Federal hate crime charges filed in Virginia rally death

originally posted by: oddnutz
Wasn't an SUV Kharron, it was a sedan not that it really matters. The guy should be punished for his actions 100%. In the video it is not even clear that car the touched heather, although she was certainly knocked over by those escaping the path of the car. Was a report released on her cause of death? If i recall correctly she was a very large lady and if she still had a pulse when her fellow protestors were smashing on her chest in an attempt to perform cpr, this could of contributed to her death? Could the reason for the federal charges be in case he beats the murder charge?

You're 100% right, thank you. It looks like a powder coated charger or a challenger from behind. I'll edit the OP.

originally posted by: underwerks

originally posted by: toysforadults
Good. This kind of hate crime should not be tolerated left or right.

I doubt you will see anyone on the right defending this dirtbag.

Go look at the thread from back when it happened. There are several prominent right wing posters here on ATS that defended him up and down.

One who said she deserved it. Let’s not forget the reactions of people here when it happened.

Yes, there was that. I am really hoping we can focus on moving forward and making sure this doesn't happen any more. I know that tomorrow or next week, something similar may happen and I do hope cooler heads prevail, but I am hoping that at least here, on ATS, that we do a bit better than the average Joe out there listening to MSM and getting riled up.

*fingers crossed*

a reply to: oddnutz
if I am remembering right, there was one person that was hit, and then flew over the car in front of him landing on it's front hood. kind of thought that might have been heather.
also, he hit with such force that he pushed the cars ahead of him forward and they also hit people so...
but one of the defenses some were trying to make was that he was afraid of the crowd and lost it, just wanted to find a quiet safe spot..
if the defense is going with that one, it might explain the additional hate crimes charges.
I don't know.

a reply to: oddnutz

Heather Heyer, the anti-racism activist killed at the Charlottesville white nationalist protests, died as a result of blunt-force injury to the chest, according to a medical report.

So, vehicular homicide, with dozens of attempted murder charges.

Newsweek

a reply to: Kharron

that we do a bit better than the average Joe out there listening to MSM and getting riled up

lol... have you listened to alex jones lately?? msn is a pussy car compared to him!!

Ok I found the charges, they got released to the media.

PDF of charges

Count One - Hate Crime Act Resulting in Death
Counts Two through Twenty Nine - Hate Crime Act Involving Attempt to Kill

originally posted by: dawnstar
a reply to: Kharron

that we do a bit better than the average Joe out there listening to MSM and getting riled up

lol... have you listened to alex jones lately?? msn is a pussy car compared to him!!

Haven't heard or seen that man talk in years; he struck me as someone who will say anything for money, had that feeling from the first time I heard him.

But I do get catch your drift.

I guess we will see how this plays out in the courts. It seems it will be hard to prove the hate part unless there is Evidence of premeditation. I hadn't heard of the driver saying he would do such a thing. Perhaps someone could shed some light on his background.

From what I remember reading at the time was the driver said people were attacking his car and he freaked out. Hardly a good defense on such a pedestrian crowded street.


My guess is they will drop the fed charges if the State charges stick.

a reply to: dawnstar

Oh, absolutely he should. Certainly seems cut and dried.

a reply to: pavil

That's the main reason I don't like the "hate" addition to a crime. If it's criminal offense without the addition, why bother? Hate is hard to prove. Then, I would think, double jeopardy would come into play...so an actual guilty jackass gets to walk, because the prosecution couldn't prove "hate".

originally posted by: Kharron

originally posted by: diggindirt
a reply to: Kharron

Why would emotions come into a prosecution? Actions are illegal---not emotions. There are plenty of charges to be leveled against him that don't include emotions.

I know that a lot of you have grown up with this idea of "hate crime" but there is nothing in the founding documents which would support prosecuting people for some supposed emotion. Killing and injuring people is a crime, no matter what emotions some prosecutor might imagine was going through the mind of the law-breaker.

Lock him away from civil society for his actions---NOT any emotion.

I don't see where emotions are being used to prosecute, I missed that. However, emotions are often a cause or a motive to a crime. Most murders involve emotion, unless perpetrated by a psychopath, who are said to be devoid of emotion.

Hate is an emotion---it not an action.

It is perfectly legal for me to hate whomever I please. It is only when I take some action that harms the person that I can be charged with a crime.

You remind me of the woman who told police she didn't want charges pressed against her husband after a beating had left her in the hospital with multiple fractures. "He only beats me because he loves me so much."

a reply to: pavil

I think the feds are set on proving all that, intent, premeditation, hate... listen to some of this from the charges they filed today, I'm gonna quote a few things in no order of importance from my point of view:

2. Prior to August 12, 2017, Defendant JAMES ALEX FIELDS JR. obtained multiple social media accounts, which he used to express his beliefs regarding race, national origin, religion and other topics. On these accounts, FIELDS expressed and promoted his belief that white people are superior to other races and peoples; expressed support of the social and racial policies of Adolf Hitler and Nazi-era Germany, including the Holocaust; and espoused violence against African Americans, Jewish people and members of other racial; ethnic and religious groups he perceived to be non-white. FIELDS also expressed these views directly in interactions with individuals known to him.

Page 1

5. On August I 1, 2017 , as Defendant JAMES ALEX FIELDS JR. prepared to leave his home in Maumee, Ohio, to travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, a family member sent him a text message urging him to be careful. FIELDS replied to the text message that "We're not the ones who need to be careful." To the message, FIELDS attached an image of Adolf Hitler. FIELDS departed for Charlottesville, Virginia, shortly thereafter.

Page 2

FIELDS slowly proceeded in his vehicle toward the crowd and stopped and observed the crowd while idling in his vehicle. With no vehicle behind him, FIELDS then slowly reversed his vehicle back toward the top of the hill, near the intersection of Fourth and East Market ("Market") Streets.

Page 3

11. At or near the top of the hill and the intersection of Fourth and Market Streets, Defendant JAMES ALEX FIELDS JR. stopped his vehicle. FIELDS rapidly accelerated, through a stop sign and across a raised pedestrian mall, and drove directly into the crowd. FIELDS's vehicle stopped only when it struck another vehicle near the intersection ofFourth and Water Streets. FIELDS then rapidly reversed his car and fled the scene. As FIELDS drove into and through the crowd, FIELDS struck numerous individuals, killing Heather Heyer and injuring many others.

Page 3

(d) intentionally participated in an act, contemplating that the life ofa person would be taken and intending that lethal force would be used in connection with a person, other than one of the participants in the offense, and Heather Heyer died as a direct result of such act (18 U.S.C. $ 35e l(a)(2)(c));

(e) intentionally and specifically engaged in an act of violence, knowing that the act created a grave risk of death to a person, other than one of the participants in the offense, such that participation in the act constituted a reckless disregard for human life

Page 7

originally posted by: Kharron
I think this is a very good step forward by AG Sessions. Virginia State has already filed charges against James Fields Jr. in the murder of the Charlottesville protester last year, however, this is a federal charge of 30 crimes, 29 of them being hate crimes. Mr. Fields drove his vehicle into a “racially and ethnically diverse crowd” and ended up killing Heather Heyer and injuring dozens more.

Amid the rising tensions and threats of violence from all sides, this remains the only actual case of violence so far.

The federal civil rights case is not the first under Sessions’ Justice Department, but it is certainly the most high-profile one. Critics of Sessions for the last year have been concerned about what they see as less aggressive enforcement of federal civil rights laws, and especially the Justice Department’s lack of intervention against local police agencies with troubled relationships with minorities.

But in bringing the prosecution, Sessions appeared to assert himself as independent from President Donald Trump — who blamed the violence on both sides and was accused of emboldening racists — and suggested that the Justice Department would continue to treat racially motivated acts of violence as hate crimes.

It is very, very good to see the DoJ take a harder stance on hate crime and hopefully this will deflate the tensions a bit and dissuade future crimes, such as this one.

“Last summer’s violence in Charlottesville cut short a promising young life and shocked the nation,” U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “Today’s indictment should send a clear message to every would-be criminal in America that we aggressively prosecute violent crimes of hate that threaten the core principles of our nation.”

Thumbs up to the DoJ and AG Sessions today!

Associated Press

You are forgetting Eric Clanton the bike lock guy. So not the only case of violence. There are many more, but I used him as an example.

a reply to: Kharron

Have a jury try him, if guilty , shoot him.

Why spend money on this loser.

originally posted by: diggindirt

originally posted by: Kharron

originally posted by: diggindirt
a reply to: Kharron

Why would emotions come into a prosecution? Actions are illegal---not emotions. There are plenty of charges to be leveled against him that don't include emotions.

I know that a lot of you have grown up with this idea of "hate crime" but there is nothing in the founding documents which would support prosecuting people for some supposed emotion. Killing and injuring people is a crime, no matter what emotions some prosecutor might imagine was going through the mind of the law-breaker.

Lock him away from civil society for his actions---NOT any emotion.

I don't see where emotions are being used to prosecute, I missed that. However, emotions are often a cause or a motive to a crime. Most murders involve emotion, unless perpetrated by a psychopath, who are said to be devoid of emotion.

Hate is an emotion---it not an action.

It is perfectly legal for me to hate whomever I please. It is only when I take some action that harms the person that I can be charged with a crime.

You remind me of the woman who told police she didn't want charges pressed against her husband after a beating had left her in the hospital with multiple fractures. "He only beats me because he loves me so much."

Yeah, I think hate crime is what we use mostly and what the media calls it, but not exclusively -- the government does too. Although, in most of the legal paperwork I'm finding about this they call it Bias-Motivated Crime. Not that it makes a huge difference to us but 'hate crime' seems an easier sell than bias-motivated. Most Americans would need a dictionary to decode the meaning of 'bias-motivated' anyway. lol

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: Kharron

Have a jury try him, if guilty , shoot him.

Why spend money on this loser.

Because everyone deserves a chance to defend themselves. He may be crazy, he may need to be institutionalized, who knows.

I despise what he did, I support his right to defend himself, I support the government going after him and making a stand on this.

a reply to: Kharron

He has a right to defend himself in court. If found guilty?


Shoot him.

Send a message to every rat bastard out there that if you do this, you die.

originally posted by: pompel9

originally posted by: Kharron
I think this is a very good step forward by AG Sessions. Virginia State has already filed charges against James Fields Jr. in the murder of the Charlottesville protester last year, however, this is a federal charge of 30 crimes, 29 of them being hate crimes. Mr. Fields drove his vehicle into a “racially and ethnically diverse crowd” and ended up killing Heather Heyer and injuring dozens more.

Amid the rising tensions and threats of violence from all sides, this remains the only actual case of violence so far.

The federal civil rights case is not the first under Sessions’ Justice Department, but it is certainly the most high-profile one. Critics of Sessions for the last year have been concerned about what they see as less aggressive enforcement of federal civil rights laws, and especially the Justice Department’s lack of intervention against local police agencies with troubled relationships with minorities.

But in bringing the prosecution, Sessions appeared to assert himself as independent from President Donald Trump — who blamed the violence on both sides and was accused of emboldening racists — and suggested that the Justice Department would continue to treat racially motivated acts of violence as hate crimes.

It is very, very good to see the DoJ take a harder stance on hate crime and hopefully this will deflate the tensions a bit and dissuade future crimes, such as this one.

“Last summer’s violence in Charlottesville cut short a promising young life and shocked the nation,” U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “Today’s indictment should send a clear message to every would-be criminal in America that we aggressively prosecute violent crimes of hate that threaten the core principles of our nation.”

Thumbs up to the DoJ and AG Sessions today!

Associated Press

You are forgetting Eric Clanton the bike lock guy. So not the only case of violence. There are many more, but I used him as an example.

Thanks, I didn't forget him, I just wasn't familiar with that until now. It happened in May of 2017 and three people were hit in the head with a bike lock. Eventually, detective work by 4chan lead to his arrest... interesting story.

Berkeley Side

What others? I'd like to look them all up if you have more, please.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: Kharron

He has a right to defend himself in court. If found guilty?


Shoot him.

Send a message to every rat bastard out there that if you do this, you die.

Yeah I went back and you said the same thing the first time, try him. So we agree on that.

I don't know about shooting him. To me, life behind bars, without parole, seems worse than death. I'm not afraid of death. If he's found guilty, prisons exist for people like him, not for weed dealers.

a reply to: Kharron

What is the value in allowing him to live? He forfetted his rights when he committed this act.