Shortly after the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, City Council leaders were quick to point fingers. A series of leaked memorandum — which blamed poor communication between city officials for the chaos of the rally — show the mayor and city leaders bickering with each other, with none of them assuming responsibility. This debacle has created a divisive environment within City Council, with officials blaming each other instead of showing solidarity in the wake of tragedy. Moving forward, City Council should do away with this childish behavior and begin to show unity in times of crises.
It should go without saying that following tragedy and chaos, a city’s public leaders have a responsibility to lead by example. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey’s destruction, Houston’s leaders and community members came together by offering refuge in their own homes and even volunteering in relief efforts. Meanwhile, following a reckless white supremacist rally, Charlottesville public officials can be found playing the blame game while community members struggle in search of unity and solidarity.
Comparing a rally to a hurricane might seem problematic, but the effects of the recent rally in Charlottesville should not be diminished, either. Home to our University, Charlottesville is currently playing a decisive role in the battle against white supremacy and neo-Nazism in America. With Richard Spencer stating “we’ll be back 100 times if necessary,” one could be forgiven for thinking this is the first of many potentially-violent demonstrations. Instead of looking for someone to blame for the disaster left behind by one rally, council members should be working together in preparing for similar demonstrations in the near future.
Regardless of City Council’s preparation for the rally, which was frankly nothing short of incompetent, this type of petty politics draws attention away from the real issues at hand. We are all part of the Charlottesville community, and we were all affected to at least some degree by the recent rallies. Assigning blame for the city’s poor preparation no longer matters. What matters is coming together and providing strong leadership in crises — City Council has failed to do both.
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