HAWI — Residents from all over Council District 7 gathered at Hawi Bamboo Park last Friday to show their solidarity with those peacefully protesting white supremacy groups. Their goal was to stand for those injured and one that lost her life.
Heather Heyer, a peaceful protester, was killed by a man who decided to run his vehicle through a crowd of peaceful protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia on Aug. 12. Her murder has shocked a nation and the world. Peaceful protests against racism have since then sprung up across the country.
“This kind of hate and violence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by thinking people,” resident Lisa Andrews said.
The diverse crowd that gathered in Kohala started out with a protest of their own, waiving signs along the main street that displayed messages such as “Peace,” “A slash through the word racism,” “Justice for Heather Heyer,” “Censure Trump,” “Kapu Aloha,” “Love,” “Goodnight Alt Right,” and “If you were not outraged you’re not paying attention.”
A candlelight vigil followed, where residents shared their feelings about the state of the country. The messages were clear: We must remain strong and united. We will keep our communities undivided. We will remain peaceful but not silent, Andrews said.
Action items were shared so people could be empowered to do something about the injustices that took place in Charlottesville. Examples included placing calls to the attorney general in Virginia, Mark Herring, to demand he prosecute the five white supremacists who brutally attacked peaceful protester DeAndre Harris in Charlottesville. Another action item was a plea to tweet the governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, and leave messages on his Facebook page and call him. In addition, they asked residents to contact the hate crimes division of the Justice Department’s civil rights division to report a federal hate crime.
Lastly the group said they want an arrest warrant issued for Michael Alex Ramos of Marietta, Georgia for the assault of DeAndre Harris by calling the Charlottesville police department and the town’s Mayor Mike Signer and Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy. Phone numbers and email addresses for all politicians and officers were provided.
As a long term goal, the Kohala residents said they plan to move for laws designating white supremacist groups as terrorists.