On the Fourth Street of Charlottesville lay a small heap of flowers in the memory of Heather Heyer, who’s death transformed her into a modern-day civil rights icon. The walls on both sides of the street are covered in graffiti, with messages indicating towards love for Heyer who lost her life on August 12 after a Dodge Challenger sped into the crowd of people during a protest against white supremacists.
Now, Heyer’s mom is speaking up about the incident, saying that the ‘Neo-Nazis’ had the support of President Trump and speaking to him would be an insult to her daughter’s memory.
Susan Bro, Heyer’s mother speaking at her daughter’s memorial service
First Degree Murder
James Alex Fields, the 20-year-old driver from Ohio who was responsible for Heather’s death as well injuring 19 other people, was indicted with first degree murder on Monday.
Initially, Fields had been charged with second degree murder due to the defense that the accident was unintentional and he had driven through the crowd for self-defense after the protesters charged at him, but later, the judges were presented with evidence that indicated premeditation on Field’s part. Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, expressed her relief upon hearing the news that the charges against Fields had been upgraded.
Vocal About Political Issues
Bro recalls that her daughter spoke openly about political issues, especially about racism and bigotry
At her daughter’s memorial service, Susan Bro spoke powerfully in celebration of her daughter’s life saying that the supremacists thought that they could kill Heyer’s voice, but instead, they amplified it. In an interview, Bro recalls that her daughter spoke openly about political issues, and ever since the elections, she had been more vocal about her opinion about racism and bigotry.
In fact, the very last conversation between mother and daughter had been about politics over dinner a few nights before she died. On the day of the tragic incident, Bro had no clue that her daughter was at the protest. It was only after she received a disturbing call from the hospital when she realized that something was horribly wrong.
She tried calling her daughter on her personal cell phone but a stranger picked it up saying that he found the phone on the sidewalk where the protest had happened. When Bro arrived at the hospital, she was faced with the devastating news of her daughter’s passing away. It was a moment that she will remember for the rest of her life.
The Police Had Failed to Protect Her Daughter
Rescue personnel that helped injured people after the car ran into the group of protesters after a white nationalist rally which took place in Charlottesville, Va.,on Aug. 12, 2017.
When asked about who she blamed for the death of her daughter, Bro responded that there were several perpetrators whose actions brought the dreadful consequences that day. For one, the police didn’t do their part in providing security for the group of protestors.
Reports showed that at the time of Heyer’s death, there had been only one school resource officer present on scene. Bro also says that Fields, who claimed that his actions were unintentional and motivated by self-defense, was also to blame for the incident.
The grieving mother isn’t buying his excuse. She says that he intentionally rammed his car into the crowd and was only attacked because he was running people over. Bro says that she wished that she could talk to Fields and ask him what was going through his mind as he committed such a horrific act, but the mother has not been able to speak to the suspect outside the court.
Bro Explains Why She Wouldn’t Speak to Trump
Bro says that the President Trump’s words in the wake of the attack were what hurt her the most. Although she always knew that he doesn’t think before he speaks, she didn’t expect him to make such a ridiculous statement as to say that there were good people on both sides of the protest. Bro doesn’t believe that there were any good people among the white supremacists whose only intention was to harm others and draw blood that day.
She added that if the president believes that the people who were responsible for her daughter’ death were good, then it sends a very clear message to the Americans about which side Trump is on. Bro said that she received several calls from the White House on the day of her daughter’s funeral but she refused to talk to the President due to his hurtful statement. Furthermore, she believes that it was Trump’s words and actions that had encouraged the white supremacists to act in the way they did that day.
