Cedars, September 2017

September 2017 10 ANALYSIS by Alex Hentschel T he word at the forefront of the na- tional discussion on race relations is “Charlottesville.” A “Unite the Right” rally was held in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August to pro- test the removal of a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. Several other groups showed up to protest the event, including the anti-fascist political group Antifa, clerical ministers and members of the Black Lives Matter movement. The protests turned vio- lent, resulting in several casualties on both sides and the death of one woman when a speeding car rammed through a crowd of counter-protesters. Political leaders were quick to con- demn the white supremacist groups. Virgin- ia governor Terry McAuliffe demanded that the alt-right protesters “go home,” and, in a later comment, went so far as to state they should “leave America ... because they are not Americans.” President Donald Trump was criticized for his vague and equivocating response to the violence, namely for his statement that there was blame to be had on “both sides” and that “not all of [the alt-right protesters] were white supremacists.” He criticized the alt-left, calling them “very, very violent.” Trump stood mostly alone in his rebuke of the counter-protesters. His fellow Repub- licans scurried away from his generalization. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, tweeted that the white nationalists were “100% to blame.” Evenmembers of themilitary spoke out against their commander in chief: Gen. Robert Neller of the Marine Corps tweeted that there is “no place for racial hatred or extremism in @USMC.” Dr. Marc Clauson, professor of histo- ry and law at Cedarville University, said he believes the president was factually correct, but could have been more diplomatic in his approach. “He was correct to condemn ‘both sides,’ now that we know more of the facts,” Clau- son said. “I think there was a certain group in the media who immediately saw an opportu- nity to jump on him for that wording.” Dr. Mark Caleb Smith, associate profes- sor of political science and the director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville, said he believes Trump is unique among presi- dents in that he did not condemn the white Charlottesville and Racial Tension in Trump’s America How President Trump is affecting unity in the face of tragedy Associated Press An organizer with “Showing Up For Racial Justice” (SURJ) of Charlottesville speaks to community members and protesters on Sept. 1 outside of the Charlottesville Circuit Courthouse before a hearing set to discuss the pending case regarding the removal of Confederate statues in the city.