A report from a friend who was a legal observer in Charlottesville
I was working as a legal observer for the National Lawyers' Guild. In that role, we are working under the supervision of an attorney who represents the group or groups who have asked for that support, and we have an obligation of confidentiality. Which means I'm not going to get into details of what happened on the streets yesterday. Besides, there are better sources of that information -- lots of reporters whose job it is to capture and convey what was going on, as well as first-hand reports from activists on the ground.
That said, we are allowed to talk about our general experience as a legal observer. And as of this morning, my feelings are a very mixed bag. It's really starting to hit home that a woman lost her life, and I wish I knew more about her. And many others were critically injured -- I anxiously await word of them too. I've had a good night's sleep but am still pretty tired and definitely sore. (It's not telling you anything confidential that we all got our steps in yesterday!)
And, of course, it's really upsetting to come face-to-face with the hate of the "alt-right" demonstrators. It's particularly horrifying when they purport to be speaking on behalf of a group I belong to (white people), espousing opinions that are simultaneously vile and stupid.
But on the bright side, I saw a lot of good people not just stating their opposition to that evil, but getting out into the streets and doing the work. And organizing! The planning that went into making sure the various counter-protests happened and were supported was amazing. Just looking at my little corner of things, we had a team of about 30 LOs, many of whom came in from out of town.
Locals housed us, fed us, and helped us find our way around. Communications channels were established and we all managed to stay in touch and coordinate efforts. Later in the day, when I'd used up my own gatorade and water, I was grateful for the people whose job was to wander around the crowd sharing water and snacks. Basically, a lot of people took care of each other, and that is a good thing.
I just hope that people who were moved to come out in C'ville yesterday, as well as those appalled by what they saw reported, will commit to an active role in the ongoing struggle to achieve a more just society. I've been doing the Trump countdown (by the way, 1256) as a reminder that it's a marathon, not a sprint. But it's not just Trump, and not just any politician or hate group leader. The work we have to do goes wider and deeper than that, and we shouldn't expect to see it finished in our lifetimes. But I was reminded yesterday just how powerful it can be when people come together and organize. Let's keep doing it.
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