Brittany Caine-Conley depicts police officers as acting as mere bystanders during the demonstration, watching as protestors and counter-protestors clashed and fought nearby. This is important because it reflects the common sentiments that police are often trained to respond only when situations are past the point of de-escalation. While there is the difficulty of balancing freedom of speech with law and order, situations like these seem to dictate having some sort of criteria and precedence for how police can/should intervene in violent public displays.

Amid the continual violence that seems to plague public demonstrations that take place on the basis of race, there seems to always be a threat of gun violence and that was of particular concern to Heather Heyer before she made the decision to attend the counter-protest. While it wasn't a gun that took her life, it was a violent act that was the result of blind intolerance and hatred. It is of vital importance to realize that her having this fear is an example of instances like these being far too common in our society. To have such a fear actualized at an event in which one is protesting and calling for peace is tragic irony and offers the opportunity for us to evaluate the ways in which we can educate against violence and unite to condemn violence.

A slogan used by the Nazi party of Germany that was representative of the goal of ethnic homogeneity. This type of saying being used in a modern context in the U.S. is wildly problematic as it glorifies Nazi ideologies by explicitly stating its 2 sole values while also maintaining what's at stake for the radical individuals that hold them. Adding onto the problems associated with such a chant is the failure to address the issue that a person with European heritage's blood is not even of the soil and the subsequent question, what claim do you have to it?

Jason Kessler, the main organizer of the Unite the Right rally asserts that racism is the same across the board and should be as condemned when it is committed by anyone of any race. In theory, that's a seemingly great moral code to live by. However, it's important to acknowledge that fundamentally, as a result of LITERALLY centuries of imperialism and commoditization of bodies through slavery, "racism" is not the same when it's committed by a black person as a white person. There exist historical experiences, traumas, and biases that have maintained the elevation of whiteness, even to the extent that immoral acts committed by white people are often more likely to be framed by media outlets and local authorities as less dangerous.

The Charlottesville mayor recently changed his position about the removal of Confederate monuments, fearing that the statues will continue to be used for violent idolatry by white nationalists seeking to mobilize. This is important because he initially had very different opinions, stating the the monuments should be preserved out of respect for the histories that they represent (not to be confused with the "causes"). It's great that he spoke out despite having to go back on his former declaration to commemorate the life of Heather Heyer because of his level of influence in the city. However, it would be interesting to consider how the response may have differed if the only casualty were a P/WOC.