Racists and neo-Nazis and goats, oh my! Charlottesville man wants festival, petting zoo to counter 鈥楿TR2鈥�
If Justin Beights has his way, Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, won鈥檛 be filled with white nationalists, neo-Nazis and other assorted racists the weekend of Aug. 11-12.
In fact, the whitest thing there under Beights鈥� plan may be a goat or a sheep as part of a petting zoo.
Beights, a real estate developer in the city of 48,000, wants to hold the 鈥淔estival of the Schmestival鈥� in the park on the anniversary of the deadly 鈥淯nite the Right鈥� rally.
The idea, Beights told the Intelligence Project, is now to deny 鈥淯nite the Right鈥� organizer Jason Kessler both the park, which features a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and the weekend to mark the anniversary of the deadly rally.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want him doing the same thing he did last year,鈥� Beights said.
The original 鈥淯nite the Right鈥� rally drew a wide swath of racists, including alt-right front man Richard Spencer, Ku Klux Klansmen, the neo-Confederate League of the South, neo-Nazis and others.
The rally descended into violence, with three people being killed, including two Virginia State Police officers whose helicopter crashed as they monitored the events and 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer.
A Maumee, Ohio, man, 21-year-old James Alex Fields Jr., faces first-degree murder charges in state court as well as federal hate crime charges. Authorities say he intentionally plowed his Dodge Charger into a crowd on a narrow street, killing Heyer and injuring others.
Beights said when he initially applied for a permit to use the park, he didn鈥檛 realize the weekend was connected to the anniversary of the rally.
But, once he did, denying Kessler the ability to mark the one-year date of the rally, known locally as 鈥淎12鈥� and 鈥�8/12,鈥� became another reason to hold the festivities.
According to Beight鈥檚 event permit application, his festival is intended to be a family-friendly fundraiser that could attract approximately 400 people 鈥� the same crowd estimate Kessler gave for his proposed 鈥淯nite the Right 2鈥� rally.鈥�
Kessler is suing the city to force them to give him a permit to hold a second rally. A hearing in that lawsuit is scheduled for July 24 in federal court.
He鈥檚 also planning to hold a rally at Lafayette Square Park, across the street from the White House on August 12 and pitching it as a 鈥淲hite Civil Rights鈥� rally.
If I haven鈥檛 made it clear enough already the Unite the Right rally is not for neo-Nazis and they are not welcome at my events,鈥� Kessler tweeted on July 1. 鈥淚f you come to my event with a swastika, a weapon, Roman Salutes or any other agitator bullshit you鈥檒l be removed.鈥�
Brian Wheeler, a spokesman for the city of Charlottesville, said Beights initial permit request was denied July 10 and no events have been granted a permit for the park the weekend of August 11 and 12.
鈥淎fter the lawsuit is resolved, the city will have more information on permitted events,鈥� Wheeler said.
Beights, though, is undeterred.
He鈥檚 still planning a public festival featuring a 鈥渓ocal celebrity鈥� dunk tank, music and a petting zoo 鈥� possibly with a giraffe.
鈥淲hat would be more perfect than something that is the polar opposite of what occurred last year?鈥� Beights asked.
