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Columbia Gathers to Show Support for Charlottesville Community

Peace Park memorial
Abigail Keel
/
KBIA

Over 200 people gathered in Peace Park on Sunday afternoon in solidarity with Charlottesville, Virginia, where three people died and multiple people were injured on Saturday when white nationalist ralliers and anti-racist counter-protesters clashed.

"Lots of people around the country, if not around the world, were horrified by the hatred in Charlottesville yesterday — the violence and the death resulted from that," said Candace Galen, one of the organizers for the vigil.

Galen thought the Columbia community should do something to show support for the people in Charlottesville, so she decided to organize the vigil. She created a post on local advocacy group CoMo for Progress’ Facebook page on Saturday night, and invitations to the vigil were then sent to over 500 people in the group.

"What happened in Charlottesville, it could’ve happened here (in Columbia) and many other places around the country," Galen said.

Galen is a member of CoMo for Progress and a professor at MU in the biological sciences division. She said she thought Columbia is similar to Charlottesville in some ways.

"We have a great diverse population here in Columbia that we cherish and value," Galen said. "Much like Charlottesville, we care about our neighbors and we share the same values."

Many people held up signs to show their support to the Charlottesville community. Luanne Andes of Columbia was one of them.

"It’s amazing to see a lot of people come out to stand for what’s right," Andes said.

Andes, 60, held up a sign that read "No Hate" made by her friend. She attended the vigil to stand up against racism and support the Charlottesville community.

27-year-old local Tory Kassabaum held up a sign that said "White silence is violence." She attended the vigil with her mom, Nancy, who lives in St. Louis. They wanted to show support for the black community and the local community.

"People should speak up, white people especially, because of the white privileges," Kassabaum said.

Kate Canterbury, a co-organizer for the vigil, said it was gratifying for her to see so many people come out to Peace Park for the event.

"It’s important for people to have a place to come to support Charlottesville and the community," Canterbury, 41, said. "To let people know that we also care about these things in Columbia."

Canterbury said she felt ashamed when a travel advisory for people of color was issued by the NAACP in early August.

"The best thing people can do is to speak out," Canterbury said. "If you hear people saying things that are racist, say something."

The vigil lasted about 90 minutes. People who attended brought flowers for the victims in Charlottesville.

On Saturday, a woman died after a vehicle ran into a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville. White nationalists spent Friday night and Saturday rallying in downtown Charlottesville and on the University of Virginia campus against the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, according to the Associated Press. Counter-protesters were present on Saturday, and it turned violent when authorities say an Ohio man rammed a car into a group of counter-protesters. One woman died, and at least 19 others were injured. James Alex Fields Jr., 20, was charged with second-degree murder and other counts in the crash. Later in the day, a Virginia State Trooper helicopter crashed, killing two state troopers.

"We are all connected to each other and we have to stand up for each other," Galen said. "Love conquers hate."

Supervising editor is Claire Mitzel.