A Black man is facing jail time after being attacked by White supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia. According to the Washington Post, DeAndre Harris is facing the same charges as the racist White men who attacked him.
The attack accord on the same day that a White supremacist committed an act of terror by driving a car into a crowd of people. One person was killed and several were injured following the attack that took place during a rally that featured Nazis and White supremacists. On the same day, several White racists also attacked counter-protestors. Harris was one of the people attacked that day.
In video captured by a cell phone, Harris was brutally beaten by a mob of seven White men who punched, kicked, and hit him in the head with sticks. The attack began after White supremacist Harold Crews swung a Confederate flag at Harris. Attempting to defend himself, Harris swung back at Crews and missed before he was attacked by the seven White men.
Following the attack, Harris’ face was bloodied, he suffered a concussion, and needed 10 staples for a laceration on his head. Two of the White men who attacked Harris were charged with malicious wounding, but they weren’t charged with hate crimes.
But Crews and several other White men attempted to claim that they were the victims. Crews and his attorney went to the magistrate who filed charges against Harris. It’s unusual for the magistrate to file a charge against an individual when the police does not.
It’s unjust and a failure of the Charlottesville government to allow a Black man to be charged for a crime after he was attacked by racists. But it’s another factor of White privilege and life in the era of Trump. The racist attitudes that have emerged since Trump became president is scary. He has embraced White supremacy and attacked Blacks and minorities on every level from tweets to proposed bills and legislation.
In 2017, we’re living in a nation that has racial strife comparable to the turbulent 1960s.
