Stopping White Supremacists From Taking Over an American City Again

It’s been almost a year since a horde of white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and Ku Klux Klan members tore through Charlottesville, torches blazing. The “Unite the Right” rally, led by white nationalist Jason Kessler and supported by an army of civilian militia, started at the nearby University of Virginia campus on August 11, 2017, and poured into Charlottesville’s downtown by the next day. Amid racist chants and flying fists, a car accelerated through the crowd, killing counter-protester Heather Heyer and injuring several others.

While the national and local reckoning the rally compelled isn’t yet over, a more straightforward goal has also emerged for Charlottesville and other U.S. cities: shaping local policies and strengthening safety measures to prevent an uprising like this from happening again.