Many Bloomingtonians gathered at the Monroe County Courthouse on Sunday evening to reflect on the weekend’s horrific events in Charlottesville, Va. On Saturday, white nationalist and alt-right members carried out a “Unite the Right” rally to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee. They ultimately clashed with human rights and anti-fascist protesters, causing casualties and even deaths.
Notable community figures spoke at the Bloomington rally, condemning racism and hate speech and encouraging love, respect, and civil discourse. Some of these speakers included Jim Simms, the president of the Monroe county division of the NAACP; Brian Besser, the rabbi at Beth Shalom synagogue in Bloomington; and Wandalyn Savala, a representative from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and Kentucky.
