WASHINGTON -- Washington, D.C. is geared up for a so-called “White Civil Rights” rally on Sunday, but some may have forgotten how we got here.
Violent images from Charlottesville have been seen all over the world when white nationalists and counter-protesters clashed on August 12th in 2017.
Why did this happen? Three things to know.
First, last year's rally all started over two parks and a statue.
The Charlottesville City Council voted to rename two parks named after Confederate generals and remove a statue of Robert E Lee.
Some people unhappy with the idea sued, and a judge blocked the statue from being removed right away while the case went through the legal process.
In April, the city council voted to sell the statue and let the buyer take it away themselves.
Secondly, the city’s decision sparked protests three months before what went down last August.
White nationalists lit torches and marched through Charlottesville because they did not like the city's decision to try and sell the Robert E Lee statue.
City leaders called white nationalists’ demonstrations intimidation, counter-protesters stood up against the alt-right groups, and a handful of people were arrested.
In July, nearly 100 KKK members showed up for a planned rally.
Again, there were counter protests, police had to use pepper spray to break up the crowds, and more than 20 people were locked up.
That brings us to the breaking point: last year's ‘Unite the Right’ rally.
White nationalists marched across the University of Virginia's campus with tiki torches the night before.
People from that same group and counter-protesters showed up the next day near the Robert R. Lee statue where fights and insults were thrown.
The violence escalated when a car plowed into a crowd and killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer.
There have been several court cases, council hearings, and debates since last year surrounding what went down in Charlottesville.
'Unite the Right' rally organizers are protesting in DC this weekend because a permit to protest in Charlottesville was denied.
The group told WUSA9 it is protesting for first amendment rights and what they called injustices from what happened in Charlottesville.
However, there are many people who do not agree with ‘Unite the Right’ protesters’ views or reasons for rallying.
