. To everyone who just couldn’t put their own selfishness aside and vote for Clinton, you failed. If we get to vote again, not necessarily guaranteed, take it more seriously next time and try to put your own pettiness and selfishness aside. People are literally being murdered because they’re emboldened by Trump’s “win.”
Here’s a story about the woman who was murdered, Heather Heyer.
Here’s another story about Heyer
Here’s the current Huffington Post story on it.
Here’s the guy who tried to kill me.
